The early non-conference season continues to bring a mixed bag for Northwestern (2-3). At one moment, it seems to thrive and have its way, and at others, it seems lost.
That's exactly what the 'Cats trip to Starkville looked like last week, handing Alabama (3-1) its first loss of the season before being dispatched by Mississippi State (4-1). These contests showed both sides of the coin when it comes to Wildcat volleyball.
Let's not waste time. Here are your three major takeaways from the weekend.
It's Lauren Dignan's time. She donned the libero jersey in both contests this week. That's not to say Drew Wright or Gigi Navarette will be tossed aside, but its clear that Tim Nollan believes in who he's recruited as the future of that position. 2025 was her year to learn the machine, 2026 is her year to take the wheel.
The Mara Štiglic-Bella Bullington partnership is starting to settle into place. Štiglic led the team with 36 kills while Bullington followed with 26. The rapid growth of success for these two feels of utmost importance, Bullington basically undertaking Rylen Reid's role in the system from a year ago and Štiglic learning the system in its entirety.

#contests #time

Over the summer, the Daily Journal released its annual high school football position rankings, listing the top five area players at each major position group. So in case you missed it, here is a recap of those rankings.
Defensive linemen
1. Ladanuel Jordan, Sr., Starkville
2. NaBrandon Patterson, Sr., Corinth
3. Jayden Foster, Sr., New Albany

#rankings #daily #journal #jordan

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football held its first preseason scrimmage on Aug. 16 at Davis Wade Stadium.
The scrimmage was closed, but coach Jeff Lebby held a press conference immediately afterward. He said the starters played 47 snaps while the second team played 40 snaps.
"No. 1, we're healthy coming off the field, which is huge," Lebby said. "No. 2, the energy, physicality and the back-and-forth competitiveness was really good."
Here's what else Lebby said about MSU's scrimmage.
Kamario Taylor is entering his first season as Mississippi State's quarterback. Lebby has said that Taylor is typically critical of himself, but that he's overall done well in preseason practices and in the scrimmage.

#taylor #held #preseason #starkville

STARKVILLE — Kamario Taylor has a new quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State football for the 2026 season.
The Bulldogs hired Oklahoma State's Kevin Johns in December, bringing almost 30 years of coaching experience, including several jobs as an offensive coordinator and QB coach in power conferences.
Johns' priority for Taylor, the first-year sophomore starter, with preseason practice beginning Aug. 6?
"The No. 1 thing is that Kamario can throw the ball through a brick wall," Johns said Aug. 3. "He can throw it that hard. But sometimes, you have you learn how to take a little bit off those throws. We call that layering the throw, and I think him still developing that touch in certain situations to not throw the fastball probably is the No. 1 area."
Johns has been with three teams the last four seasons. He was Duke's offensive coordinator from 2022-23, Oklahoma's quarterbacks coach in 2024 and Oklahoma State's QB coach in 2025.

#oklahoma

Travis Kelce's reaction to Taylor Swift walking down the aisle revealed originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Fans are getting more details about the emotions behind Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's wedding.
The couple tied the knot on July 3 at Madison Square Garden, and Monday Night Football broadcaster Joe Buck, who was a guest at the wedding, shared Kelce's emotion behind watching Swift walk down the aisle.
"Their vows were long," Buck said Saturday, July 25, on the "Starkville" podcast. "They were really well-written. They were funny. They were sweet. They were emotional."
Buck went on to share that the emotion just began to pour over Kelce as he saw Swift approaching.

#july #aisle #behind

It has already been a few weeks since Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift got married inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The wedding was a star-studded affair, with some of the biggest names in sports and music in attendance, and some of those who were there are now talking about the experience.
One of those in attendance was play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, who revealed that Kelce was very emotional and in tears the moment his bride, Swift, walked down the aisle.
"Their vows were long, they were really well-written, they were funny, they were sweet, they were emotional, and Travis was a puddle watching his nieces come down the ramp and when she (Taylor) walked out, he was a puddle," Buck said on Starkville podcast.
Buck noted that there was a very real wedding atmosphere going on, saying that "it felt like they were really getting married" and not just a "ceremonial thing."

#travis #attendance #emotional

For the second straight season, Starkville will host the Mississippi high school football state championships.
Mississippi High School Activities ******* ociation executive director Rickey Neaves confirmed to the Clarion Ledger on July 15 that Mississippi State will host the 2026 MHSAA football championships.
The MHSAA board voted to hold the 2026 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Gridiron Classic Dec. 3-5 at Davis Wade Stadium. It will only be the third time in 10 years that Starkville has hosted.
Since 2016, the football championship games have been held at Mississippi State (2016, 2025), Ole Miss (2017, 2023), Southern Miss (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024) and Jackson State (2020).
Additional details, including information regarding tickets, parking, tailgating and other amenities, will be shared in the weeks leading up to the championships.

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball signee Denton Lord announced he will play for the Bulldogs in 2027 instead of signing an MLB contract.
The announcement came on Instagram just after the fifth round of the 2026 MLB Draft concluded on July 12.
The pitcher from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, was ranked as the No. 80 prospect in the draft.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Lord played for South Walton, which won the FHSAA Class 3A championship. His fastball sits around 94 mph but can reach 98 mph. He also throws a curveball in the upper 70s and an occasional changeup in the low 80s.
Lord flipped his commitment from Florida to Mississippi State in November before coach Brian O'Connor's first season.

New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr interior OL Zyion Wesley.
Wesley has taken in several games in Starkville and returned to campus for another spring practice visit in April.
The Bulldogs have moved the needle in a big way so far
“The development, the community and the overall coaching staff … they’re building a family over there,” Wesley told Rivals.
Mississippi State is set to host Wesley for his lone official visit on June 19-21.

The NCAA baseball regionals wrapped up late Monday as the road to the 2026 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, becomes more clear.
Teams had to first advance out of the regionals, which took place between Friday, May 29, and Monday, June 1. Teams advanced will now play in the super regionals, which will occur between Friday, June 5 and Monday, June 8.
At that point, the final eight teams standing will take part in the 2026 men’s College World Series, which will be played from Friday, June 12 through either Sunday, June 21 or Monday, June 22 depending on how long the final series lasts.
Jump to view scores from a specific regional: Los Angeles | Atlanta | Athens | Auburn | Chapel Hill | Austin | Tuscaloosa | Gainesville | Hattiesburg | Tallahassee | Eugene | College Station | Lincoln | Starkville | Lawrence | Morgantown
Game 1: No. 4 Saint Mary’s 3, No. 1 UCLA 2