As the NCAA Tournament approaches, Texas A&M hopes to end its current misfortune and turn things around in the second half of the season. 

On Saturday, Oct. 23, A&M travels to Starkville, Miss., to take on conference rival Mississippi State and snap the Bulldog’s two-game win streak against the Aggies.

The Aggies got swept in their last matchup on the road in Gainesville against No. 23 Florida. In the matchup, junior outside hitter Treyaunna Rush reached a season-high 11 kills on a .476 hitting percentage. However, her performance was not enough to secure a win for the Aggies, as they fell short each set 12-25, 19-25 and 15-25. 

A&M has played 18 of its 28 games this season, and fatigue could become a major factor in the final stretch, head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said. 

“We talk about daily behaviors and what you need to do today,” Kuhn said. “It’s a grind, but if you’re in it together and you’re invested in each other, it makes it special.”

Despite losses in its past two matchups, A&M leads the overall series against Mississippi State 12-2 and is 6-0 on the road in Starkville. 

The Bulldogs are coming off a two-game win streak, featuring a 3-2 win against Ole Miss, to which the Aggies lost on Oct. 13. The Bulldogs are considered a threat on the offensive side of the net, ranking fifth in the SEC in both assists and kills. 

The majority of Mississippi State’s kills come from the SEC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, senior middle blocker Gabby Waden, with 245 kills throughout the current 19 games. The Bulldogs also have a pair of senior setters, Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean, who have a combined 794 assists so far this season. 

The Aggies will take on Mississippi State in back-to-back matchups on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. at Newell-Grissom Building.