After suffering a loss at No. 10 SMU on Tuesday, Sept. 9, No. 8 Texas A&M headed west to face No. 15 TCU. The Aggies fought until the end, but ultimately lost in a five-set thriller.
A&M got started on the right foot as they were able to take Set 1 from TCU in thrilling 26-24 fashion. The Maroon and White got out to an early 9-3 lead, with kills from all parts of the offense.
After being up 23-18, TCU went on a run to tie the game at 24, making it up for grabs for either team. A monster block from senior outside hitter Emily Hellmuth ended the set and secured the Aggies a Set 1 victory and momentum.
The Maroon and White had 10 unforced errors in Set 2, which ultimately gifted the Purple and White the win. The errors from the Aggies gave the Horned Frogs points throughout the set that they could not afford, and TCU took advantage to win Set 2 25-22.
After keeping the score close throughout the entire set, the two programs had it all tied up 21-21 before the Horned Frogs scored three straight points, including two kills from junior OH Lauren Murphy.
The Aggies secured their biggest set win of the night with a 25-19 score over the Horned Frogs in Set 3, needing just one more set win to claim the match. Murphy continued to be dominant as she aced the A&M back row twice.
A late-game block from senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and sophomore OH Kyndal Stowers gave the Aggies the momentum they needed to finish off the set. A kill from Hellmuth emphatically ended the set.
A&M’s push in the fourth set was led by none other than Hellmuth, who had seven kills and led the Aggies all night with 20 kills and a .319 hitting percentage. However, the Horned Frogs had control over the Aggies during the entire set, only letting A&M lead for the first three points of the set.
Despite 15 kills from the Maroon and White, the Purple and White, led by sophomore OH Evan Hendrix’s four kills and set-securing spike, dominated the entire set.
In winner-take-all fashion, A&M and TCU faced off for a Set 5, where it was a true battle from start to finish. The Maroon and White got off to a rough start and found themselves looking at a 3-0 deficit early on in the period.
Starting in the hole by three points forced the Aggies to play from behind the entire set and it wasn’t enough as they lost 15-12.
After the loss, A&M moves to 5-2 on the season as they head back to College Station to play in front of the 12th Man for the first time on Thursday, September 18, at 6 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana at Reed Arena.
