Match #27: #3 Texas 3, #2 Texas A&M 1
S1: TEX, 25-18; S2: A&M 25-16, S3: TEX, 27-25; S4: TEX, 25-19
Records: Texas A&M (23-4, 14-1), Texas (23-2, 13-2)
Box Score
Not the ending they wanted, but it’s not over yet.
No. 2 seed Texas A&M’s 11-game winning streak came to an end late Monday night as they lost 3-1 to No. 3 seed Texas in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Savannah, Georgia.
The Aggies started off slow in the opener, before coming back strong in the second. The rest of the match was a close battle, until Texas took full control at the end of the fourth after the Aggies failed to capitalize on a pair of set-point opportunities in the third.
“I’m proud of my team for the response that we had after the first set, for the way that we fought throughout that,” A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said. “I think that match will make us better for a postseason run in the NCAA Tournament.”
That tournament begins on Dec. 4, and while the Aggies figure to host at least the first two rounds, they could have played their way into a higher seed by beating their archrivals for a second time.
“We had glimpses of ourselves tonight, and I like how we battled, but I don’t think we were fully us,” said Ava Underwood. “But, I think it’s a good spot for us to be in.
“Losing sucks. It’s not fun, but we have a lot to build on.”
Kyndal Stowers led the offense for the Aggies with 18 kills. Logan Lednicky had 12 kills, while middles Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins each had six.
The middles continued to be a wall at the net, as Cos-Okpalla had nine blocks, while Lednicky had eight.
All-SEC first-team setter Maddie Waak controlled the offense with an impressive 43 assists.
While the total service errors went down from Sunday’s 15, they continued to be a weak point, as A&M had nine. Additionally, A&M had 22 attack errors, with nine of them belonging to Emily Hellmuth.
The Longhorns came out hot, taking an early 11-5 lead in the first set that caused Morrison to call for a timeout. The Aggies responded with fight, but errors and the Longhorns’ quick offense kept Texas in the lead.
Down 21-15, A&M took another timeout to try to reset, but the Aggies failed to break the momentum as Texas won the set, 25-18.
The Aggies looked like a completely different team in the second stanza as they took an early 5-1 lead. A&M then extended its lead to 13-5, until a 3-0 run from the Longhorns.
The Maroon & White continued to dominate, and at 21-14, an error from the Longhorns sent them into their final timeout of the set.
A&M’s momentum was unbreakable, and on her 10th kill of the night, Lednicky ended the set, 25-16.
The third set was a close battle, with 18 ties as each team gave it their all.
Back-to-back solo blocks from Perkins put the Aggies up 16-14, but Texas quickly tied the score.
Down 21-19, an ace from the Longhorns caused Morrison to call a timeout. Stowers came out with an unstoppable kill, and a Texas error tied the set, 21-21.
A block from Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky gave A&M set point, but Texas tied the stanza once again. The set tied evened up more time before the Longhorns won the set, 27-25.
The fourth stanza also featured multiple ties until Texas took the lead, 17-13. The Aggies called a timeout to try and regain momentum, but the Longhorns continued to push, extending their lead 20-15.
Down 22-16, A&M called its final timeout, but it was not enough to slow down Texas, as they went on to win the set 25-19 and the match.
While this match marks the end of the Aggies' SEC Tournament, their season is far from over.
Sitting at No. 6 in the nation, the Maroon & White are aiming for a deep NCAA Tournament run, and this loss adds more fuel to their fire. It’s important to note that each time the Aggies have lost, they have responded by going on long winning streaks and upping their level of play.
“Any time that we’ve lost, we’ve come back even stronger, so I think this is a good wake-up call,” Underwood said. “We haven’t lost much this season, but we don’t like how that feels, so we're ready to bounce back and get to work for the tournament.”
The Aggies will find out who they will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament during the NCAA selection show on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN.
It’s not over yet.
