Match #7: No. 15 Texas Christian 3, No. 8 Texas A&M 2
S1: A&M, 26-24; S2: TCU, 25-22; S3: A&M, 25-19; S4: TCU, 25-21; S5: TCU, 15-12
Records: Texas A&M (5-2, 0-0), Texas Christian (4-1, 0-0)
Box Score
No. 8 Texas A&M volleyball came up short in a five-set thriller against No. 15 TCU on Wednesday night in Fort Worth.
Following a 3-0 loss to No. 10 SMU the night before, the Aggies came into the second match of a back-to-back looking to respond.
“I talked to our team about response, and I think we had it,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “We came up two points short, and that’s hard.
“I loved that we responded in the first set. I love that we came back in the fifth. TCU is a very good volleyball team. Hats off to them for the win. I hope that we’re better because of the match against them.”
The Aggies were led by Emily Hellmuth, who had 20 kills. Kyndal Stowers and Logan Lednicky followed behind with 19 and 14, respectively. Setter Maddie Waak put up an impressive 56 assists, three kills and 15 digs.
The Aggies started strong in the first set, with kills from Lednicky and Stowers, plus a Morgan Perkins block that pushed the lead to 8-3. Perkins then added another kill to force TCU’s first timeout.
Up 16-10, A&M sent TCU into their final timeout, and a pair of errors prompted the Aggies’ first break.
At set point, an ace from TCU tied the match 24-24, but a kill and a block from Hellmuth sealed the set, 26-24.
TCU kicked off the second stanza on a three-point run, but the Aggies came back to tie the match, 4-4. The score then tied multiple times, and each team took turns leading by 1-2 points.
Down 20-18, powerful kills from Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky evened the set, but a 2-0 run gave the Horned Frogs set point.
A kill from Hellmuth narrowed the gap, but TCU took the set, 25-22.
The third set stayed tight early on until a block from Perkins and an overpass kill from Stowers pushed A&M ahead, 7-4.
With her 12th kill of the night, Stowers extended A&M’s lead to seven, 13-6.
However, TCU responded by going on a four-point run, but the Aggies regrouped as a kill from Hellmuth closed out the set 25-19 to give A&M a 2-1 lead.
The Maroon & White kicked off the fourth on a 3-0 run, but TCU returned the favor and tied the match 3-3.
An ace from the Horned Frogs put them up by two, and they quickly took control of the set.
Down in a five-point hole, A&M called a timeout.
The Horned Frogs remained in control throughout, and the Aggies called their final timeout of the set, down 23-18. TCU went on to win the fourth, 25-21.
In the decisive frame, the Horned Frogs opened on a 3-0 run that led to an Aggie timeout.
Kills from Hellmuth and Lednicky brought A&M within two, and an error from the Horned Frogs briefly gave the Aggies the lead.
But TCU regained control, and the Maroon & White took their final timeout of the match, down 13-11.
The Horned Frogs then secured their win, 15-12.
Despite the loss, the Aggies are proud of their fight.
“The toughest part about losing a match like that is that it’s by two points,” Hellmuth said. “That’s a tough team. Obviously, we had it. You take away two points there, and it’s a different story.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow when it’s close, but it’s also encouraging to know we fought for five sets and never gave in. It’s good to know that the team has that fight.”
A&M will return home to take on Southeastern Louisiana in Reed Arena on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. CT.
