COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M concluded the first half of the Southeastern Conference schedule with a 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-16 setback against Ole Miss today at Reed Arena.
The Aggies fall to 6-10, including 3-6 in SEC matches only. Ole Miss picks up its first victory in the 14-match series history against the Aggies and improves to 14-9 on the season, including 5-5 in SEC matches.
Aggie sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans led all players with 16 kills and also pitched in 12 digs to record her second double-double of the season. She also added three aces and finished with a match-high 20 points. Freshman middle blocker Morgan Davisprovided a spark off the bench and finished with a career-high seven kills and also tied for team-high honors in blocks with four as A&M posted 12 team blocks, the most in a four-set match this season and a half block shy of the team’s overall season high set Friday in a three-set match against Arkansas.
Freshman setter Camille Conner dished out 39 assists for the Aggies, and senior libero Amy Nettles led A&M with 17 digs. Senior defensive specialist Gabby Litwin also posted double-digit digs with a season-high 13.
Ole Miss led the opening set from start to finish, outhitting the Aggies, .273 to .114. The Rebels jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but the Aggies twice fought back to get within two points, the last coming at 16-14. Ole Miss then reeled off five unanswered points to open a 21-14 lead. Aggie senior outside hitter Kiara McGee ended the run with a kill and Conner followed with a kill, but an A&M attack error on the ensuing play and an Ole Miss kill put the Rebels up, 23-16. The teams exchanged points, and a kill by Nayo Warnell put the Rebels at set point. Hans blasted a kill of the block before the Rebels’ Kate Gibson closed out the set with a kill.
A&M held a 9-5 lead in the second set when Ole Miss went on a 10-1 surge that included three consecutive service aces. The Rebels later extended their margin to seven points, 20-13, but Davis, who subbed in at 19-13, got two blocks and two kills, and freshman outside hitter Samantha Sanders served two aces during a 7-0 A&M rally that tied the score, 21-21. Despite outhitting the Rebels, .176 to .088, and leading in total points, 19-15, in the set, A&M, was unable to take the lead as a service error and an Ole Miss kill put the Rebels up, 23-21. Davis got a solo block to put the Aggies back within a point, but an A&M service error and a rotation violation by the Aggies ended the set.
A&M overcame a 17-11 deficit in the third set, outscoring the Rebels, 12-4 to take a 23-21 lead. Ole Miss, which was outhit, .200 to .176, got a kill to get back within a point before Hans put the Aggies at set point with her sixth kill in the frame. Sophomore middle blocker Maddie Douglas and senior opposite Ashlie Reasor then clinched the win the win for A&M with a block.
Ole Miss used a 4-0 spurt to pull away from a 5-5 tie in the fourth set and never looked back. The Rebels, who outhit A&M, .342 to .116 in the stanza, went on to build their largest lead at 21-12. Hans posted three consecutive kills to put A&M within 21-15, but Ole Miss countered with a three-point run, including a kill from the back row by Lexi Thompson to put the Rebels at set and match point. Hans ended the run with a kill before Emily Stroup ended the match with her team-leading 13th kill.
The Aggies close out their five-match homestand next weekend as they play host to Tennessee on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and sixth-ranked and league-leader Kentucky on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
TEXAS A&M POSTMATCH QUOTES:
HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
On today’s match and the weekend overall…
“We can’t seem to get anything going for very long. It is a little bit of fight here or there, but not the whole time. I don’t see a unit out there as a team. I don’t see chemistry. This weekend we haven’t had any chemistry at all. We have had no rhythm or pace for the team to grab a hold of to feel like they can get things going. [Ole Miss] did a really nice job. That is the first time they have ever beaten us. It was a really nicely played match by them, especially set four. It was the best match they have ever played against us.”
On the team’s confidence…
“It is unfortunate that we can’t grab a win. Just getting a win under our belt would really help a lot. It is just a team that three weeks ago at Florida was really promising. Since then, it has been a battle. I don’t really know how to explain it. Our blocking is improving. Coaches are supposed to be positive, and I look for the positives. I see the blocking improve. I see some individuals improving. Camille [Conner] is just running all over the floor doing the very best she can to lead the team offensively. The disappointing part for me is our defense and our passing, because that is what I thought was going to be our strength this year. I need some fight. I need some execution, and I think it is part confidence. I don’t know if the confidence is necessarily down. I just think the frustration gets too high. They get really impatient and frustrated. I don’t think confidence is really the issue.”
On Morgan Davis…
“Morgan Davis came out and was a beast. She did a great job. She is a great blocker. She loves to win and is a great competitor. She works really hard. She does that every day in practice, and it was just time to get her on the floor. We are trying to get her in some new spots at the net and speeding her arm up a little bit. We are just trying to work on some little details moving from the high school game to the college game, but she was on fire today. She helped us win set three for sure.”
On moving forward…
“You never stop with your team. We don’t play until Friday, so we will have to have a staff meeting to determine what changes we are going to make. The team needs to have a shift in their mindset. We will keep doing the blocking drills we have been doing for sure, because I like our blocking. I have a lot of studying to do of our last two matches to make the changes we need to make.”
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Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics