No. 9 Aggies drop top-10 battle to No. 3 Kentucky at Reed Arena, 3-1
Match #15: No. 3 Kentucky 3, No. 9 Texas A&M 1
S1: A&M, 25-21; S2: UK, 25-22; S3: UK, 25-15; S4: UK, 27-25
Records: Texas A&M (12-2, 4-0), Kentucky (10-2, 3-0)
Box Score
Reed Arena rumbled like a title fight Wednesday night.
The lights were bright, and the 12th Man was roaring in the first top-10 matchup in Reed Arena history, as they had the fifth-largest all-time crowd in program history at 4,469.
In a heavyweight bout that lived up to its hype, No. 9 Texas A&M suffered a devastating blow to No. 3 Kentucky in a four-set slugfest for the ages.
“Kentucky’s a great volleyball team,” Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said postgame. “They’re not ranked third on accident. There are parts I’m proud of, and there are parts that we have to get better at.”
The Wildcats broke A&M’s seven-match win streak, but not their Aggie spirit. Against a team that has been the SEC standard for long-term consistency, the Aggies took punches yet pushed the Wildcats to the finish.
Even in defeat, there’s still some room for celebration as Maddie Waak’s 47 assists brought her beyond the 3,000 career benchmark as she still leads the nation in assists per set.
A&M didn’t win the bout, but in the first and last set, the Aggies proved they could stand in the ring with one of the nation’s best and exchange punches until the very end. Despite the outcome, the Maroon & White demonstrated why they should be a top-10 team.
Logan Lednicky performed like a true All-American, finishing with 21 kills.
Though the night belonged to the dangerous dynamic duo of Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson, who combined for 43 kills. The Wildcat offense played fast and efficiently, with Hudson hitting .373 and 6-foot-6 Lizzie Carr hitting .588 with 11 kills.
Although the Aggie middle blockers weren’t as dominant on Wednesday, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla contributed two aces, while Morgan Perkins played consistently, hitting .636.
A&M, with the help of an energetic 12th Man, jumped to a quick lead in the first set and controlled the tempo throughout. They secured the first set 25-21, but their six service errors and five attack errors showed glimpses of inconsistency that would lead to their downfall.
The Wildcats overcame whatever nerves were at play as they showcased their fiery, fast offense in the second stanza. What started as a neck-and-neck set soon turned into a more efficient Kentucky takeover as the visitors took the set 25-22.
Big Blue took that momentum into the third set, playing with an excellent serve-receive system. The Maroon & White was out of touch with their .067 hitting percentage and a defense that was not in sync, leading to Kentucky running away with the set 25-15.
A&M looked much more energized in the fourth set, swinging with more power and utilizing the middle blockers much more. Tied at 19-19, the final five minutes provided an intense showdown with both teams playing their hardest of the night. The Wildcats ultimately finished the frame 27-25, delivering the first SEC loss of the season to the Aggies.
“We were us during sets one and four, and we were not us during sets two and three,” Ava Underwood said. “That’s volleyball. They’re a very good volleyball team, and we knew it was going to be a battle going in.”
Despite the emotions in the room, Morrison saw opportunities for growth.
“I think this was a learning point,” Morrison said. “I think it was something that will help us going forward. I think it’s the way that practice needs to be every single day. That feeling that we’re in the grind and in the pressure cooker. Hopefully, we can take that and replicate it every single day for the rest of the season.”
A&M has the fighting spirit of a contender and the will to prove it.
The Maroon & White get a short break before heading out to Starkville to face Mississippi State on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
