Mississippi State
13-8, 3-5SEC
Texas A&M
12-6, 5-2SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 19 | 18 | 15 | 0 |
| Texas A&M | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Bulldogs Fall At Texas A&M; Harris Records 1,000th Dig
October 18, 2015 | Volleyball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – In the midst of a three-match road stretch, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (13-8, 3-5 SEC) fell in a 3-0 decision to the Texas A&M Aggies (12-6, 5-2 SEC) on Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena.
The loss marks only the second time this season that the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive matches. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs still hold the best start in school history since going 14-7 in 2000.
Despite the defeat, sophomore libero Payton Harris hit a milestone many only hit in the later years of their collegiate volleyball career. With her eighth dig in the later moments of the first set, Harris reached the 1,000-career digs mark in only her second year with the Maroon and White. She now stands just 106 digs short of cracking the top 10 list for digs in a career at MSU.
“Really proud of Payton for this accomplishment, especially in only her second season,” MSU coach David McFatrich said. “She's an All-American and continues to prove that on the court with her play and leadership.”
State was unable to get its footing throughout the match, only holding the lead several times throughout the match, but never past the early portion of the sets. MSU attempted several late rallies in the first two sets, but dropped both, 25-19 and 25-18. TAMU rocketed out to start the third, keeping the Maroon and White at bay to take the set, 25-15, and complete the sweep.
“We're in a tough stretch right now and this weekend may be the lowest we've been all season,” McFatrich said. “The calling card of a great team is responding during the darkest of times and that's what we have to do right now. We have to get up, dust ourselves off and answer the challenge.”
Texas A&M jumped out of the gates quickly and seemed to never let up. MSU recorded the first point off a Blossom Sato ace, but would never jump back in the lead. State would scrap to stay in the match, but could never fully close the gap as it was unable to put up more than two-consecutive points throughout the set. TAMU would keep the distance and pull away for a 25-19 first-set win.
The second set saw MSU jumped out in front 2-0, but the Aggies quickly erased the lead. The Bulldogs would stay within reach until a series of small runs grew the A&M lead and eventually led to an Aggie second-set win, 25-18.
Down 2-0 in the match, the Bulldogs looked to start a rally back into the match, but a strong A&M start quickly put the contest out of reach. A&M jumped out to a six-point lead, 9-3, and would keep the Bulldogs at bay the rest of the way. MSU would cut the lead to three until a 10-1 run put the match out of reach. The Aggies would go on to take the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.
Leading the way for State was Alex Warren, who topped all players with 11 kills. Shelby Anderton paced MSU in assists with 15, while Sato, who left the match early with a bloody nose, turned in 12.
Defensively, Harris tallied nine digs to reach the 1,000-career mark. As a team, MSU only earned 1.0 block, with Jazmyne Johnson and Warren earning the block assists.
Pacing the Aggies was Shelby Sullivan, who turned in 10 kills and three blocks. Stephanie Aiple led all players with 31 assists, while Amy Nettles had a match-high 14 digs.
MSU will have a split weekend when it returns to action after Sunday's showdown in Texas. State travels to Missouri on Friday, Oct. 23 for a 7 p.m. CT, battle on the SEC Network +. The Bulldogs return home that Sunday, Oct. 25, to host the Tennessee Volunteers. The national television broadcast will be aired on the SEC Network, with first serve set for 12 p.m.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
