Coming off back-to-back losses to LSU and No. 23 Florida, Texas A&M was aiming to refocus and snap its losing streak when it returned home to Reed Arena to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday.
The Aggies did not disappoint their home crowd, defeating the Razorbacks for the first time in five years, 3-1, as junior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky became the 20th player to crack 1,000 kills for Texas A&M volleyball.
“It wasn’t the win I was most proud of,” coach Jamie Morrison said. “It was the way we played and the way we battled. That was what we are capable of playing like, and it’s fun to watch. It’s a beautiful, fluid thing that happens out there. We’re capable of playing really good volleyball, and we’re going to push to do that the rest of the season.”
The first set proved that this match would be a back-and-forth battle as both teams split the first 16 points. The Razorbacks grabbed a lead first after sophomore outside hitter Romani Thurman and freshman OH Olivia Ruy recorded back-to-back kills to give Arkansas a 15-11 lead.
The Maroon and White attempted a comeback after junior OH Emily Hellmuth and Lednicky contributed back-to-back kills. However, Arkansas’ momentum was too strong as it ran away with the set, 25-22.
Needing to bounce back in the second set, A&M came out with intense energy and jumped out to a 10-6 lead. Kills by junior OH Taylor Humphrey, junior middle blocker Morgan Perkins and Lednicky kept the Aggies in front by maintaining a four point lead, 19-15.
The Aggies led 23-18 in the second set until the Razorbacks mounted a huge comeback, a kill from Thurman and four Aggie attack errors evened the score at 23 when A&M was forced to call a timeout.
After the break, a kill from Humphrey and a service ace from Hellmuth ended the Razorbacks hopes of a comeback, 25-23.
A&M maintained momentum going into the third set as they fired out to an 8-1 lead when Arkansas was forced to call a timeout. This did not slow down the Maroon and White, as kills by Lednicky, Hellmuth and Perkins combined with several Razorback errors kept the Aggies in control.
In the end, 12 total kills, four blocks and two service aces ultimately led to A&M blowing out Arkansas in the third set, 25-6.
The fourth set saw both teams again splitting the first 16 points before three Razorback errors sparked the Aggies’ momentum. A&M’s front-line again demonstrated its dominance as it combined for 16 kills in the set alone.
Back-to-back kills by Lednicky in this set made her the newest member of the A&M 1,000 kill club.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Lednicky said. “I never would have thought I would be playing volleyball at Texas A&M. I owe all of my success to my teammates, coaches and support around me. This is truly a special place, and I am so happy to be here.”
Senior libero Ellee Stinson and Perkins contributed aces to help the Maroon and White bring home the win, 25-16.
“She is grown up,” Morrison said. “Not from a kid to an adult but as a volleyball player and a human being. If you went back and watched the match and had a video of me, there were a lot of eyebrows raised on some swings that she wasn’t taking last year. She’s turning into what I think can be an elite international player. She came here to turn this program into what we all think it can be, and I think she will go down as one of the people that led it there and one of the greatest players to play here. Congratulations to her and I am fired up for that accomplishment.”
The Aggies are back in action as they will travel to Austin, Texas to take on Texas at Gregory Gym on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
