Aggies rally to force decisive fifth set but ultimately fall to Ole Miss
Texas A&M (4-3) came back from a two-set deficit to push the match to five sets but ultimately fell to Ole Miss (4-2) in a hotly contested game on Wednesday night, 18-25, 27-29, 25-16, 26-24, 13-15.
Camille Conner hit 44 assists and three aces during the match, while Ciera Hecht forged ahead with 15 total kills. Lauren Davis and Mallory Talbert each slammed 12 kills, and Morgan Christon blocked three times.
“We’ve talked about how we need to be consistent, just controlling our side and the errors. It’s one thing to execute a game plan against an opponent, but you still have to play clean on your side,” Texas A&M coach Bird Kuhn said postgame. “We need to execute and play clean. I think we figured out a flow and found that rhythm in the third and fourth sets.”
The Aggies started the first set hot with a four-point streak as Christon and Talbert slammed kills. Ole Miss quickly caught up, and the score became close as the team exchanged points before the Rebels pulled away at the 16-16 mark to secure the set, 25-18.
The second set began with another Aggie run, bringing them an early lead, 4-1. The score remained close until the end of the set, where each team scrambled to pull away, exchanging volleys until the score reached a 27-27 tie. After two consecutive kills, Ole Miss took the frame, 29-27.
The Aggies came into the third set focused on redemption as they breezed by Ole Miss, finishing the frame 25-16 after a five-point run. A Treyaunna Rush kill closed the set, keeping A&M alive.
Talbert slammed a kill to kick off the fourth set, building the momentum for the Aggies as they held the Rebels close. Hecht smashed three consecutive kills to tie up the game, 23-23, crushing the Ole Miss lead and propelling the Aggies to another set victory, 26-24.
The final set began with a Rebel lead, but the Aggies managed to pull ahead with a kill from Talbert, holding the lead at 11-10. Various violations saw the score tied at 12-12, but the Rebels pushed through to bring the game to match point. A Conner kill halted their momentum, but Ole Miss managed to close the match, 15-13.
Conner, the team captain and fifth-year setter, broke the program record in career assists in the first set, with 4,548 total career assists.
“I think it’s a reflection of our team and what we’ve done throughout Bird, and what she’s done here,” Conner said.” “I think that’s really cool to see myself grow from the Corbellis to now. It’s an awesome feeling.”