In a road game against LSU, No. 9 Texas A&M volleyball caged the Tigers in a 3-1 contest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But it wasn’t a simple sweep like the Fightin’ Farmers had secured in their last three games. The cat fight, marred by errors and challenges, came down to the last call of Set 4, ultimately resulting in an Aggie victory.
Set 1 saw a slow start for the Maroon and White, as service error after attack error led to a grueling battle. The Tigers showed their claws early, taking advantage of the Aggies’ unforced errors and quickly putting them at a 5-point deficit — the largest lead LSU had over A&M all night.
Hope for the Aggies loomed on the horizon as senior outside hitter Emily Hellmuth hit a bomb to the home team, tying the score at 20. However, three errors and a kill from LSU senior OH Nia Washington sealed the set for the Tigers, 25-22, which sent coach Jamie Morrison and Co. back to the drawing board.
The Maroon and White came in hot and heavy for the second set as the front-row trio of senior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Hellmuth each notched early kills against the Purple and Gold. The beginning of the set saw a back-and-forth battle before a long, out-of-system rally in A&M’s favor gave them the motivation it needed.
Quickly, the Fightin’ Farmers jumped ahead for the first time, gaining a match-high lead of 11 points over the Tigers at 19-8. Three consecutive errors from A&M gave LSU hope before a challenge in the Aggies’ favor and a kill from senior MB Morgan Perkins secured the set, 25-14.
Set 3 opened with yet another Tiger lead, as the Aggies trailed behind, 0-3. However, that lead didn’t last long before a trio of LSU errors tied the score, 4-4. A&M and LSU fans alike watched a constant fight that saw both errors and monumental plays from the two squads — one of which was two consecutive kills from Washington that helped LSU gain back a short lead.
However, the effort from the New Orleans native wouldn’t be enough as another set-ending kill from Perkins called the round in favor of the Aggies, 25-22.
Sophomore OH Kyndal Stowers and LSU junior OH Jurnee Robinson secured the first three points of the fourth set — Stowers with two kills to center and cross court, then Robinson quickly followed up with a kill of her own. But these two players weren’t the only ones who showed out early. The dynamic duo of Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla recorded two consecutive blocks, quickly securing an early lead for the Maroon and White.
The Aggies remained composed as they maintained a 4-point lead over the Tigers — until they didn’t.
A trio of hitting errors allowed LSU a chance for redemption in a last-ditch effort to prolong the match to a fifth set. Five kills from A&M kept it in the game as LSU attempted to claw its way to victory. Lost challenges by both teams left the squads unable to call for another — something that LSU would come to regret.
With the score at 24-23, a foot fault by LSU sounded the final whistle with no challenges left to call. The player, who was believed by LSU to be off the court when the fault was made, was forced to accept defeat when the referee called the game in favor of A&M, 25-23.
Looking for their ninth conference win, the Aggies will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on Ole Miss at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m.
