BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Texas A&M volleyball team extended its winning streak to three matches following a five-set thriller versus Wright State on the opening day of the Falcon Invitational, 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 26-28, 17-15).
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The Aggies and Wright State battled back-and-forth to open the match, as the squads tied on 13 separate occasions, ending at 17. The Raiders created separation to lead by two, but A&M flipped the momentum to knot the teams once again at 20. The programs remained tied at 23, however, Wright State pushed on and claimed the opener, 25-23.
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A&M responded early in the second set, as they went on a 7-1 run forcing a Raider timeout. The Maroon & White kept their foot on the gas extending the lead, 17-11. Despite a strong push from Wright State, the Aggies went on to secure the second set, 25-20.
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Staying in rhythm, A&M started the third set on fire scoring six-straight points. Showing no signs of slowing down, the Maroon & White continued their dominance to lead by 10, 12-2. The squads began trading points, however, the Aggies retained their 10-point lead (19-9). A&M cruised through the remainder of the frame (25-14), taking the lead in the match, 2-1.
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The teams traded blows early in the fourth, with neither side pulling away (5-5). A&M put together a 7-3 run to lead halfway through the set, 12-8. Wright State strung together a streak of its own, narrowing the Aggies lead to one (18-17), prompting a timeout from head coach Jamie Morrison. The Raiders run continued as they stole the frame in extra points, 28-26.
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Wright State came out the aggressors in the fifth set, as it opened up an early 8-2 advantage as the team's swapped sides of the floor. The Maroon & white fought all the way back to tie the squads at 11, forcing a Raider timeout. The programs went into a second-straight set of extras, and after surviving a match point A&M came out on top through three-straight kills from freshman Bianna Muoneke to win the set (17-15) and match for the Aggies, 3-2.
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UP NEXT
The Maroon & White return to the Stroh Center tomorrow for the second match of the Falcon Invitational versus the hosts Bowling Green with first serve set for 6 p.m. CT
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COACH'S QUOTES
Head coach Jamie Morrison on today's match…
"We talked a lot about the fact we're going to play some great teams this week. We knew someone was going to push us this week and I was curious to see what happens when it happens. In the fifth set we were down 8-2 and we were pushed to the brink, but the way we responded is something that we should rely on later down the line."
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Morrison on what's next this week …
"We'll go back tonight and look at the film to find some areas we can improve on, then it's time to turn the page and focus on tomorrow's match versus Bowling Green."
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STAT STANDOUTS
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/X by following @AggieVolleyball.
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The Aggies and Wright State battled back-and-forth to open the match, as the squads tied on 13 separate occasions, ending at 17. The Raiders created separation to lead by two, but A&M flipped the momentum to knot the teams once again at 20. The programs remained tied at 23, however, Wright State pushed on and claimed the opener, 25-23.
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A&M responded early in the second set, as they went on a 7-1 run forcing a Raider timeout. The Maroon & White kept their foot on the gas extending the lead, 17-11. Despite a strong push from Wright State, the Aggies went on to secure the second set, 25-20.
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Staying in rhythm, A&M started the third set on fire scoring six-straight points. Showing no signs of slowing down, the Maroon & White continued their dominance to lead by 10, 12-2. The squads began trading points, however, the Aggies retained their 10-point lead (19-9). A&M cruised through the remainder of the frame (25-14), taking the lead in the match, 2-1.
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The teams traded blows early in the fourth, with neither side pulling away (5-5). A&M put together a 7-3 run to lead halfway through the set, 12-8. Wright State strung together a streak of its own, narrowing the Aggies lead to one (18-17), prompting a timeout from head coach Jamie Morrison. The Raiders run continued as they stole the frame in extra points, 28-26.
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Wright State came out the aggressors in the fifth set, as it opened up an early 8-2 advantage as the team's swapped sides of the floor. The Maroon & white fought all the way back to tie the squads at 11, forcing a Raider timeout. The programs went into a second-straight set of extras, and after surviving a match point A&M came out on top through three-straight kills from freshman Bianna Muoneke to win the set (17-15) and match for the Aggies, 3-2.
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UP NEXT
The Maroon & White return to the Stroh Center tomorrow for the second match of the Falcon Invitational versus the hosts Bowling Green with first serve set for 6 p.m. CT
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COACH'S QUOTES
Head coach Jamie Morrison on today's match…
"We talked a lot about the fact we're going to play some great teams this week. We knew someone was going to push us this week and I was curious to see what happens when it happens. In the fifth set we were down 8-2 and we were pushed to the brink, but the way we responded is something that we should rely on later down the line."
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Morrison on what's next this week …
"We'll go back tonight and look at the film to find some areas we can improve on, then it's time to turn the page and focus on tomorrow's match versus Bowling Green."
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STAT STANDOUTS
- Caroline Meuth – 28 kills – .510 hitting percentage – 11 digs – 6 total blocks
- Bianna Muoneke – 20 kills – .311 hitting percentage – 20 digs
- Nisa Buzlutepe – 43 assists – 8 digs – 2 service aces
- Ifenna Cos-Okpalla – 9 total blocks – 6 kills
- Logan Lednicky – 16 kills
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/X by following @AggieVolleyball.