Wednesday, November 22
Starkville, Miss.
3 p.m.
Texas A&M
9-15 (6-11SEC)
3
at
1
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Mississippi State
9-23 (0-17SEC)
1
2
3
4
F
Texas A&M
21
25
25
25
3
Mississippi State
25
13
14
11
1
Photo by: Blake Williams, MSU Athletics
Volleyball Defeats Mississippi State, 3-1
Nov 22, 2017 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Texas A&M senior outside hitter Kiara McGee posted double-figure kills for the eighth consecutive match and freshman middle blocker Makena Patterson came off the bench and hit a school-record .909 with 10 kills in 11 swings to lead the Aggies to a 21-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-11 victory over Mississippi State today at the Newell-Grissom Building.
The Aggies, who remain undefeated in the nine all-time meetings against the Bulldogs, improve to 9-15, including 6-11 in Southeastern Conference matches. Mississippi State falls to 9-23 overall and 0-17 in SEC matches only.
The Aggies got off to a slow start and dropped a set to the Bulldogs for the first time in the series. A&M got a kill to start off the opening set, but Mississippi State countered with four unanswered points and would hold a lead for the remainder of the frame. The Bulldogs, who outhit A&M, .194 to .125 in the set, equaled their largest lead at 22-17 before a service error and a block by A&M's Ashlie Reasor and Kaitlyn Blake put the Aggies within 22-19. MSU answered with a kill and an ace to go up, 24-19. An MSU kill error followed by a kill off the block by A&M sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans put the Aggies within 24-21 before Jelena Vujcin closed out the set with her sixth kill of the frame.
The Aggies got on track in the second set and never trailed in the stanza as they outhit the Bulldogs, .417 to .000 with Reasor and Blake leading A&M with four kills apiece. Blake had back-to-back kills to break a 2-2 tie, and the Aggies would hold the lead for the remainder of the set. A&M used a 9-1 run, including two aces by freshman setter Camille Conner, to go up 19-8, putting the set out of reach. Blake later got a crushing kill and Hans and sophomore middle blocker Maddie Douglas followed with a block to give A&M its largest lead, 23-11. The teams exchanged points for the remainder of the set, with Mississippi State serving long for the final point and evening the match at 1-1.
Patterson was 6-for-6 in kills in the third set as A&M outhit the Bulldogs, .552 to .125. With the score knotted at 2-2, the Aggies used an 8-2 run to pull away. A&M continued to expand on its lead and built its largest margin at 16-7 as McGee put down one of her five kills in the set during a 3-0 run. Patterson would later get a kill to put A&M ahead, 23-13, and McGee and Blake teamed for a block to put the Aggies at set point. MSU got a kill high off the A&M block to stay alive before McGee finished off the set with a kill.
A&M carried the momentum into the fourth set, outhitting the Bulldogs, .414 to .029. MSU held a 6-5 lead before A&M used a 13-2 run to go up 18-9. The Aggies kept their nine-point cushion at 19-10 before freshman Samantha Sanders got a kill to begin a 4-0 run for the Aggies. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Elli Shadricks, making her first career appearance, followed with back-to-back kills, and Hans capped the run with a kill down the line, putting A&M ahead, 23-10. Vujcin tallied her team-leading 15th kill for MSU before Hans got an off-speed kill and then teamed with Patterson for the match-ending block.
Senior defensive specialist Gabby Litwin, who played her freshman year at MSU before transferring to A&M, led the Aggies with 15 digs and McGee finished with 12 digs to record her second consecutive double-double and her fourth of the season. Conner tied her career high with 46 assists, and Blake had a team-high six blocks.
A&M concludes the season at Alabama on Saturday. The start time has been changed to 12 p.m. at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa, and it will be the final match for A&M seniors Amy Nettles, Litwin, McGee and Ashlie Reasor.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
TEXAS A&M POSTMATCH QUOTES:
HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
On what she told the team after the first set…
"Mostly it was during the set that we were sharing our thoughts on the discontent with ball handling and the way that we were putting the first touch up to the net, whether it was serve receive or any kind of attack, we were really out of control. We settled them down, we made a few subs, and the team really started to get into a rhythm and started to look like Aggie Volleyball. I think their team was really hyped up for Senior Day, and they came out just beating balls at us. We didn't have our block together very well and we weren't ball handling, and that can create a lot of trouble for you. I think after we got that out of our system, we figured out what we needed to do to make the change, and the great thing was were able to make a change."
On Kiara McGee's play as of late…
"She has been fabulous these last couple of weeks especially. She really dropped her error percentage, and she's increased her kill percentage. Her ball control has gotten better and better, and I think overall she's gotten where she is leading a lot better from the court. She's just a lot calmer. She seems more focused on what she wants to get done, and I think the team is really feeding off of that."
On Makena Patterson's performance today…
"Makena has really been working hard and starting to get back from her injury to become a lot stronger in the middle, and she's a great player. An Under Armor All-American from last year, she's just ready to get her on our court when she's healthy again, and she is making moves and hitting shots. She has such a fast arm swing. That's one of the things about her game, it's really hard to slow her down. I was really proud of her. She loves to block. She loves to go sideline to sideline. We are looking forward to her future. It's going to be awesome."
On Elli Shadricks making her first appearance…
"On the way into the court, she said to [Kaitlyn] Blake, who she subbed in for, that she thought she was going to get sick, and so everybody was laughing and kind of really happy for her to get out there. She's been two years in this program now, and I knew she would do fine. She is a strong kid, both physically and mentally. We were excited to get her out there."
On setter Camille Conner's performance…
"I thought Camille Conner did a really great job. She was running all over the court the first set when we really weren't really ball handling very well and stayed composed and put balls up as best she could to get some kills. Once we started giving her good balls, she just did her thing. She located balls really beautifully for the hitters, and she ran the middles without hesitation. She got some great blocks, too. I always have to give setters credit, because they do run your show in a sense, and I just really do believe she is totally committed and totally dedicated to this program and to becoming as great as she can be. I see it every day in practice, and it was nice to see her keep her composed after a first tough set for the whole team and lead the team to a victory."
The Aggies, who remain undefeated in the nine all-time meetings against the Bulldogs, improve to 9-15, including 6-11 in Southeastern Conference matches. Mississippi State falls to 9-23 overall and 0-17 in SEC matches only.
The Aggies got off to a slow start and dropped a set to the Bulldogs for the first time in the series. A&M got a kill to start off the opening set, but Mississippi State countered with four unanswered points and would hold a lead for the remainder of the frame. The Bulldogs, who outhit A&M, .194 to .125 in the set, equaled their largest lead at 22-17 before a service error and a block by A&M's Ashlie Reasor and Kaitlyn Blake put the Aggies within 22-19. MSU answered with a kill and an ace to go up, 24-19. An MSU kill error followed by a kill off the block by A&M sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans put the Aggies within 24-21 before Jelena Vujcin closed out the set with her sixth kill of the frame.
The Aggies got on track in the second set and never trailed in the stanza as they outhit the Bulldogs, .417 to .000 with Reasor and Blake leading A&M with four kills apiece. Blake had back-to-back kills to break a 2-2 tie, and the Aggies would hold the lead for the remainder of the set. A&M used a 9-1 run, including two aces by freshman setter Camille Conner, to go up 19-8, putting the set out of reach. Blake later got a crushing kill and Hans and sophomore middle blocker Maddie Douglas followed with a block to give A&M its largest lead, 23-11. The teams exchanged points for the remainder of the set, with Mississippi State serving long for the final point and evening the match at 1-1.
Patterson was 6-for-6 in kills in the third set as A&M outhit the Bulldogs, .552 to .125. With the score knotted at 2-2, the Aggies used an 8-2 run to pull away. A&M continued to expand on its lead and built its largest margin at 16-7 as McGee put down one of her five kills in the set during a 3-0 run. Patterson would later get a kill to put A&M ahead, 23-13, and McGee and Blake teamed for a block to put the Aggies at set point. MSU got a kill high off the A&M block to stay alive before McGee finished off the set with a kill.
A&M carried the momentum into the fourth set, outhitting the Bulldogs, .414 to .029. MSU held a 6-5 lead before A&M used a 13-2 run to go up 18-9. The Aggies kept their nine-point cushion at 19-10 before freshman Samantha Sanders got a kill to begin a 4-0 run for the Aggies. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Elli Shadricks, making her first career appearance, followed with back-to-back kills, and Hans capped the run with a kill down the line, putting A&M ahead, 23-10. Vujcin tallied her team-leading 15th kill for MSU before Hans got an off-speed kill and then teamed with Patterson for the match-ending block.
Senior defensive specialist Gabby Litwin, who played her freshman year at MSU before transferring to A&M, led the Aggies with 15 digs and McGee finished with 12 digs to record her second consecutive double-double and her fourth of the season. Conner tied her career high with 46 assists, and Blake had a team-high six blocks.
A&M concludes the season at Alabama on Saturday. The start time has been changed to 12 p.m. at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa, and it will be the final match for A&M seniors Amy Nettles, Litwin, McGee and Ashlie Reasor.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
TEXAS A&M POSTMATCH QUOTES:
HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
On what she told the team after the first set…
"Mostly it was during the set that we were sharing our thoughts on the discontent with ball handling and the way that we were putting the first touch up to the net, whether it was serve receive or any kind of attack, we were really out of control. We settled them down, we made a few subs, and the team really started to get into a rhythm and started to look like Aggie Volleyball. I think their team was really hyped up for Senior Day, and they came out just beating balls at us. We didn't have our block together very well and we weren't ball handling, and that can create a lot of trouble for you. I think after we got that out of our system, we figured out what we needed to do to make the change, and the great thing was were able to make a change."
On Kiara McGee's play as of late…
"She has been fabulous these last couple of weeks especially. She really dropped her error percentage, and she's increased her kill percentage. Her ball control has gotten better and better, and I think overall she's gotten where she is leading a lot better from the court. She's just a lot calmer. She seems more focused on what she wants to get done, and I think the team is really feeding off of that."
On Makena Patterson's performance today…
"Makena has really been working hard and starting to get back from her injury to become a lot stronger in the middle, and she's a great player. An Under Armor All-American from last year, she's just ready to get her on our court when she's healthy again, and she is making moves and hitting shots. She has such a fast arm swing. That's one of the things about her game, it's really hard to slow her down. I was really proud of her. She loves to block. She loves to go sideline to sideline. We are looking forward to her future. It's going to be awesome."
On Elli Shadricks making her first appearance…
"On the way into the court, she said to [Kaitlyn] Blake, who she subbed in for, that she thought she was going to get sick, and so everybody was laughing and kind of really happy for her to get out there. She's been two years in this program now, and I knew she would do fine. She is a strong kid, both physically and mentally. We were excited to get her out there."
On setter Camille Conner's performance…
"I thought Camille Conner did a really great job. She was running all over the court the first set when we really weren't really ball handling very well and stayed composed and put balls up as best she could to get some kills. Once we started giving her good balls, she just did her thing. She located balls really beautifully for the hitters, and she ran the middles without hesitation. She got some great blocks, too. I always have to give setters credit, because they do run your show in a sense, and I just really do believe she is totally committed and totally dedicated to this program and to becoming as great as she can be. I see it every day in practice, and it was nice to see her keep her composed after a first tough set for the whole team and lead the team to a victory."
Hear from @makenapatterson following Texas A&M's win over Mississippi State. Patterson had 10 kills on 11 swings in the victory.#12thMan pic.twitter.com/DgtZI6SEQr
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) November 22, 2017
Team Stats
TAMU
MS
Kills
55
34
Errors
13
23
Attempts
114
130
Hitting %
.368
.085
Points
75.0
42.0
Assists
52
33
Aces
10
5
Blocks
10.0
3.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ VolleyballMedia Availability: Jamie Morrison
Monday, December 22
Media Availability: Logan Lednicky
Monday, December 22
Media Availability: Ifenna Cos-Okpalla
Monday, December 22
NCAA Championship Postgame: Morrison, Cos-Okpalla, Lednicky, Stowers
Sunday, December 21
