Texas A&M volleyball hosted a pink-out themed game to support the awareness of breast cancer and swept the Crimson Tide in front of a crowd sporting the color in support.
The Aggies (11-6, 4-2 SEC) marched out with pink socks and wristbands to take on what head coach Laurie Corbelli said is their un-official rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide (8-11, 2-3 SEC). The game took place at Reed Arena Friday night at 6:30 p.m. to continue SEC action in front of almost 3,000 people.
The teams opened the match with a back-and-forth start, remaining within at most two points for the first half of the set. The Aggies then led 16-13, but Alabama quickly pulled back to even the score. After more ties, the Aggies pulled away with kills by Jazzmin Babers and Ashlie Reasor, and an Emily Hardesty and Babers block to win the set 25-22.
In the second set, the Aggies only trailed for a single play. The Tide were able to hold on for the opening few points, but the Aggies slipped away after Hardesty placed a kill to give A&M its lead. The Aggies led by as much as seven points before closing the set with a kill by senior team captain Shelby Sullivan to set the Aggies up 25-18.
To finish the series, A&M did not trail for the entire third and final set. Kiara McGee opened up the set with a kill. The Aggies led 6-1 before the Crimson Tide brought it down to 10-8. A&M pushed ahead to finalize the match and were at set point beginning at 24-17. Alabama’s push to have an incredible comeback was stopped by Hardesty’s match-winning kill to conclude the score 25-21, ensuring the 3-0 sweep.
Shelby Sullivan finished the match with 12 kills and six blocks. Reasor continued her stride of rising performance by landing a hitting percentage of .556 with her 12 kills. Babers finished with nine kills, while Hardesty tallied eight kills and led the team with 14 digs.
The Aggies will return to the court against Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m. in College Station on Sunday. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network +.
