Honors and Awards (2018-2022)
2022 AVCA South All-Region
2022 CoSIDA Academic All-District
2022 LUV Invitational All-Tournament Team and Tournament MVP
2022SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
2021 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
2020-21 AVCA All-South Region Team
2020-22All-SEC Team
2021 SEC Player of the Week•Oct. 18, 2021
2021 SEC Offensive Player of the Week•Oct. 18, 2021
2021 Hail State Invitational All-Tournament Team
2021 Georgia Tech Classic All-Tournament Team
2021 StarkVegas Classic All-Tournament Team
2019-20 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2019 Southern Miss Classic All-Tournament Team
2019 Hail State Invitational All-Tournament Team & Tournament MVP
2022 (Graduate)
Rankings among the SEC’s top 10 in kills (6th) and points (8th) … Led team in kills (408), 10-plus kill performances (26) and points (452) … Second on the squad in blocks (70) … Started every match (28) and played in every single set (108) … Registered 5 double-doubles during the season … Recorded first career double-double in the first match of the season against Milwaukee (Aug. 26) with 12 kills and a career-best 14 digs … Had 16 kills, a .414 hitting ratio, 4 blocks and 18 points at Notre Dame (Aug. 27) … Totaled 25 kills on .420 hitting clip, 6 digs and 25.5 points versus Oklahoma (Sept. 3) … Issued 17 kills, 3 blocks and 18.5 points versus Ball State (Sept. 3) … Had 19 kills, 4 blocks and 21 points versus Bowling Green (Sept. 15) … Dominated the match at Texas A&M (Oct. 7), combing 30 kills on a .333 hitting clip, 5 blocks and 33 points … Issued 14 kills, 5 blocks and 16.5 points against Ole Miss (Oct. 26) … Had a combined 40 kills, 14 digs, 6 blocks and 43 points in the series at LSU (Oct. 29-30) … Registered 16 kills, 13 digs, 4 blocks and 19.5 points against No. 19 Kentucky (Nov. 11) … Had a season-best 29 kills and 29.5 points in the second match of the Tennessee series (Nov. 20) … Closed out the season by combining for 31 kills, 19 digs, 7 blocks and 36.5 points in the series sweep against Missouri (Nov. 25-26).
2021 (Senior)
Ranked among the SEC’s top 10 in kills (3.85 – 6th), points (4.11 – 8th) and hitting percentage (.328 – 9th) … Led team in kills (429), 10-plus kill performances (22) and points (479.5) … Second on the squad in blocks (97) … Played in 122 of team’s 125 sets and 30 of 31 matches with 28 starts …Had 19 kills and 21.5 points against Southeastern Louisiana (Aug. 28) … Combined for19 kills and 20 points versus Indiana (Sep. 9) … Helped get Mississippi State their first win in program history at No. 17 Florida with 14 kills and 15.5 points (Sep. 24) … Totaled 29 kills and 31.5 points in the Florida series (Sep. 23-24) … Provided a team-leading18 kills on a .351 attack clip and 19 points against South Carolina (Oct. 13) … Dominated the match at Ole Miss (Oct. 17), combining 31 kills, a .591 hitting ratio and 32.5 points … Awarded SEC Player of the Week (Oct. 18) … Helped the team get a win over Texas A&M (Oct. 23), producing 18 kills, a .591 attack percentage and 20 points … Commanded 20 kills and 5 blocks at Georgia (Oct. 27) … Had a 6-match streak of 15 plus kills:15 kills against LSU (Oct. 1), 15 kills versus LSU (Oct. 2), 16 kills at No. 5 Kentucky (Oct. 6),18 kills against South Carolina (Oct. 13), a career-high 31 kills at Ole Miss (Oct. 17) and 18 kills versus Texas A&M (Oct. 23) … Ripped 24 of her career-best 31 kills over the final three sets at Ole Miss …Reached 1,000 career kills against Alabama (Nov. 3) … Had a combined 29 kills, 8 blocks and 34 points in the series against No. 24 Tennessee (Nov. 13-14) … Stood out with 17 kills and 6 blocks at Arkansas (Nov. 14) … Led team in kills (20) and points (20.5) against Hawaii (Dec. 3) in program’s first NCAA Tournament match.
2020-21 (Junior)
Season: Started all 20 matches…One of five student-athletes to appear in all 75 sets…Earned All-SEC Team honors…Selected to AVCA All-South Region Team…Finished No. 6 in the SEC in kills (3.85 per set) and No. 8 in points (4.11 per set) despite playing just three rotations…Led team in kills (289), hitting percentage (.322) and points (308.0).
Fall (2020): Ranked No. 10 in the SEC in kills (3.67 per set) and No. 2 among the league’s right side hitters…Led team in kills (121), hitting percentage (.307) and points (130.5 total, 3.95 per set)…Added 19 total blocks…Tallied double-digit kills in seven matches and led the team in seven matches…Posted a hitting percentage better than .300 in five contests…Totaled 31 kills (.329) and eight blocks in Arkansas series (Oct. 17-18)…Had 16 kills on a .361 hitting mark in season opener (Oct. 17)…Tallied 28 kills (3.50 per set) between two matches at LSU (Oct. 21-22)…Hit .357 with 13 kills in series opener at LSU (Oct. 21)…Dominated series at No. 7 Texas A&M (Nov. 4-5), combining for 44 kills (4.89 per set) and a .344 average…Became first Bulldog to have 20 kills in consecutive matches since Emily Hill in 2016…Tallied 20 kills on a .412 hitting mark over four sets in series opener (Nov. 4)…Had season-high 24 kills (.304) in series finale at Texas A&M (Nov. 5) to help State complete series sweep…Had win-clinching kill in both matches at Texas A&M…Led team in kills in both matches against No. 2 Kentucky (Nov. 13-14).
Spring (2021): Led team in kills (168), hitting percentage (.333) and points (177.5)…Added 16 total blocks…Averaged 4.00 kills per set and a .333 hitting percentage…Had double-digit kills in each of first eight matches…Had at least 17 kills over a span of five straight matches (Feb. 4 - March 6)…Totaled 31 kills (3.88 per set) at South Carolina (Feb. 4-5)…Tallied 19 kills on a .348 hitting percentage in the series finale…Had 31 kills (4.43 per set) and hit .333 in State’s series sweep of Ole Miss (Feb. 11-12)…Improved to 35 total kills (4.38 per set) and a .351 average at Alabama (Feb. 26-27)…Had 18 kills on a .385 clip in the series opener (Feb. 26)…Had her best series of the spring at Tennessee (March 5-6) with 37 total kills (5.29 per set)…Only recorded five errors over the two matches for a .471 hitting percentage in the series…Had a spring-high 19 kills and a season-best .515 average in the opener (March 5)…Managed 18 kills over just three sets (6.00 per set) in the series finale (March 6), while hitting .429.
2019 (Sophom*ore)
Season: Played in 30 matches with 22 starts…Saw action in 108 sets…Led the team in kills (343) and points (378)…Tallied double-digit kills in a team-best 18 matches, and 20-plus kills in two matches…Had season-high 24 kills on a .409 hitting percentage against North Florida (Sept. 19)…Totaled season-best six blocks at Jacksonville State (Sept. 14) to go along with 16 kills on a .414 hitting percentage…Collected a hitting average above .300 in 12 matches…Boasted season-best hitting percentage (.588) via 10 kills and no errors against Jackson State (Sept. 19)…Named to Southern Miss Classic All-Tournament Team after collecting 45 kills on a .429 hitting mark over three matches (Sept. 6-7)…Had a hitting percentage of .423 or better in all three contests…Earned MVP honors at the Hail State Invitational (Sept. 19-20) via 48 kills and a .429 attacking rate…Added nine blocks…Collected 20 kills versus Ole Miss (Oct. 4) while posting a .357 hitting mark.
2018 (Freshman)
Season: Appeared in 14 matches, notching six starts…Recorded 56 kills…Finished the season with 21 total blocks…Tallied season-high eight kills in three matches…Made Bulldog debut and first-career start at Tennessee (Oct. 7)…Converted season-best five blocks against Auburn (Nov. 21).
Prior to College
High School: Lettered all four years at Blythewood High School under head coach Mary Hall…Collected over 1,000 kills and 500 blocks during her high school career…Three-time captain and team most valuable player…Three-time South Carolina Coaches Association all-state and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom List…Named region player of the year each of her last three seasons…All-region selection all four years…Finalist for South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior…Named All-Midlands Player of the Year as a junior…Also performed in the classroom as she was named to the Principal's Honor Roll her junior and senior years.
Club: Played for SC Midlands Volleyball…Earned Palmetto Region first-team honors three straight years from 2014-16…Named to the 2016 AAU All-America team.
Personal
Born Gabrielle Amanda Waden on March 31, 2000 in Columbia, South Carolina…Daughter of Samuel Waden II (Antoinette) and Davett Waden…Has eight siblings; Katelyn, Nina, Tre, Zoe and Zuri Waden, Anaiah Thompson and Kiersten and Trinity Davis…Majoring in communications with a concentration in broadcasting.
