Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Volleyball
Aggie volleyball rallies to take down Bulldogs in five-set thriller
COLLEGE STATION - The Aggie volleyball team has been treading water recently. Losing three of their last five games, the Aggies fell all the way to 24th in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll. With a senior-laden, unranked Georgia team rolling into Reed Arena Friday night, the Aggies needed to figure out their problems quickly.
And they did just that.
The Aggies produced an impressive team performance against the Bulldogs. After a nail-biting, 29-27 third set and a confidence-building rally in the fifth, the Aggies rose to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in SEC play with a big win.
After dropping a disappointing first set, the home team fought back to take the second and third. The Aggies lost a back-and-forth set in the fourth, but came through with a big run when it mattered most in the fifth.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Head coach Laurie Corbelli tried everything against Georgia. She eventually found a winning formula.
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Although the Aggies still relied on the leadership and talent of captain middle blocker Shelby Sullivan, this win was all about the team. Texas A&M had four players with more than eight kills on the night and five players with more than 11 digs.
After the team struggled through the first set, Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli thought the team needed a spark. Corbelli turned to freshman libero Amy Nettles to jump-start her team.
"I just brought energy," Nettles said. "I think everybody knew what they had to do. I didn't do anything extra. Everybody just executed their jobs better."
Nettles had a team and career high 18 digs in the game. Middle blocker Jazzmin Babers and defensive specialist Katelyn Labhart also enjoyed career games, with 17 kills and 13 digs, respectively.
Corbelli had a large rotation of players all night, and everything started clicking in the fifth set.
And they did just that.
The Aggies produced an impressive team performance against the Bulldogs. After a nail-biting, 29-27 third set and a confidence-building rally in the fifth, the Aggies rose to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in SEC play with a big win.
After dropping a disappointing first set, the home team fought back to take the second and third. The Aggies lost a back-and-forth set in the fourth, but came through with a big run when it mattered most in the fifth.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Head coach Laurie Corbelli tried everything against Georgia. She eventually found a winning formula.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Head coach Laurie Corbelli tried everything against Georgia. She eventually found a winning formula.","MediaItemID":46562}
Although the Aggies still relied on the leadership and talent of captain middle blocker Shelby Sullivan, this win was all about the team. Texas A&M had four players with more than eight kills on the night and five players with more than 11 digs.
After the team struggled through the first set, Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli thought the team needed a spark. Corbelli turned to freshman libero Amy Nettles to jump-start her team.
"I just brought energy," Nettles said. "I think everybody knew what they had to do. I didn't do anything extra. Everybody just executed their jobs better."
Nettles had a team and career high 18 digs in the game. Middle blocker Jazzmin Babers and defensive specialist Katelyn Labhart also enjoyed career games, with 17 kills and 13 digs, respectively.
Corbelli had a large rotation of players all night, and everything started clicking in the fifth set.
"I was excited that the team got back out there in set five," she said. "The team really got confidence. They got more determined. We've been working on that in practice a ton."
After two consecutive 5-set wins, Texas A&M's team chemistry is growing by the day, and it could not happen at a better time. The next opponent is formidable. The Aggies play again this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at Reed Arena, taking on the 16th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
After two consecutive 5-set wins, Texas A&M's team chemistry is growing by the day, and it could not happen at a better time. The next opponent is formidable. The Aggies play again this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at Reed Arena, taking on the 16th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
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