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No. 12 Volleyball Heads to Indiana for Big Ten/SEC Challenge WeekNo. 12 Volleyball Heads to Indiana for Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week
Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics
Volleyball

No. 12 Volleyball Heads to Indiana for Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week

Press Conferences Game Notes
  • Texas A&M heads to Indiana for the inaugural Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week where it will face No. 14 Purdue and the No. 21 Hoosiers.
  • The Aggies carry a three-game win streak into the challenge after sweeping the Texas A&M Invitational.
  • Both contests will be broadcast on national television, with the game versus Purdue airing on FS1, while the fixture with Indiana is on the Big Ten Network.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 12 Texas A&M volleyball team heads back on the road for the inaugural Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week where the Aggies face No. 12 Purdue and No. 21 Indiana on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, with both games being played at Mackey Arena.

The Aggies gear up for a pair of ranked contests in week three of the volleyball season. They open their account Tuesday at 7 p.m. versus the Boilermakers and follow up the next day at 4 p.m. against the Hoosiers.

Texas A&M got back on track its last time out, sweeping its home Invitational for the third-straight year. The wins over GCU (3-1), Arkansas State (3-0) and Cal Poly (3-0) brought the Maroon & White’s overall ledger to 3-2 on the season.

Eliza Sharp was the standout over the weekend for the Aggies, logging 23 kills hitting at .487 percent, while adding 20 blocks on defense including a season-high 10 versus Arkansas State, her third time hitting double-digit stuffs in her career.

A&M’s standout freshman, Gabi Rodriguez, continued to shine in her debut campaign logging three-consecutive contests with 10-or-more digs. Showing her versatility, the libero extended her ace streak to five games and when she’s at the line the Maroon & White win 51% of their points.

Looking towards the game with the Boilermakers, the hosts own a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. Purdue’s three wins came on a neutral court, while A&M’s lone win was in College Station. The last meeting between the teams was in 1990 and the Aggies’ win came in 1985.

The matchup with Indiana the following day stands as the seventh meeting in their history, and the Maroon & White boast a 4-2 record. All-six games so far have been played in a neutral setting, setting up the seventh on Wednesday. The Hoosiers have won the previous two meetings, both in four sets.

STREAMING

Tuesday’s game versus Purdue will air on FS1, while the contest versus Indiana is on the BTN.

Preview: Jamie Morrison

Two really good opponents. I respect both coaches quite a bit. Purdue (is a) good ball-control team, really good blocking team. Their offense and things change a little bit depending on what happens with their opposite, if she's in or out. Then we play Indiana, who had a really good season last year and can run a really fast offense and cause some trouble in their own way.

-- Jamie Morrison on this week's opposition

Preview: Addi Applegate

It feels amazing. I have a lot of family and friends coming. My grandma, my aunts and uncles, a lot of my friends, because they go to school there. Just a lot of my extended family's coming...I'm super excited. I have some friends on (Indiana), so I think that just makes it even more competitive for me. I know their head coach, so that'll be fun seeing him and I'm excited for the match.

-- Natalie Ring on going home (Yorktown, Indiana)

Preview: Natalie Ring

I think it's so exciting to see the way that our sport is growing and the way that viewership is growing, and how excited everyone is about these games. And it's just exciting for us to be able to play in them and to help the sport grow and to help our team. The best competition is going to develop the best players and the best team, so we're really excited to be able to go up against those top opponents and just show who we are and what we've developed into.

-- Natalie Ring