Different ground. Same mission.
As Texas A&M football prepares to clash with LSU on Saturday, Aggie volleyball travels to Baton Rouge a day earlier. For both programs, it’s not just chasing wins.
It’s perfecting a mission.
Three straight sweeps have Jamie Morrison’s No. 9 Aggies laser-focused as they prepare for the Friday night frenzy, facing the Tigers at 7 p.m. CT.
“I’ve been asked all season how to describe this team, and it’s mission-focused,” Morrison said. “They know what they want right now. They’re dialed in on what they need to do.”
Following a pair of wins against Oklahoma and Arkansas during senior meekend, the Aggies (15-3, 7-1) have reestablished their consistent rhythm. With this, Morrison is focused on continuing to improve and build momentum each day.
“We’re getting better day by day,” Morrison said. “That’s what you want as a coach, especially at the end of the season. Some teams start to break down physically or get worse, and I feel like we’re building right now.”
Part of that drive has been fueled by SEC senior superstars Logan Lednicky and Maddie Waak.
Lednicky, the reigning SEC Player and Offensive Player of the Week, was unstoppable against Arkansas, where she tied her career record for kills in a three-set match with 22 and reached a new career high in hitting efficiency of .606.
Waak, the nation’s leader in assists per set with 11.49, earned SEC Setter of the Week honors after distributing 65 assists across six sets. The team’s “quarterback” has been the key to A&M’s precise offense, setting the pace for efficient drives.
“We talked at the end of last season about coming back to be the best bulletproof version of yourself that you can withstand this season,” Morrison said of Waak. “And she did it. I think she’s seen the results and the difference.”
If the Aggies want to continue their sweep streak, they’ll need to bring the heat.
LSU (10-9, 3-5) is led by fourth-year head coach Tonya Johnson, a former Tiger standout herself, as she helped the purple and gold reach the Final Four in 1990.
Johnson’s energizing coaching style comes with the help of two stars on the AVCA Player of the Year Watchlist in Jurnee Robinson and Nia Washington. The former of whom leads the SEC in total kills as well as kills and points per set.
“They’re gonna be feisty,” Morrison said. “You’re going to see some emotion directed through the net. We just need to respond the way we want to, control our side and not back down.”
Aggie football head coach Mike Elko encouraged the traveling 12th Man to make the weekend a two-part mission, supporting the Maroon & White on Friday before Saturday’s showdown in Death Valley.
For both programs, the mission is simple: Play with purpose, execute with precision and leave Baton Rouge with a victory.
On different playing grounds, yet the same fight, the Maroon & White are locked in and ready to ignite.
