Talbert Leads the Way in Setback to Mississippi State

Saturday, October 23

Starkville, Miss.

3:00 PM

Texas A&M

11-8,4-5SEC

Mississippi State

15-5,6-2SEC

Texas A&M

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Emily Snyder

Oct 23, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Shelby Hild, Athletics Communications

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Texas A&M volleyball (11-8, 4-5 SEC) was unable to overcome Mississippi State (15-5, 6-2 SEC) in the series opener on Saturday, falling in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-27, 16-25).

Senior Mallory Talbert led the way for the Maroon & White, registering a team-best 13 kills on .481 hitting. Camille Conner dished out 34 assists, while libero Sabrina Sustala scooped a season-high 19 digs.

Aggressive serving out of the gate from seniors Talbert and Conner led to an early 5-1 lead for the Aggies. A block on the outside by Lauren Davis and London Austin-Roark brought A&M within two, but the Bulldogs held the 15-12 advantage going into the media break. Talbert's fourth kill leveled the set at 19-all, before a kill from Conner pushed the Aggies ahead. A kill from Lauren Davis deadlocked the set at 22, but Mississippi State held on for the 25-23 win in the opening frame.

It was a back-and-forth battle to start the second, before the Bulldogs drew their largest lead to hold a 12-8 advantage. A&M rattled off six-straight points, which included two kills and a block from Davis, to jump out in front, 17-14, midway through the set. A scrappy defensive play carried Texas A&M to a 22-20 lead, while a kill from Morgan Christon closed the 5-0 run for the Aggies with a 25-20 win.

The Maroon & White never trailed to start the third, as kills out of the middle from Austin-Roark kept the Aggies ahead by as many as three. Mississippi State battled back to level it at nine, before responding with a 5-0 run to hold slim 17-15 advantage. A pair of kills from Conner and Christon equalized the set late, while a kill from Davis pushed the Aggies to an extended set point, but the Bulldogs fought off the threat to grab the frame, 27-25.

Mississippi State opened on a 6-1 run in the fourth, but back-to-back kills from Talbert brought momentum back on the Aggies' side. The Bulldogs pieced together eight unanswered points to jump out to a 17-10 cushion. A kill from Austin-Roark and service ace from Sustala highlighted the midway point for the Aggies, but Mississippi State secured the opening-series victory with a 25-16 win in the fourth.

UP NEXT
Texas A&M will wrap up its two-match series with the Bulldogs tomorrow. First serve is set for 1 p.m. with the match airing nationally on SEC Network with Tyler Denning and Holly McPeak on the call.

BIRD BITS
Texas A&M Associate Head Coach, Kolby O'Donnell
On Mallory Talbert's performance…
"Mallory (Talbert) played great, and she followed the game plan well. Her performance is a correlation of her having a great week of practice and executing during live play. She has put time into her serving and she did a really nice job hitting zones."

On adjustments that need to be made for tomorrow…
"Mississippi State is a gritty team, and they're going to fight and make it tough to put balls away. We need to play to win, focus on us and believe in ourselves until the end. Limiting their (Mississippi State) runs is going to be key for us."

FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.