Match #18: No. 10 Texas A&M 3, Arkansas 0
S1: A&M, 25-20; S2: A&M, 25-20; S3: A&M, 25-19
Records: Texas A&M (15-3, 7-1), Arkansas (5-14, 1-7)
Box Score
It was a rough weekend for the Razorbacks.
Texas A&M volleyball improved to 7-1 in conference play and 15-3 overall on Sunday afternoon as they swept Arkansas. Morrison’s squad is off to the program’s best start in conference play since 2012.
The Razorbacks put up a strong fight, but were ultimately not a match for the Aggies’ powerful offense. The Ags were led by Logan Lednicky, who put up 22 kills with a .606 hitting percentage to tie her program record for kills in a three-set match.
“She’s a really good volleyball player,” Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said. “She’s going to go down as one of the best to play in this program.”
Lednicky credits her success to setter Maddie Waak, who leads the nation in assists per set. Waak recorded 36 assists, four kills and three blocks against the Razorbacks.
“If I didn’t have a setter as good as her, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do,” said Lednicky.
While it was more of a quiet match for All-American middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, a monster block early in the set put her in the top seven of Texas A&M’s career blocks list. The senior ended the match with three kills and four blocks.
The opener began with multiple ties, a trend that continued throughout the match.
Tied at 14, the Ags pushed back and went on a four-point scoring run, causing Arkansas to take a timeout. Despite the Razorbacks’ efforts to slow down the Aggies, a kill from Megan Fitch ended the opener, 25-20.
A&M began the second stanza in a dominant four-point scoring run thanks to kills from Lednicky and a Cos-Okpalla ace. But, much like the first set, Arkansas continued to fight back and tie the score again and again.
After being tied at 15, the Aggies went on another four-point scoring run, sending the Razorbacks into a timeout.
The Maroon and White did not let up, and a kill from Cos-Okpalla ended the set, 25-20.
Arkansas took an early lead in the finale. The Razorbacks kept fighting, and after acing the Aggies, they led 11-8.
A&M fought back to even out the score, and the match remained close until a kill from Lednicky put the Ags up, 21-19. Arkansas took a break to try to regain momentum and push the match to a fourth set.
A kill from Waak increased the Aggies’ lead to four and pushed Arkansas to take its final timeout of the match.
An ace from Lednicky, followed by a Razorback error, sealed the win for the Aggies at 25-19 in the third set.
This match was the second half of the Aggies’ senior weekend celebration. Among Sunday’s honorees were Tatum Thomas, Emily Hellmuth, Lexi Guinn, Taylor Humphrey and Maddie Waak.
This outstanding group of seniors has watched the program transform over their time at Texas A&M.
“It’s just so cool,” Lednicky said. “The people that have joined along the way, teammates, coaches, everyone in the program who has just become part of the journey, it’s been so cool to see the growth on and off the court of all of my teammates and friends.”
“Just getting the opportunity to play here is awesome,” said Waak, who transferred from LSU after her sophomore year. “It’s super close to home, I’ve gotten to play and watch a lot of these people grow over the years, so it’s super awesome to be here with them.”
The Aggies will take a road trip as they take on LSU on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge.
