No. 9 Ags hope Reed becomes a house of horrors on Halloween night

Halloween night guarantees more than just candy and costumes.

At Reed Arena, it also promises chaotic competition and a chance for Texas A&M to make a national statement.

The ninth-ranked Aggies welcome undefeated No. 2 Texas into their house of fright at 6:30 p.m. CT as a motivated 12th Man awaits the Lone Star Showdown.

For A&M (17-3, 9-1), Friday’s matchup is an opportunity to prove it belongs among the nation’s elite.

Texas (18-0, 10-0) enters as one of the nation’s last two unbeatens. The Longhorns bring the weapons as they currently lead the country in kills per set with 14.97, assists per set with 13.92 and are ranked No. 2 in the nation with a .309 hitting percentage.

A&M head coach Jamie Morrison immediately had one word to describe Texas when asked what stands out about their program.

“Physicality,” Morrison said. “They jump high and hit hard. I’ve coached a lot of those players with my U19 group. They’re really good athletes who play hard.”

Texas has plenty of reliable star power. Setter Ella Swindle, outside hitter Torrey Stafford, libero Emma Halter, freshman Abby Vander Wal and reigning SEC Freshman of the Week Cari Spears are the face of a program stacked with standouts. The Longhorns have earned SEC weekly honors for nine consecutive weeks, bringing their total to 18 on the season.

But if there’s a monster under the bed for Texas, her name is Ifenna Cos-Okpalla.

The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week has been A&M’s silencer at the net, ranking second in the SEC and seventh nationally with 1.56 blocks per set. Her dominant defense recently propelled her to sixth in program history for total blocks. Alongside partner in crime Morgan Perkins, the duo is assured to make a formidable impact on the court.

While Cos-Okpalla is the fear factor at the net, Logan Lednicky terrorizes defenders when she becomes the nightmare in the air. Now sixth all-time in total kills for the Aggies, Lednicky is hungry to exploit the Longhorn defense.

Pulling the strings behind it all is Maddie Waak, the Aggie's puppet master. She continues to lead the nation in assists per set with 11.57 as she orchestrates one of the most balanced offenses in the country.

Kaylen Kruse, TexAgs

Texas A&M and Texas split the Lone Star Showdown series on the volleyball court in 2024, with the Longhorns winning at Reed Arena and the Ags returning the favor in Austin.

“When I took over the program, it was about getting to the point where beating Texas wouldn’t be an upset,” Morrison said. “I think we’re at that spot now. There’s confidence in this team that we’re going to go out, compete and win.”

Last season, nearly 10,000 fans packed Reed Arena for the Lone Star Showdown. The Aggies will need the 12th Man to help turn the energy into something powerful.

“Last year, during the second set, we had a mindset that these 10,000 fans were coming after Texas with us,” Morrison said. “The message I am going to start talking about with my team is that we have to use this to our advantage.”

On Halloween night, the Aggies have a chance to hand the Longhorns their first scare of the season in a 12th Man-filled house of fright.