No. 19 Volleyball Fell Short in Five-Set Battle with No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-2

• Texas A&M fell four-points short in a five-set battle with No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-2.
• The 12^th Man packed Reed Arena, setting the third-largest attendance in program history with 9,211 fans in the stands.
• Kaia Castle led the Aggies offensively with a career-best 19 kills.

COLLEGE STATION – The No. 19 Texas A&M volleyball team came up short in a five-set slugfest versus No. 6 Wisconsin Friday evening at Reed Arena, 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 11-15).

The Aggies (4-5) battled through a five-set thriller, backed by 9,211 members of the 12^th Man which made up the third-largest attendance in program history. The Maroon & White’s offense led them throughout the game, as Kaia Castle’s career-high 19 kills paced the group and pushed them to a season high 69 kills as a unit.

Texas A&M jumped out early taking a 5-1 lead against the Badgers (4-3). Gabi Rodriguez drove A&M’s defense, recording eight digs in the set, and her seventh of the frame marked the 100th of her career. The Maroon & White flipped defense into attack, led by Natalie Ring who recorded five kills in the frame. The Aggies never let it get close and secured the opening set, 25-18.

Wisconsin rallied in the second, taking a tightly fought set, 25-23. However, the Aggies responded in the third, in another hard-fought frame which saw 12 ties concluding at 22-22. Castle was the difference for the Maroon & White, logging two kills in their final three points to bring her game total to 13 which marked a career high and sealed the set, 25-23, and lead in the match, 2-1.

Texas A&M and Wisconsin traded points early in the fourth, before the Badgers took a 14-9 lead. Needing to respond, the Aggies went on a 6-1 run to tie it at 15 with Castle tallying another five kills in the frame. A&M continued to battle late with back-to-back kills from Kyndal Stowers knotting the score at 21. Wisconsin recaptured the momentum and forced a fifth set, 25-22.

In the final frame, the Maroon & White took a two-point lead mid-set, 8-6, forcing a timeout from Wisconsin. The Badgers responded to tie it at 10 and continued their momentum to edge out the set, 15-11, and match, 3-2.

Stat Leaders

Kills – Kaia Castle – 19

Hitting Percentage (Min. 10 kills) – Kaia Castle – .576

Assists – Kirra Musgrove – 51

Aces – Kirra Musgrove, Kyndal Stowers – 2

Digs – Gabi Rodriguez – 20

Blocks – Eliza Sharp – 5

Player Notes

#1 Gabi Rodriguez

• Extended her double-digit dig streak to seven games with 20 on the night.
• Her 20 digs marked a career high and pushed her beyond 100 for her career.

#2 Addi Applegate

• Logged 11 digs which matched her career.

#6 Taryn Morris

• Tallied seven digs on the game, matching her career best.

#14 Kirra Musgrove

• Tabbed 51 assists, a new career best for the sophomore setter.
• Marked her fifth consecutive game of the season with at least one ace.
• Recorded first career solo block.
• Has recorded three games with 40-or-more assists this season.

#17 Natalie Ring

• Tallied double-digit kills for the seventh time this season.

#19 Kaia Castle

• Tallied a trio of career bests with 22 points, 19 kills and a .576 hitting percentage.

#20 Megan Fitch

• Recorded a career-high 13 digs, marking her third time eclipsing double-digits this season.

#25 Eliza Sharp

• Marked her fifth game of the season with double-digit kills, recording 13 to match her season high.
• Stuffed five swings, marking five games with five-or-more blocks this season.

#37 Kyndal Stowers

• Tallied two aces, matching her season best.
• Recorded a double-double, for the second time this season with 16 kills and 13 digs.
• Tallied double-digit kills for her fourth-consecutive match.

Team Notes

• Set the third-highest attendance in program history with 9,211 fans in the stands.
• Set season-best marks in kills (69) and digs (75).

Next Up

The Aggies return to Reed Arena Tuesday for a 6 p.m. matchup with SFA.