Texas A&M volleyball has cemented its hold atop the SEC standings this past weekend.
The Aggies (19-6, 12-2 SEC) moved into first after sweeping the Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-14, 3-11 SEC), while the previously-tied-for-first Kentucky Wildcats fell to the University of Missouri Tigers Sunday.
The Aggies and the Bulldogs previously met on Oct. 18 in College Station where A&M also won by a sweep.
The Aggies and Bulldogs exchanged the lead early on in the first set, but A&M was able to pull ahead with a kill by sophomore hitter Ashlie Reasor paired with several attack errors by the Bulldog offense. A&M remained a couple points ahead of the Bulldogs for the remainder of the set with a devastating kill by A&M’s senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan, which ended the set at 25-21.
The Bulldogs barked back at the Aggies in the second set, catching a sudden 6-2 lead. The team kept their distance until Reasor earned a kill to give the Aggies their first lead of the set at 16-15. In disarray, the Bulldogs called a timeout to regroup but were unable to pull back as the Aggies finished with a kill by outside hitter Kiara McGee and an attack error by MSU’s Evie Grace Singleton.
The third and final set was marked by early lead changes and ties, but a Bulldog service error gave the Aggies the lead that would finish off the set and match. The Aggies traded shots at the Bulldogs in the final set — recording two kills from McGee, Sullivan and junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers each. The team was rounded out by Reasor’s three kills in the set, including the final kill that ended the match with an Aggie victory.
Statistically, the Aggies only caught three more kills than the Bulldogs.The Bulldogs ended with a total of 31 errors on the match — 22 of which came from attack errors. On defense, the Aggies outmatched MSU with 36 digs over 31 and 10 blocks over three, respectively. Babers and Reasor tied with a .692 hitting percentage with 10 and nine kills, respectively.
The Aggies will return to Reed Arena Wednesday night to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in an SEC juggernaut showdown. The Aggies previously topped the Wildcats on Oct. 30 in Lexington, Kentucky, which helped the Aggies keep their current streak alive. The SEC rematch will start at 9 p.m. in College Station and will be broadcasted on SEC Network.
