BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – After a hard-fought five set match, No. 7 Texas A&M volleyball dropped a 3-2 (14-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 15-13) result against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Thursday night at Reed Arena. With the win, the Bulldogs climb to 2-4 on the season while the Aggies fall to 4-2 with the loss.
A&M came out strong, rolling past the Bulldogs with three kills apiece from Mallory Talbert and Treyaunna Rush to take the first frame 25-14. Mississippi State made the second set much more competitive, utilizing six kills from Gabby Waden to win 25-21. Rush reached back into her bag of tricks in the third set, landing kills all over the floor and leading the Aggies to a 25-18 victory. The fourth set went back-and-forth, but Mississippi State evened the match at 2-2 with a 25-22 win. The fifth and final frame featured multiple lead changes, but the Bulldogs closed out the match with a 15-13 victory.
The Aggies saw multiple headline performances on Thursday, led by junior defensive specialist Taylor Voss. The Corpus Christi, Texas, native entered a new career high in digs with 21 and had her second consecutive night with three service aces. Rush lit up the score sheet as well, submitting her career high in kills with 14, also logging three digs and three blocks on the evening. Additionally, Talbert posted a season high in kills with 13.
Camille Conner once again paved the way for the Maroon & White offense, finishing the night with 49 assists, five digs, four kills, one service ace and a block. Morgan Davis continued her spectacular streak of individual play, tying her career high in kills with 13 for the second straight match. Camryn Ennis finished the night with her second double-double of the season, firing down 10 kills and securing 12 digs.
Texas A&M’s defense saw multiple strong individual efforts, with Voss’ career night joined by sophomore libero Karly Basham’s 21 dig performance. At the net, Talbert sent back six blocks and Morgan Davis finished with five total rejections.
For the final two matches of the fall season, Texas A&M prepares to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. First serve on Friday Nov. 13 is scheduled for 7 p.m. with live coverage on ESPNU. The final match of the fall is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday with live streaming available on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn
Opening Statement…
“We battled. We knew it was going to be a battle again tonight, but we needed to execute. It’s executing game plan, and it’s also about knowing who we are and finishing points when we have the opportunities. We have to be more consistent, and that’s frankly what it comes down to. I give props to Mississippi State. They played consistent and clean.”
On the team’s performance Thursday…
“We talk about our side and our game all the time, and when we’re not earning our points and we’re giving points, we’ve got to battle. That comes down to practice and our daily behavior. It comes down to not allowing another team to question who we are. It was errors on our side while they earned points.”
Junior defensive specialist Taylor Voss
On tonight’s change of momentum…
“The biggest change that we noticed and talked about in the locker room after the game was that we needed to be more consistent. We allowed too many big plays, so we have to focus on not giving up points on our side and coming back to baseline. We have to be more consistent as a whole.”
On how the team looks to reset going into the final fall matchup…
“We have a huge opportunity to find out who we are and how we are going to respond. This next week we are really going to focus on ourselves and get ready to take on Arkansas.”
Sophomore opposite hitter Treyaunna Rush
On the difference between the first and second match
“I think it comes back to being focused and being consistent. I think towards the end we got a little undisciplined and really didn’t believe in our training. Going back to baseline and being a little more consistent.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics