Match #12: No. 13 Texas A&M 3, Vanderbilt 0
S1: A&M, 25-19; S2: A&M, 25-20; S3: A&M, 25-15
Records: Texas A&M (10-2, 2-0), Vanderbilt (4-7, 0-2)
Box Score
“It’s happening.”
That’s what was going through Jamie Morrison’s mind as No. 13 Texas A&M defeated Vanderbilt in Reed Arena in a Friday evening sweep in front of the third-largest crowd in program history.
“I don’t think I can be any more grateful for anything than people spending their time coming to cheer us on,” Morrison said post-match. “I had a moment in the middle of our match where I just looked at the student section behind us, there was a monster block, and everyone was doing the same thing, and I just had the thought of, ‘It’s happening.’
“That’s the vision that I had for what this program could be, not just what happens in the 30-by-30 on our side of the court, but what could happen in this community with the 12th Man. It’s starting to snowball into what I thought could happen, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what happened just now.”
Reed Arena welcomed 4,666 spectators as senior Logan Lednicky proved her All-American status with 15 kills. Behind her was Kyndal Stowers with eight kills, while Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Emily Hellmuth and Morgan Perkins each had six.
Senior setter Maddie Waak ran A&M’s balanced offense, putting up 37 assists and moving the ball around efficiently.
“She’s special,” Lednicky said. “She’s truly one of the best setters in the country, in my opinion. Her ball placement and her ability from anywhere on the court to put up a hittable ball that’s almost in system, even if it’s supposed to be out of system, makes for what y'all just saw.”
A Vanderbilt service error gave the Aggies the first point of the opener, but the Commodores went on a 4-0 run to take an early lead in the first set.
Despite fielding a varsity volleyball team for the first time in 45 years, the Commodores' fiery athleticism challenged the Aggies, and they led for most of the first half of the opening frame.
A&M tied the match 12-12 and began to build momentum as a block from Stowers put them ahead 16-13.
The Aggies increased their lead to 21-15, causing Vanderbilt to take a timeout to try and reset.
However, the ‘Dores were unsuccessful, and a kill from Perkins ended the set, 25-19.
Lednicky was off to a hot start, as the senior opposite had six kills, one block and an ace in Set 1
A smart shot from Cos-Okpalla began the second stanza, and the Ags went on a three-point run.
The crowd exploded after a scrappy play led to a kill for libero Ava Underwood, and the Maroon & White took control of the set.
Back-to-back monster blocks increased the lead to eight at 18-10, as A&M continued to build on momentum and feed off the fans’ energy.
With the Aggies two points away from a set win, a four-point scoring run from the Commodores caused Morrison to call a timeout to regroup.
The Ags responded with a fiery kill from Cos-Okpalla, and on her sixth kill of the night, Stowers closed out the second, 25-20.
In the final round, back-to-back-to-back aces from Stowers put A&M in front with an early 6-2 lead.
The Aggies continued to dominate, and with her 14th kill of the night, Lednicky increased their lead to six.
After a scrappy play from Stowers got the crowd on their feet, a Vanderbilt attack error caused the Commodores to take their final timeout, as A&M led 21-12.
A service error from Vanderbilt ended the match, and the Aggies won 25-15.
After playing in front of the 12th Man, the A&M will travel to South Carolina on Wednesday, Oct. 1, as the Ags take on the Gamecocks at 6 p.m. CT.
