MATCH STATS
- Texas A&M Defeats Ole Miss (25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18)
- Team’s Record: Texas A&M (10-6), Ole Miss (12-6)
- Schedules: Texas A&M here, Ole Miss here
RECAP
Following a straightforward first set, the Texas A&M Aggies had to battle back after dropping the second set, to win 25-18 in the fourth. The Aggies now have a 13-0 all-time record against the Ole Miss Rebels, and are one of the teams to beat in the Southeastern Conference.
The Aggies were led on offense by Kiara McGee with 15 kills (.407) and Kaitlyn Blake with 14 (.444). Blake also had the most blocks on the court with 8. Stephanie Aiple led the match in passing with 42 assists, while Amy Nettles recorded the most digs in the match with 18.
Despite the loss, Kate Gibson from Ole Miss gave the Rebels a lot of opportunities to celebrate. She had a massive 22 kills (.280) and one ace, while also playing well on defense with 7 digs. Lexi Thompson also recorded a very respectable 10 kills. Aubrey Edie led the Rebels in assists with 37, while Taylor Alexander had the most blocks for her team with 5.
Texas A&M returns to action on Friday to host South Carolina at 6:30pm. Ole Miss will travel to play Tennessee, also on Friday night.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics:
OXFORD, Miss. – Texas A&M won its fourth consecutive match and improved to 13-0 in the all-time series against Ole Miss with a 25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18 victory over the Rebels today at The Pavilion.
Junior outside hitter Kiara McGee had a team-high 15 kills while hitting .407, and sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake tied her career high with 14 kills while hitting at a .444 clip to lead the Aggies to a 56-47 lead in kills and a .269 to .122 team hitting percentage advantage. Blake, who leads the Southeastern Conference in blocks per set, also had a big day defensively, contributing a match-high eight blocks as she finished with a team-high 19.5 points.
Texas A&M junior setter Stephanie Aiple directed the offense, dishing out 42 assists, while junior libero Amy Nettles had a match high 18 digs to head up the backrow defense. SeniorVictoria Arenas and sophomore Amy Houser also posted double-figure digs with 11 apiece in their defensive specialist roles.
Texas A&M improved to 10-6 overall, including 4-1 in SEC matches only. Ole Miss falls to 12-6 overall and 1-4 in conference matches.
The Aggies dominated the opening set. After the Rebels took their only lead at 2-1, Texas A&M took command, using a 13-3 run to cruise to a 14-5 advantage. A&M kept the pressure on the Rebels, reeling off runs of points while allowing Ole Miss to score back-to-back points only twice in the frame.
Texas A&M, which hit .286 while holding Ole Miss to a -.032 hitting efficiency, held a 22-12 lead when Aiple got a kill and Nettles followed with an ace to put the Aggies at set point. Ole Miss then hit long on the ensuing play to close out the stanza.
The Rebels regrouped and pulled away in the second set to even the match. Ole Miss held a 9-6 lead, but a serve into the net marked the start of a 6-1 A&M run, sparked by two kills apiece by Blake and McGee that gave the Aggies a 12-10 advantage. The lead was short lived, however, as Ole Miss countered with a 4-1 run to retake the lead.
Senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers and freshman outside hitter Hollann Hans had set-tying kills at 14 and 15, respectively, before the Rebels went on another 4-1 run to go up 19-16, forcing an A&M timeout. Following the timeout, Blake put down two kills, and McGee also added a kill during a 3-1 run that put the Aggies within 20-19, but A&M, which was outhit, .361 to .278, was unable to even the score. The teams exchanged points until the Rebels, leading 22-21, scored three unanswered points, including a block to win the set, 25-21.
Ole Miss spotted the Aggies a 4-0 lead to begin the third set, but the Rebels later used a 7-1 rally to take a 10-8 lead. After an A&M timeout, Blake and Company took over at the net, propelling the Aggies on a 7-1 run to put the Aggies up, 15-11. The Rebels fought back to within 15-14 before Blake teamed with junior opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor for a block and followed with a kill to mark the start of a 4-0 run that gave the Aggies their largest lead, 19-14.
After trading sideouts, Ole Miss went on a 4-0 run to get back within a point, 20-19, before Reasor ended the run with an off-speed shot to the open floor. The Rebels then committed back-to-back attack errors and also had an overpass, setting up Babers for a kill that put A&M at set point, 24-19. Ole Miss, which was outhit, .241 to .024, stayed alive with a kill before Aiple’s dump kill closed out the set, giving the Aggies a 2-1 lead in the match.
A&M overcame an early three-point deficit in the fourth set, with Blake ending a long play with a kill to give the Aggies their first lead, 10-9. Ole Miss managed to tie the score at 11-11, but it would be the final tie of the match. Leading 21-18, Blake led the Aggies to victory, getting a block and three kills, including the match-winner, in a 4-0 A&M run to close out the contest.
The Aggies return home to host a pair of SEC matches during the upcoming weekend at Reed Arena. On Friday, Oct. 14, Texas A&M plays host to South Carolina. First serve is at 6:30 p.m.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics:
OXFORD, Miss. – Despite 22 kills on a .280 clip from junior outside hitter Kate Gibson, the Ole Miss volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18) decision to defending SEC Champion Texas A&M Sunday at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
The Aggies came out of the gate and used a 6-1 run to open up the first set 8-3 and force Ole Miss to use their first timeout. Texas A&M followed the timeout with a 6-2 run to go up 14-5, forcing the Rebels to call their last timeout of the set. The Aggies closed out the Rebels 25-12 on a .286 hitting percentage and sided out 83 percent, while the Rebels were held to -.032 and sided out at just 40 percent.
Ole Miss rebounded nicely in the second set hitting .361 and siding out at 71 percent to get back in the match. The Rebels started off with a 5-2 lead forcing A&M to use their first timeout. The Aggies went on a 10-5 run to take the lead 12-10 and Ole Miss called timeout. Following the timeout, the Rebels won two straight points. The teams traded points to 15-15, before Ole Miss went on a 4-1 run to pull ahead 19-16. A&M got as close as 19-20 after a timeout, but the Rebels finished on a 5-2 run to win the set 25-21 and even the match at 1-1.
The Rebels came out of the break down 0-4 which led to an Ole Miss timeout. Following the timeout, the Rebels went on a 10-4 run to take a 10-8 lead forcing A&M to call timeout. The two teams traded points, but at 11-11, the Aggies used a 4-0 run to pull ahead by four 15-11 as Ole Miss called timeout. The Rebels kept battling and tried to inch closer, getting to within one, 19-20, before the Aggies closed out the set 5-1 for 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the previous two meetings in Oxford, the match went five sets. Looking to extend the match to another fifth set, the Rebels got off to a good start in the fourth, up 5-2. Texas A&M regained the lead in the middle of the set and never relinquished it again, winning 25-18 to finish off the Rebels 3-1.
The Rebels failed to incorporate their middle hitters with Taylor Alexander and Nayo Warnell combining for six kills on the day, while A&M’s middle blockers combined for 22 kills and both hit over .300. Alexander did finish with five blocks.
Quick Hits
• The Rebels fell to 12-6 overall and 1-4 in the SEC, while A&M improved to 10-6 and 4-1.
• Junior outside hitter Kate Gibson posted a match-high 22 kills on a .280 clip and also added 7 digs. It marked the fifth match this season and second straight for Gibson to record at least 20 kills. Gibson has recorded double-digit kills in all but one match this season.
• Junior outside hitter Lexi Thompson posted 10 kills and 6 digs on the day, marking the 14th match of the season for her have double-digit kills.
• With her 6 digs, Lexi Thompson moved into 10th place on the career list at Ole Miss with 763 career digs.
• Freshman Emily Stroup got her first start of the season, starting on the right side and finished with a career-high 5 kills, 4 blocks and 4 digs.
Up Next
Ole Miss will hit the road for two matches next weekend at Tennessee and Kentucky. The Rebels will face the Volunteers Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. CT and then travel to Lexington Oct. 16 to face the Wildcats at 12:30 p.m. CT.
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