Match #19: No. 9 Texas A&M 3, Louisiana State 1
S1: LSU, 25-22; S2: A&M, 25-14; S3: A&M, 25-22; S4: A&M, 25-23
Records: Texas A&M (16-3, 8-1), Louisiana State (10-10, 3-6)
Box Score
No. 9 Texas A&M arrived in Baton Rouge with one mission:
Compete and win.
That’s exactly what Jamie Morrison’s Aggies did on Friday night, defeating LSU in four sets to extend their dominant conference run as the Maroon & White improved to 8-1 in the SEC and 16-3 overall.
However, it wasn’t the prettiest win.
“I’m happy with the win, but there are some things we need to clean up as we move forward in the season,” Morrison said.
The Aggies endured a night of offensive inconsistency and continuous errors in the 12th Man-filled Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but enough effort was given to find their rhythm when it mattered, leading to a fourth straight victory.
Logan Lednicky, the reigning SEC Player and Offensive Player of the Week, led the charge against the Tigers with a double-double as she continues her historical career. Her 14 kills on the night push her to eighth all-time in program history. She also led the team in digs with 12 and contributed five blocks.
All-American Ifenna Cos-Okpalla’s seven blocks on the night put her at seventh all-time in the Aggie record book. She also demonstrated her excellent serve, finishing with four aces.
“Ifenna and Logan together get into a certain rhythm of blocking where 90 percent of the time they stuff the ball,” Morrison said. “No doubt in my mind that both of them are going to keep climbing up those record books.”
National leader in assists per set Maddie Waak dished out 41 assists and added an ace for the Ags.
Still, despite the statistical highlights, inconsistency plagued the Aggies throughout the match.
A&M’s offense was not the typical efficiency seen in other SEC matches. At some points, especially during set two, the Ags looked in sync. At other times, they lost their groove entirely.
This was mainly due to the errors that tormented both teams and something A&M has struggled with all season. The Maroon & White finished the match with 22 attacking errors and 10 service errors.
The Aggies started the first set with an unstable offense. Ava Underwood got herself a libero kill, but from there, the errors crept into the system. Nail-biting kills from Emily Hellmuth and a dump kill from Waak tried to save it, but the sloppiness was too costly. A&M’s 13 errors practically gave LSU the advantage as the Tigers’ dynamic duo of Nia Washington and Jurnee Robinson sealed the set, 25-22.
“I told them at the end of the first set that they know we’re going to come out and play cleaner than we just did,” Morrison said. “I thought we did just that.”
The second stanza showed A&M’s usual efficiency. The Ags set the middles, leading to a much more consistent offense, and they minimized their errors to two, while the Tigers struggled with 10. A&M’s hitting percentage of .591 helped even the match, 25-14.
The third frame was a neck-and-neck battle, with both teams struggling offensively. The Aggies finished with a .077 hitting percentage, showing the conflicting performances throughout sets. The errors returned to haunt each program as the Ags finished with eight and the Tigers with 12.
However, A&M played much better defense as they held LSU to a .071 hitting percentage. Tied at 18-18, a 5-0 run from the Aggies helped push for a commanding drive to finish the set, 25-23.
The fourth set showcased similarities in the other frames, with the inconsistencies bleeding over. The Aggies held the lead from 2-1 until 20-20 when the Tigers began to fight back. It was a gritty skirmish until a bad set won the match for the Aggies, 25-23.
Friday’s win may not have been polished, but it was still a victory to be proud of. The Aggies showed glimpses of dominance amidst the stretches of sloppiness.
For the mission-focused Ags, this served as a test and reminder that there is still work to be done.
Next up, the Maroon & White will travel to Oxford to face the Rebels on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
