Match #10: No. 14 Texas A&M 3, Loyola Marymount 0
S1: A&M, 25-16; S2: A&M, 25-15; S3: A&M, 25-22
Records: Texas A&M (8-2, 0-0), Loyola Marymount (2-7, 0-0)
Box Score
It was sweep after sweep in Reed Arena this weekend.
The 14th-ranked Aggies closed out the Texas A&M Invitational with a sweep of Loyola Marymount on Saturday afternoon, following a pair of 3-0 wins against Southeastern Louisiana and New Hampshire earlier in the weekend.
In the finale, outside hitters Emily Hellmuth and Kyndal Stowers led the offense for the Aggies, with Hellmuth putting up 13 kills, six kills and two blocks. Meanwhile, Stowers racked up 12 kills, eight digs and an ace, accounting for A&M’s final five points.
Freshmen Taryn Morris and Addi Applegate were key components of Saturday’s win, with Morris tallying six kills and seven digs. At the same time, Applegate played as a defensive specialist in the first two sets before going in as libero in the third.
“We’re really talented. It’s not just the seven to eight people that you see on the floor most nights,” said A&M head coach Jamie Morrison. “If you come into our practice gym, it’s 17 people deep, and you’re going to see that probably across the season. You’ve definitely seen that this weekend, but I trust a lot of people to come into a match and contribute in meaningful ways.”
For Morris, the opportunity to make an impact on the court was everything.
“It was amazing,” she said. “I mean, this is really my first opportunity to be on the court, and then I have five other girls on the court behind me, so it was just amazing.”
The Lions began the match with energy that challenged the Aggies, forcing A&M out of system and taking the first lead of the match.
However, the Maroon & White fired back by making scrappy plays and finding holes in LMU’s defense, which put them ahead by four and forced the Lions to take a timeout.
Three kills and two blocks from Ifenna Cos-Okpalla helped secure the Aggies' advantage with her fiery energy in the opener.
Despite the fight from LMU, A&M remained in the lead and closed out the set 25-16.
Stowers began the second set with three kills, and the Aggies went on a five-point scoring run to force an early LMU timeout.
A pair of service errors from Maddie Waak and Stowers decreased the deficit for the Lions, but kills from Hellmuth and Morris increased the Aggies' advantage to eight as they led 12-4.
Down by 11, Loyola went on a four-point scoring run, and eventually lessened the A&M lead to five.
Three kills from Hellmuth placed the Aggies two points away from a second-set win, and another kill from the senior outside hitter closed out the round, 25-15.
The Lions again challenged the Ags in the third, coming out with high energy and keeping the score tight.
Applegate played as libero in the final stanza, giving senior liberos Ava Underwood and Tatum Thomas a break as the Yorktown, Ind., native held down the back court.
In her 13th kill of the match, Hellmuth put the Aggies up by five, 20-15.
LMU fought back and went on a four-point scoring run, which caused Morrison to call a timeout to regroup.
Hellmuth and Stowers came out hot, causing the Lions to take their final break of the match.
Despite an effort from LMU that tied the third set at 20-20, four kills and an ace from Stowers secured the Aggies' victory and their third straight sweep, 25-22.
Although playing three unranked teams, A&M treated these matches like any other, taking each one as an opportunity to improve as they wrapped up their non-conference slate.
The Aggies will begin conference play in Reed Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. CT as they take on No. 22 Missouri.
