Sweep of Vanderbilt sends Texas A&M to SEC semifinals in Savannah

Match #26: #2 Texas A&M 3, #15 Vanderbilt 0
S1: A&M, 25-21; S2: A&M, 25-21; S3: A&M, 27-25
Records: Texas A&M (23-3, 14-1), Vanderbilt (9-18, 3-12)
Box Score

Back in business.

The second-seeded Aggies (23-3) wasted no time making a postseason statement, sweeping No. 15 seed Vanderbilt (9-18) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament Sunday evening.

Texas A&M now advances to the semifinals, where the Maroon & White will face the winner of No. 3 seed Texas and No. 14 seed Ole Miss.

The Aggies extend their win streak to 11 as they continue their dominant run. It also marked their fourth consecutive sweep, totaling 15 on the season, including a pair vs. the Commodores.

Vanderbilt had started an impressive postseason stint, but the Ags were prepared to take them down.

“They were playing with a lot of confidence, and we were going to have to weather their storm,” head coach Jamie Morrison told the SEC Network postgame.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Texas A&M’s 23 wins are the most in a single season since going 25-6 in 2012.

Playing their first game in a week, some rustiness was expected in the Aggies, but maybe not this much rust.

Thirty-two errors, including 15 service errors, were the Aggies' biggest enemy tonight as Vandy was consistently handed points on a silver platter.

This was most evident during the second set, where the Ags were plagued by eight service errors, almost allowing the Commodores to steal the frame.

Beyond the inefficiencies, the Aggies were on fire offensively. They finished with a .345 hitting percentage, marking the fourth consecutive match of hitting over .300.

Leading the charge was AVCA Player of the Year semifinalist Logan Lednicky, who finished with 14 kills off a .407 hitting percentage.

“I give my creds to Maddie Waak and everyone else on the court,” Lednicky told the SEC Network. “She’s such a stud, and I couldn’t do it without her.”

Waak finished the match with 40 assists and contributed an ace, continuously orchestrating a fast-tempo offense designed for strategic kills.

Behind Lednicky in kills were Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Kyndal Stowers, both of whom finished with 11 and an ace. The former looked well organized on the court, as Cos-Okpalla hit at a .421 clip.

The All-American also led the team in blocks with four, allowing her to reach the 150 milestone on the season. Cos-Okpalla became the first Aggie since 1985 to reach 150 blocks in three straight seasons.

The match began with Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky’s two swift slams.

However, Jackie Moore led Vanderbilt’s tournament momentum into the first set as the Commodores refused to back off. The game stayed close until a quick 3-0 run helped the Ags find some brief breathing room at 12-9, but Vandy fought back and tied it up at 14-14.

Morrison saw an opportunity and switched to a no-setter lineup, creating a 6-0 run to take a commanding lead over the Commodores, 22-17. A strong Lednicky kill claimed the set, 25-21.

The second stanza started the same as the first, with the Aggies quickly taking a 2-0 lead before Vandy showed grit and kept the score close. Early errors helped the Commodores take a 7-6 lead. They would keep this until a Waak block stole it at 14-13.

Spencer Halstead, TexAgs

With 40 assists vs. Vanderbilt, Maddie Waak has reached that mark 15 times this season.

A Stowers kill and ace forced a Commodore timeout at 19-17 before the Aggie offense took over, forcing another timeout at 23-19. Stowers showed her power, ending the set 25-21.

The errors carried into the third frame, allowing Vanderbilt to create an early lead. Once again, they kept it for a while until a 7-1 Aggie run secured a 13-10 lead. The Aggies rode this momentum to match point, where they faced some trouble.

Vandy refused to let their season end as they mounted a 7-0 run and wiped out six consecutive match points to take a 25-24 lead. However, it wasn’t enough as the Aggies finally sealed the deal on their seventh match point, 27-25.

“It’s good for us to get pushed,” Lednicky said. “We’re not gonna get there easily in this tournament, and I think moments like that are what's gonna lead us to the finals.”

Morrison added: “In the postseason, it's a lot about your mindset. It’s how you stay in these matches when other teams might be pushing you with everything on the line. You have to stay steady until you find the time to break the team open.”

Now the Aggies turn toward the semifinals, hungry for more with stakes rising, and if Texas wins, the Lone Star Showdown returns in cinematic fashion.

Regardless, A&M continues its SEC Tournament run Monday at 7:30 p.m. CT.