After four consecutive losses, the Aggies faced back-to-back upsets this weekend.
Texas A&M volleyball traveled to Starkville, Miss. on Saturday, Oct. 24 for a two-game series that ended tragically in the fourth set of each match. The Aggies are now 11-9 for the season, with a 4-6 record in conference play.
In the first matchup, senior middle blocker Mallory Talbert led the Aggies with a team-best 13 kills on a .481 hitting percentage. On the defensive side of the net, they had three players that all tallied double-digit digs, with senior libero Sabrina Sustala at 19, junior outside hitter Ciera Hecht with 13 and fifth-year libero Macy Carrabine with 11.
The first set featured a back-and-forth battle between the rivals with eight ties and three lead changes. The Aggies got out to an early 3-0 lead with one kill and two aces from Talbert. After a couple of runs from the Bulldogs, junior outside hitter Lauren Davis picked up back-to-back kills to tie the score up at 11. Despite the hard-fought set, the Aggies lost 23-25.
The second set included a change in momentum and a win for the Aggies. Senior setter Camille Connor gave them their first lead of the set at 2-1 with her second kill of the game. Lead changes alternated throughout the match before A&M embarked on their largest run of the evening. The 6-0 run started with a kill from senior middle blocker London Austin-Roark and ended with a three-point lead. The Aggies finished the set on a 5-0 run that won them the frame, 25-20.
Set three accommodated eight ties and four lead changes. After junior outside hitter Morgan Christon picked up her fourth kill of the evening, the Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run that gave them their largest lead of the set. Davis got a kill to give the Aggies a lead late in the third; however, this was not enough as Mississippi State obtained their second win of the game, 27-25
The Aggies ran out of steam in the fourth as they faced their largest deficit of the game at 6-1. The Bulldogs won this set 25-16 and the match 3-1.
The second game of the series consisted of three players that recorded double-digit kills. Davis ended the game with 12 kills, Christon had 11 and Talbert finished with 10. Defensively, the Aggies scooped up 47 digs and six blocks total.
After a devastating 11-25 loss in the first set, the Aggies bounced back in the second with four aces, two of them from Carrabine. They were able to maintain the lead throughout most of the set and secure the frame 25-22 with another ace from Carrabine. Despite the tough win in the second, the Aggies lost their final two sets 25-15 and 25-21.
A&M’s next matchup will be on Thursday, Nov. 4, as they host a double header against Auburn at 6 p.m.