Game Preview
Why not us? Us, the FIGHTIN TEXAS A&M AGGIES! That's right, Texas A&M Volleyball made some history yesterday taking down Goliath (nebraska) in a thrilling 5 set match for the ages. Just after endangering our health with a reverse sweep Friday, 2 days later the Aggies would need a 5th set to avoid being reverse swept as they held off the PREVIOUSLY undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers 15-12 in set 5. The Aggies punched their ticket to the final four in Kansas City where they will face the Pitt Panthers Thursday 5:30 on ESPN!
Elite 8 Recap
Why not us? Walking into the Bob Devaney Center in front of 18,000 fans in red facing one of the most dominant regular season teams in Volleyball history, the whole world doubting you, the whole world crowning Nebraska as champions, walking in there and escaping a win was absolutely downright historic. What our girls accomplished was unbelievable. The entire volleyball world had Nebraska winning us, nobody believed in us, but one guy did and his name is Jamie Morrison. Day before the game a Nebraska reporter asked Jamie Morrison if it was difficult to find any holes in Nebraska's game after Kansas' coach said it was impossible, Jamie simply said no (with a slight grin). He then followed it up with, "I'm not scared of them." Cocky… no, confident… yes. And it showed. He believed and he made the players believe that they can go out there and win.
The Aggies would get off to a rough start in set 1, getting down 10-3. They would answer. They'd trim the lead to 15-10, but they then would go on a 10-0 run with Ifenna Cos-Okpalla at the service line. A couple aces, a couple blocks, and a couple huge swings got the Aggies out to a lead and they'd go on to finish the set 25-22. Another run with a couple Maddie Waak aces and more blocks got the Aggies out to a 20-16 run after a back and forth affair most of set 2. Nebraska would fight back but we'd finish the set off 25-22.
Set 3 would see Nebraska get out with a strong start, expected with the season on the line. The Aggies would respond back getting it within 1 down 14-15. More blows exchanged, then Nebraska with 18,000 screaming fans behind them finished off the set on an 8-3 run and won 25-20. Then came set 4, where I hope you all had a heart monitor or inhaler nearby because that would go down as one of the craziest sets in volleyball history. The Aggies would go out in front to an 18-11 lead. History is so close you could smell it. A couple Aggie hitting errors would allow Nebraska to tie it as 20, however, the ties were just beginning. 9 set points from Nebraska and 3 match points from Texas A&M and Nebraska's Virginia Adriano would eventually end the marathon set 37-35. Whew. Breathe Ags.
Then came set 5. 2 days after the Aggies pulled off a reverse sweep, the Aggies would try avoiding one. Like Ali-Frazier, the two giants would exchange blows. At 5-5, A&M would get the upper hand first after a Lednicky kill then a huge block from Hellmuth and Perkins to push the lead to 2. At 8-6, the Aggies would call on Taylor Humphrey to check in for the first time all weekend and she would serve tough as the Aggies get 2 points pushing the lead to 10-6. A service error followed by a huge Morgan Perkins swing and a Nebraska error would give the Aggies a 12-7 lead. Nebraska calls a timeout out of desperation and fear. They would respond with a 5-1 run. Match now stands at 13-12.
Season on the line, 9 senior Aggies last chance of ever playing with one another on the line, you go to your All American. The 4th generation Aggie would deliver with 2 huge kills. Ball game. History. Season continues. World is shocked. Nebraska faithful running towards the exits. Aggies everywhere throwing their first in the air, the girls running into a dog pile, Morrison smiling with the veins popping out of his head. The Texas A&M Aggies achieved the unthinkable, knocked off the perfect Nebraska Cornhuskers, and advanced to the final four for the first time in school history.
Pitt Preview
After the Aggies arrived to a cheerful crowd at Reed Arena, Jamie Morrison tells the crowd now it's time to win the National Championship. All I have to say is WHY NOT US. We already proved the volleyball world wrong once, heck maybe even twice. We took down 2 of the most dominant programs of the past decade. We fought and tough and earned our way into the final four.
Then there were 4, Texas A&M, Pitt, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. On the left side of the bracket the Aggies draw the 1 seeded and number 4 overall seed Pittsburg Panthers. For those new to the volleyball world, they are led by the reigning National Player of the Year and Logan Lednicky's Team USA teammate… Olivia Babcock. A front runner for the award yet again, she is one of the most dynamic and powerful hitters in the country, possibly the world. She is their entire offense. They will set her everywhere on the court, she has a lethal back row attack. The key to slowing down Pitt is slowing down her, even if it's possible. She has over 14 matches with 20+ kills and a 41 and 45 kill performance. She is a solid blocker and has 13 games with multiple aces.
Around her is a solid squad, they have an elite setter in Brooke Mosher. While Mosher is a strong server, what's more impressive is her serve, which is one of the most impressive in the NCAA. We can't let them go on runs with her serving. They have a strong strong block as well led by Bre Kelley and Ryla Jones at 6'4 and 6'2. They have some solid back row players, but their weakness should be their left side hitters. They rely on Blaire Bayless and Marina Pezelj. If they can't get going and relieve the blocking on Babcock, Pitt finds themselves in trouble.
Our last two matches have seen our block come alive and dominate. We're going to need it against Babcock. Ifenna did show out her serve and we're going to need to serve tough to keep them out of system. Maddie Waak and Tatum Thomas have been serving well as of late too. On the flip side we'll need another strong performance in serve receive from Ava Underwood and Addi Applegate as well as our outsides. Hopefully we'll be able to have a great first contact so we can get our middles more involved to open up the offense. Passing will be key, with great sets, Lednicky, Stowers, and Hellmuth can be unstoppable. We'll need all 3 to have a great game as well as our middles.
On the biggest stage in this programs history, I trust in Jamie and his staff to have our girls prepared and poised for a big match. This will be Pitts 5th straight trip to the final. Their record in the previous 4… 0 wins. Are they due, or is it a sign of something else. They're hungry and they're going to come out confident. Pitt fans were elated watching Nebraska fall. They won't know what's coming.
Why not us? Why can't we shock the volleyball world again and take down another 1 seed? I believe we can. There's something about this team. The heart, the grit, the determination, a team with 9 seniors who simply refused to end their season find themselves on the big stage. Texas A&M Volleyball is here and it's elite. 2 more games to etch ourselves into championship immortality. You can game plan, you can strategize, you can exploit weaknesses, you can execute near perfection, you can out coach, but you can't do anything about a team who play's for one another and for the school across their chest.
They doubted us in the sweet sixteen, they doubted us in the elite eight, and guess what they're gonna doubt us again. Let them. They don't know what Texas A&M Volleyball and the 12th Man are all about. History has already been accomplished, hearts elated, records broken, legacy created, but we're here for something more. Job's not finished. 2 teams stand in our way for it all. Sadly for Pitt, they're up first. We're going to Kansas City and we're going for it all. Let's go beat the ever living hell out of pitt!!!!!
