The Texas A&M volleyball team’s Thanksgiving week features a trip through Mississippi for its final two games of the season, with Mississippi State on the slate at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Ole Miss at 4 p.m. Friday.
“In the season we have two games left,” junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan said. “We’re getting fired up to play, and we’re just excited. We have two games left in the season. We’re going to get the two wins and see where we end up for the NCAA tournament.”
Between games, the volleyball team has the opportunity to visit Sullivan’s grandmother’s house, who lives in Mississippi, for a Thanksgiving feast.
“She is so excited,” Sullivan said. “She loves opening up her house to us. We went there my freshman year, and it’s so nice to be in a home, a little different from a hotel or restaurant, a homie feeling, and get some of her home-cooked southern food.”
The athletes will be on the road for Thanksgiving, but they will still be with their family, Corbelli said.
“The team is an extension of a family,” Corbelli said. “We have to work at our communication, and work at our relationships. We have our ups and our downs, and we have to work through them. It’s very similar to a family dynamic, and to be able to share a meal like Thanksgiving together is another opportunity to bond and make that bond stronger.”
The Aggies (19-8, 11-5 SEC) have been on a four-match winning streak while Mississippi State (2-14, 2-14 SEC) has dropped two in a row.
“They got a win over LSU, and we didn’t beat LSU,” head coach Laurie Corbelli said. “As much as it shows they’re struggling, they can still put together a nice match.”
Freshman setter Stephanie Aiple will be on Mississippi State’s radar after being named SEC Freshman of the Week.
“It’s nice to see those awards, but on the other side of it, it’s just another award,” Aiple said. “It doesn’t affect how I play. It doesn’t affect the team at all.”