Match #22: No. 9 Texas A&M 3, No. 16 Tennessee 1
S1: TENN, 25-19; S2: A&M, 25-15; S3: A&M, 25-20; S4: A&M, 25-21
Records: Texas A&M (19-3, 11-1), Tennessee (16-5, 7-4)
Box Score
Mission Accomplished.
Earlier this week, Texas A&M head volleyball coach Jamie Morrison said that the mission was to defeat both teams in orange this weekend.
The ninth-ranked Aggies completed the first part of that mission on Friday when they beat Texas. On Sunday afternoon, they finished the job as they overtook No.16 Tennessee in Knoxville, 3-1.
“It’s less about these two matches and more about the trend that I’m seeing from our team in the most important part of the season,” Morrison said postgame. “I think we're coalescing as a team. People are getting tighter and closer. When things get difficult, we’re coming together and leaning into that moment, not running away from it.
“We’re playing good volleyball. Our passing unit’s doing amazing. Our blocking is coming together. Our offense has been there all season, and all phases are starting to click at the same time right now.”
The Aggies are now 11-1 in conference play, placing them second in the SEC, behind No. 3 Kentucky.
Kyndal Stowers continued to be key to the Aggies’ success, as she led the offense with 16 kills and a .303 hitting percentage.
Senior All-American Logan Lednicky had 13 kills and seven blocks, while Emily Hellmuth and Morgan Perkins had 10 kills each.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla moved up to fifth in the program’s career blocking record with 13 in the match to push her four-year total to 497.
Senior setter Maddie Waak had 40 assists and four blocks as she continues to prove that she is one of the best setters in the nation.
Serving errors were a weak spot early on, but later cleared up. The Aggies had nine in the first half and three in the second.
Tennessee threw off the Aggies in the first set as they switched up their starting lineup, which was likely a result of a Friday loss to Missouri.
“They had some people out there we weren’t necessarily expecting,” Morrison said. “We’ve talked about problem-solving all season, and I thought we did that going into the second set. We figured them out a little bit.”
The opener featured eight ties until a five-point scoring run from Tennessee put them in the lead 15-10 going into the media timeout. The Volunteers' success continued, and at 20-15, the Aggies used a timeout. The break led to a 3-0 run for A&M, but it was not enough. Tennessee went on to win the set, 25-19.
The Ags came alive in the second set. Up 11-5, a block from Waak sent the Volunteers into a timeout to try and break the Aggies’ momentum. Tennessee was unsuccessful, and A&M extended its run to 7-0 and a 10-point lead. An ace from Waak gave the Aggies a set point, and a kill from Stowers ended the stanza, 25-15.
Tennessee fought back in the third, causing the set to tie multiple times. An 18-16 lead for the Volunteers caused Morrison to call a timeout, but the Aggies responded and closed out the set, 25-20.
The finale began with a 4-1 A&M lead, but Tennessee quickly came back to tie the set 4-4. The score remained at a tie until an attacking error from the Volunteers put the Aggies up 19-17, causing Tennessee to take a timeout. Tied at 20-20, a kill from Stowers ignited a 5-1 run, marking the finale at 25-21.
The Aggies end the weekend with a pair of top-25 wins, each adding to their postseason resume as the regular season nears its end. Ranked second in the SEC, every win counts as they look towards their goal of a deep tournament run.
The weekend's mission may have been accomplished, but the journey is far from over.
