Texas A&M volleyball traveled to Starkville, Mississippi and faced Mississippi State for the second time this season on Sunday, Oct. 8.
The Aggies are coming off of their third conference win of the season after defeating Ole Miss 3-1 in Oxford, Mississippi on Friday.
The Aggies hold a strong starting lineup, with sophomore opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, a 2023 All-SEC preseason team member and second in the conference for kills per set to spearhead, the charge in offense sophomore middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla hold the line defensively, leading the nation in blocks per set.
A&M led the first set, but Mississippi State was never far behind. It was a strong start for the Aggies, with a hitting percentage over double that of the Bulldogs at .375, along with 16 kills and four blocks. A&M took the opening set victory, 25-19.
The Bulldogs led the start of the second set with two kills by sophomore Sophie Agee. It didn’t take long before the Aggies took back the momentum and kept a solid lead for the majority of the set. Freshman setter Margot Manning fired up the Maroon and White with back-to-back aces to push A&M’s lead to 9-6.
It was a slow climb for the Bulldogs, until senior Rebecca Walk and Agee secured a few momentous kills that tied the game at 19.
Mississippi State put up a fight against A&M, but ultimately fell after Lednicky’s 10th kill secured the second set victory, 25-21.
The Bulldogs went into the third set dialed in. Walk secured the first point for Mississippi State with an impressive kill, and the momentum continued to rise as the lead was taken right out the gate by the Bulldogs.
Despite this, the Aggies locked in and tied the set at 9 with a service ace by junior setter Nisa Buzlutepe. The Bulldogs kept up their energy as the set went back-and-forth with no definitive lead.
Two kills by freshman outside hitter Bianna Muoneke and a service ace by Manning pushed the Aggies in a comfortable lead at 18-15. A kill by graduate outside hitter Caroline Meuth finalized the third set 25-19 and secured a 3-0 victory against Mississippi State.
“I thought we played a clean match,” head coach Jamie Morrsion said. “I think the things we’ve been working on all week really showed today, and I’m really pleased to come away from this road trip with two wins.”
A&M finished the day with 45 kills, 98 total attacks, five service aces and 14 total blocks.
The Aggies will be back in action against LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m.