Friday, August 27
Honolulu, Hawai'i
9:45 PM
Texas A&M
0-1,0-0SEC
2
vs
3
Marquette
1-0,0-0Big East
1
2
3
4
5
F
Texas A&M
12
28
21
25
13
2
Marquette
25
26
25
15
15
3
Photo by: Kate Luffman/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Edged by Marquette in Season-Opening Five-Set Thriller
Aug 28, 2021 | Volleyball
HONOLULU – Texas A&M volleyball was edged by Marquette in five sets Friday night as it opened its season at the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic.
Lauren Davis paced the Maroon & White with 15 kills, while Camryn Ennis scooped 21 digs and Camille Conner dished out 47 assists. As a team A&M delivered nine service aces, as Macy Carrabine led the charge with four.
Marquette opened on a 10-3 run early, before Destiny Cox's first kill on the outside squashed the momentum. The Golden Eagles took their largest lead, as three-straight points pushed Marquette ahead 21-9. Senior Mallory Talbert provided three kills in the middle, hitting at a perfect clip, but Marquette grabbed the 25-12 opening-set win.
An ace delivered by London Austin-Roark in the second set gave the Aggies their first lead of the match midway through the set. Marquette used a 4-0 run to pull ahead before Texas A&M responded with a four-point run of its own to level the score at 23-all. The set saw eight ties and a pair of lead changes, as Talbert's team-leading seventh kill sealed the frame, 28-26.
A kill sent to the back corner from Conner knot the set for the fourth time, sitting at 11-apiece, in the third. The Golden Eagles charged ahead late, before Morgan Christon teamed up with Talbert on the block and a service ace by Sabrina Sustala brought A&M back within two to force a Marquette timeout. The Aggies crept within one, but the Golden Eagles held on for the 25-21 third-set victory.
Aggressive serving to start the fourth frame gave the Aggies an early advantage, while a block by Austin-Roark and Davis pushed A&M ahead by six. The Maroon & White closed on an 8-1 run finishing with 13 kills on .387 hitting in the frame, while holding Marquette to just a .079 average, to force a fifth set with a 10-point victory.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the deciding set, as the Aggies called a timeout trailing 7-5. A kill on the outside by Christon kept A&M within reach, but Marquette held on for the 15-13 win.
Texas A&M will continue the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic on Saturday with a match against Fairfield. First serve between the Aggies and the Stags is set for 9:45 p.m. (CT).
BIRD BITS
Laura 'Bird' Kuhn, Texas A&M Head Coach
On starting the season…
"It was great to get out and compete after our exhibition, and to see this team respond and go deep into our bench. We changed the lineup a little bit throughout that match. You know, it's all about the little things and being consistent throughout."
On production off the bench…
"They (the bench) did their job. We've always had that spark. Taylor (Voss) has been a spark for us consistently, Sabrina (Sustala) came in, and everyone just did their job and created that momentum. They created that energy for us on our side and that was huge. But we always want everyone to be ready. We tell them that you need to come in, do your job and know who you are when you do that, so I am proud of them."
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, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
Lauren Davis paced the Maroon & White with 15 kills, while Camryn Ennis scooped 21 digs and Camille Conner dished out 47 assists. As a team A&M delivered nine service aces, as Macy Carrabine led the charge with four.
Marquette opened on a 10-3 run early, before Destiny Cox's first kill on the outside squashed the momentum. The Golden Eagles took their largest lead, as three-straight points pushed Marquette ahead 21-9. Senior Mallory Talbert provided three kills in the middle, hitting at a perfect clip, but Marquette grabbed the 25-12 opening-set win.
An ace delivered by London Austin-Roark in the second set gave the Aggies their first lead of the match midway through the set. Marquette used a 4-0 run to pull ahead before Texas A&M responded with a four-point run of its own to level the score at 23-all. The set saw eight ties and a pair of lead changes, as Talbert's team-leading seventh kill sealed the frame, 28-26.
A kill sent to the back corner from Conner knot the set for the fourth time, sitting at 11-apiece, in the third. The Golden Eagles charged ahead late, before Morgan Christon teamed up with Talbert on the block and a service ace by Sabrina Sustala brought A&M back within two to force a Marquette timeout. The Aggies crept within one, but the Golden Eagles held on for the 25-21 third-set victory.
Aggressive serving to start the fourth frame gave the Aggies an early advantage, while a block by Austin-Roark and Davis pushed A&M ahead by six. The Maroon & White closed on an 8-1 run finishing with 13 kills on .387 hitting in the frame, while holding Marquette to just a .079 average, to force a fifth set with a 10-point victory.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the deciding set, as the Aggies called a timeout trailing 7-5. A kill on the outside by Christon kept A&M within reach, but Marquette held on for the 15-13 win.
Texas A&M will continue the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic on Saturday with a match against Fairfield. First serve between the Aggies and the Stags is set for 9:45 p.m. (CT).
BIRD BITS
Laura 'Bird' Kuhn, Texas A&M Head Coach
On starting the season…
"It was great to get out and compete after our exhibition, and to see this team respond and go deep into our bench. We changed the lineup a little bit throughout that match. You know, it's all about the little things and being consistent throughout."
On production off the bench…
"They (the bench) did their job. We've always had that spark. Taylor (Voss) has been a spark for us consistently, Sabrina (Sustala) came in, and everyone just did their job and created that momentum. They created that energy for us on our side and that was huge. But we always want everyone to be ready. We tell them that you need to come in, do your job and know who you are when you do that, so I am proud of them."
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, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
Team Stats
TA&M
Marq
Kills
56
59
Errors
27
21
Attempts
153
158
Hitting %
.190
.241
Points
71
83
Assists
55
53
Aces
9
9
Blocks
6
15
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH/S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballMB
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