COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M sophomore outside hitterKiara McGee had 12 kills and junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babersadded 10 kills and seven blocks to lead the Aggies to a 25-13, 25-20, 25-13 victory over Ole Miss today at Reed Arena.
It was the second consecutive sweep in a Southeastern Conference match for the Aggies, who improve to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in league play. Ole Miss falls to 15-4 overall and 2-2 in conference matches.
A&M was nearly flawless on offense and defense in the opening set, hitting .500 with only two attack errors and also posting three blocks and two aces. Ole Miss, meanwhile, struggled with its passing, which led to a .105 hitting efficiency.
A&M broke away from a 5-5 tie as junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty began a 4-0 run with a kill and then teamed with senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan for a block. The Rebels committed two more attack errors to put the Aggies up, 9-5.
The Aggies later led, 16-9, when McGee pounded down three consecutive kills, including two courtesy of Ole Miss’ errant overpasses, to put A&M up, 19-9. A&M later held a 21-13 lead before sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor put down a kill out of the middle, and sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple followed with a dump kill. Hardesty continued the scoring, caroming a kill off the Rebel block to put the Aggies at set point, 24-13. Sullivan and Aiple then teamed for a stuff block to close out the frame.
A&M never trailed in the second stanza and held a 15-9 lead before Ole Miss reeled off three consecutive points to get within 15-12. The Rebels served long to end the rally, and a block by Reasor and Sullivan followed by Reasor’s kill down the Ole Miss block put A&M ahead, 18-12.
A&M later used another three-point run, which included a booming kill by McGee, a block by Babers and Aiple and a Babers kill, to go up, 23-16. Ole Miss got within 23-18 before McGee put the Aggies at set point with a kill. Ole Miss held off two set points, getting a kill and an ace before McGee put down her fifth kill of the set and her 10th kill of the match to secure the 25-20 win that gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead in the match.
A&M, which outhit Ole Miss, .220 to .139, in the second set, hit only .182 in the third frame, but it was enough as the Aggies held the Rebels to a paltry -.056 hitting efficiency. A&M quickly took control of the set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead behind the strong serving of sophomore defensive specialist Gabby Litwin, who had two aces during a 6-0 surge. The Aggies continued to pull away and later held a 21-13 lead before a kill by Babers marked the start of a match-clinching four-point run by A&M. Ole Miss fired long on its next attack, and Reasor put the Aggies at match point with her eighth kill of the match. Reasor then posted her season-high sixth block and the team’s 11th block of the match, pairing with Sullivan on the play to seal the victory for the Aggies.
A&M hit .288 for the match while holding Ole Miss to a .064 efficiency and four blocks. Aiple dished out 33 assists in the win, while sophomore libero Amy Nettles headed up the Aggies’ backrow passing and defense, posting a team-high 12 digs. Litwin pitched in a career-high nine digs and had two of the Aggies’ five aces.
Kate Gibson led the Rebels with 12 kills but was held to a .053 hitting efficiency. Kristen Brashear led all players with 14 digs. Senior middle blocker Nakeyta Clair, who entered the match leading the SEC with a .447 season hitting efficiency, was held to a .000 hitting performance, posting six kills while also committing six errors.
A&M, which improved to 11-0 in the all-time series against the Rebels, hits the road next weekend, taking on defending SEC champion and preseason favorite Florida on Friday, Oct. 9 in Gainesville and facing South Carolina on Sunday Oct. 11 in Columbia. The match against the Gators begins at 6 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on SEC Network +. The match against the Gamecocks begins at 12 p.m. (CT) and will be televised by the SEC Network.