- Texas A&M came up short in a five-set battle with No. 21 Indiana, 3-2.
- Kyndal Stowers broke the program record for points in a five-set match during the rally-scoring era with 34.5.
- Eliza Sharp was a force at the net with 10 kills and eight blocks.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 12 Texas A&M volleyball team came up short in a five-set clash with No. 21 Indiana behind Kyndal Stowers’ program record 34.5 points Wednesday evening at Mackey Arena, 3-2 (24-26, 28-26, 23-25, 25-17, 9-15).
Stowers record-breaking outing came in the Aggies’ final game of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week, as she registered a rally-scoring era program high 34.5 points in five sets. She achieved the record number through 29 kills, matching a career high, five blocks and two aces, all while tallying 11 digs to secure her first double-double of the season.
Indiana opened the game as the aggressor, pulling away early with a nine-point lead at the midway mark, 15-6. The Maroon battled back on a 17-7 streak to take the lead late, but the Hoosiers countered to take the opener, 26-24.
The second opened with back-and-forth scoring, as both programs sided-out on every serve to be knotted at 12. Indiana forged some separation at the midway point, but the arm of Stowers propelled A&M right back as her eighth kill of the set had the Maroon & White up two late, 23-21. In similar fashion to the opener, the second went into extras, but it was A&M who came out on top, 28-26.
Another slugfest ensued in the third set, with the programs trading blows to the 19-point mark. Indiana ripped off three-straight prompting a timeout from Head Coach Jamie Morrison, 22-19. The Aggies answered back with a 4-2 flurry, but the Hoosiers closed the set, 25-23.
Needing an answer, A&M did just that racing out to an 8-3 lead forcing an Indiana timeout. The Maroon & White kept their foot on the gas, never letting the gap shrink below three as they took the fourth and sent the game to a deciding fifth set, 25-17.
Indiana captured the momentum early in the deciding frame with a 6-1 strike. The Hoosiers continued to push, and despite surviving a pair of match points, Indiana took the final set, 15-9.
Stat Leaders
Kills – Kyndal Stowers – 29
Hitting Percentage (Min. 10 kills) – Eliza Sharp – .412
Assists – Kirra Musgrove – 27
Aces – Kyndal Stowers, Kaia Castle – 2
Digs – Gabi Rodriguez – 12
Blocks – Eliza Sharp – 8
Player Notes
- Extended her double-digit dig streak to five games with 12 on the night.
- Recorded the first ace of her career in the opening set.
#14 Kirra Musgrove
- Registered an ace in three-consecutive games.
#19 Kaia Castle
- Logged the first two aces of her career.
#20 Megan Fitch
- Finished the game with 10 kills, her third time in double digits this season.
#25 Eliza Sharp
- Stuffed eight swings on the night which marks her fourth outing with five-or-more this season.
- Tallied 10 kills in the game, her third time eclipsing double digits this season.
#37 Kyndal Stowers
- Set the program record for points in a five-set match during the rally-scoring era with 34.5.
- Hit double-digit kills for the second-straight game, tying her career high of 29 on the night.
- Surpassed 20 kills for the sixth time in her career.
- Set a new career-high for total blocks with five and matched career best two solo blocks.
- Claimed her first double-double of the year with 29 kills and 11 digs.
Next Up
Texas A&M prepares for the Shriners Children's Showdown at the Net ACC/SEC Challenge, where the Aggies head to Kissimmee, Florida, to take on No. 4 Stanford, Wednesday, Sept. 9.