Texas A&M Volleyball fends off tough Mississpi State team, 3-0
Texas A&M swept Mississippi State 3-0 to claim their sixth straight match win. The Aggies are now 7-0 against the Bulldogs, not dropping a single set, but the Bulldogs did not go down without a fight.
The Aggies came out in the first set flat and didn’t seem to have any kind of rhythm on either side of the ball. The Bulldogs jumped out to a large lead toward the end of the first frame, 21-13. It looked like Mississippi State had this one in the bag, but the Aggies had other plans. Texas A&M strung together a few key kills to shift the momentum toward the home team.
The Aggies continued to show fight and resilience and climbed back into the set, tying it at 24 a piece. A&M was able to execute when it mattered, defending the Bulldogs' set point and closing out the first frame with three straight points. A&M claimed the first set 27-25.
The Aggies were in for another fight in the second set, which saw eight lead changes and seventeen ties. A&M claimed the lead late in the set and looked like they were going to close it out, but Mississippi wasn’t going quietly. After A&M got complacent, making a few communication errors, the Bulldogs tied it up at 23. This was a dog fight that would take the Aggies four set points to finish the second set, 29-27.
The third set started no different than the previous two. The Aggies and Bulldogs would exchange punches back and forth, tying things up at fourteen. But this would be the last tie of the set as A&M put State away, 25-20.
Kaitlyn Blake had a standout match with 13 kills and only 1 error. She had a career high attacking percentage of .632.
“Me and Stephanie (Aiple) got on a roll and were just in sync tonight. I was able to connect on a few and just keep going. It was a good night," said Blake.
After fending off a tough Mississippi State squad, the Aggies are 17-7 overall and 11-2 in SEC play. Texas A&M will look to extend their win streak and close out their four game home stand on Sunday against Georgia.
