Let’s get ready to rumble.
Two heavyweights are stepping into the ring for a long-awaited main event in what will be the first top-10 volleyball matchup in Reed Arena history.
When No. 9 Texas A&M welcomes No. 3 Kentucky on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT, it will be a fiery bout, showcasing the all-star offense and defense both teams possess.
The Aggies and Wildcats will exchange powerful swings and monster blocks in a slugfest that will leave the floorboards rumbling.
“You have two really good offenses and two really good blocking defenses,” Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said on Monday. “It could end up being an offensive slugfest. It could just be that we have to out-hit them, and it could be that both teams are struggling to put the ball away. You have to plan for what they’re going to do. You have to execute. You have to be dialed in.”
The Aggies have proven they can take a punch and throw one right back.
A&M (12-2, 4-0 SEC) has turned each challenge into a counterpunch on its run of steady success. The Maroon & White have won seven straight, most recently outperforming South Carolina and Alabama on the road as their momentum keeps building.
At the center of the Aggies’ dominance is the silencer, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, whose dominance is guaranteed. She earned her 10th career SEC weekly honor as she obtained Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week honors for a second consecutive week. In the matches against the Gamecocks and Crimson Tide, the versatile Cos-Okpalla finished with 14 blocks, 13 kills and seven aces across seven sets.
“The impressive thing is 25 serves, 12 in a row at one point, and only one service error,” Morrison said. “It’s a threat now, and the other teams are going to have to game plan for it.”
On the opposite side of the net, Kentucky (10-2, 3-0 SEC) brings a ferocious, fast-paced offense led by freshman setter Kassie O’Brien, who earned her third SEC weekly honor after being named SEC Freshman of the Week.
The Wildcats sit right behind the Aggies in assists per set, although individually, A&M’s Maddie Waak leads the nation in the category at 11.51.
This layered system has been the blueprint for the Blue Grass team’s SEC success for 20 years.
Additionally, Morrison credits longtime Kentucky coach Craig Skinner for creating the SEC standard for sustainable success that A&M yearns for.
“I have a lot of respect for what Craig built in terms of bringing Kentucky from what it was to what it is now,” Morrison said. “He helped build the roadmap for me of what our program would look like and how we had to get it to where it is now.”
Both programs had their last loss on Sept. 10, and both are stepping onto the court with seven consecutive wins on their back.
Wednesday will test which team has more tenacity and staying power by the end.
All eyes are on Reed Arena for this historic slugfest of momentum and grit
