Match #11: No. 13 Texas A&M 3, No. 21 Missouri 1
S1: A&M, 25-20; S2: A&M, 25-17; S3: MIZ, 26-24; S4: A&M, 25-8
Records: Texas A&M (9-2, 1-0), Missouri (8-4, 0-1)
Box Score
The Aggie train briefly hit a bump on the track, but it never derailed.
No. 13 Texas A&M steadied its course after dropping the third set to regain control of the situation and defeat No. 21 Missouri in four sets on Wednesday night to open SEC play.
“It feels good,” A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said. “The SEC’s a tough conference, so I think any win you get in here you’re happy with. Most of all, I’m proud of the way our team played.”
The victory extended the Aggies’ series lead over Mizzou to 36-22, with an impressive 21-5 record inside Reed Arena.
The locomotive Logan Lednicky recorded 12 digs for the 12th Man as she surpassed 600 for her career total. Likewise, Ava Underwood is only 11 digs away from reaching 1,000 career digs — striving to become the 23rd Aggie to do so.
The Kyndal Stowers express was explicit tonight as she led the team in kills with 16, followed by Lednicky’s 13.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, the track stopper, demonstrated why she is an All-American, as she set the pace both offensively and defensively, finishing with six total blocks.
“I think she’s one of the best in the country, if not the world,” Morrison said of Cos-Okpalla.
A&M’s conductor Maddie Waak consistently kept the offensive game on track with 43 assists. Waak also tied her career high with four impressive service aces.
The Aggie service game outpaced Missouri, which is known for its tough serving. A&M finished the match with a season-high nine aces.
The first three sets got progressively more competitive with each frame as both teams matched each other’s fiery ambition.
“I thought we stayed patient,” Morrison said. “That’s a really good defensive team, and their libero [Maya Sands] is one of the best out there. I thought we stayed patient and played the game that we had to play in order to beat them.”
During the second set, the “Missouri” student section began an intimidating uproar directed toward Morrison and his bald head. However, A&M embarked on a 10-2 run, which included two back-to-back aces from Waak.
After the Aggies won the first two sets, Mizzou came back with a vengeance as they sealed a narrow win in the third set, blocking the 12th Man from getting their 12th consecutive set won.
“We knew we shouldn’t have lost the third set,” Stowers said. “Going into the fourth, it was, ‘OK, we gotta finish this. We have to put our foot on it.’ I think just after winning two straight sets in a row at home with the crowd, it’s easy to get a little complacent.”
A&M was far from complacent in sealing the victory.
The fourth set was dominant for the Maroon & White as the runaway train quickly rushed to a 15-5 lead and never turned back, before Cos-Okpalla ended the game with her signature monster block.
The win over Mizzou marks an impressive start to SEC play and reinforces the name A&M is trying to make for itself as the Aggie train stays on track.
“If we play volleyball like that, it’s going to be really hard to beat us,” Morrison said.
Winners of four straight, it remains full-steam ahead for the Aggies as they have home advantage against Vanderbilt on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
