Texas A&M volleyball entered Friday’s match after a three-game road stretch, winning two of its three matches. The Maroon and White lost their last time out to LSU in five sets. Attempting to avoid back-to-back losses, the Aggies were unsuccessful as they were swept by the No. 23 Florida Gators.
The initial set saw A&M take an early 3-1 lead, spearheaded by an early kill by junior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky. Its lead would not last very long. The Gators fought back, turning the tide and not giving up the lead. What stood out about Florida’s first frame performance was its lack of kills. Despite winning the set 25-21, the Gators only recorded 10 kills.
“We came out really slow in the first set,” coach Jamie Morrison said. “I’m happy that we made it slightly close in that.”
In the second set, the Aggies hung in there until the end. Junior outside hitter Emily Hellmuth made her presence felt, recording six kills in the set. Lednicky and Hellmuth led the Aggies in kills in the match with 13.
Despite being neck-and-neck with the Gators, A&M had no answers for Florida sophomore OH Kennedy Martin’s offensive attack. The South Carolina native was responsible for six of the Gators’ last eight points, with two coming by way of aces. Martin’s late push propelled the Gators to take the second set win, 25-22.
“You look back at one or two plays in that second set,” Morrison said. “If we would have done this and we would have done this, and I had to remind myself to let go of it.”
The third set did not stray from the first two. The Aggies got off to a fast 3-1 start before Florida battled back with help from A&M errors. The two got into a dogfight until the Gators broke the stalemate, taking a 22-19 lead. Late kills and errors put the Aggies down 24-20, prompting Morrison to take a timeout. It quickly proved unnecessary, with Martin recording a service ace to end the match.
It was not all bad in the loss for the Aggies. Junior setter Maddie Waak led the match in assists with 28 on the night. The LSU transfer also led in hitting percentage, hitting .667 in the match.
A&M has struggled against ranked opponents in 2024. The Aggies, following the loss to the Gators, are 1-3 against opponents in the Top 25.
Morrison emphasized the importance of preparation during what he called the dog days of October. The Aggies will need to focus on preparation to be able to close out in close situations, Morrison said.
“We need to play cleaner to beat a good team like Florida,” Morrison said after the loss. “We get a chance to respond on Sunday.”
The Aggies will look to rebound on Sunday when the Arkansas Razorbacks venture into Reed Arena. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+.