Texas A&M volleyball hit Lexington, Kentucky to play against No. 12 Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Thursday, Nov. 16. The match resulted in a 3-1 loss for the Aggies, contributing to their three-match losing streak.
During the first set, Kentucky took the first three points due to kills from freshman outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye and senior middle blocker Elise Goetzinger. The Aggies won their first point due to an error from DeLeye.
The Maroon and White recorded a total of 10 kills during the first set while Kentucky stayed ahead with 19. The match ended with a losing score for the Aggies, 25-17, adding to Kentucky’s 13-0 streak of winning its first sets.
For the second set, Kentucky earned the first point with a kill from DeLeye. The first Aggie ace of the match came from freshman outside hitter Bianna Muoneke, bringing the Aggies to their fourth point of the set.
Kentucky stayed in the lead for the full duration of the second match, ending with a win for the Wildcats by a score of 25-20.
A&M bounced back during its third set and started strong with a kill from Muoneke, earning the first point of the match. It quickly lost its lead after an attack error by graduate outside hitter Caroline Meuth.
After intense rallies going back and forth for the set win, coach Jamie Morrison called for a timeout during a 23-23 tie. The Maroon and White pulled through with an end score of 26-24.
A&M entered the fourth set with its heads held high but was quickly shut down by the Wildcats.
What started with a kill from Aggie sophomore middle blocker Morgan Perkins ended with a shutout set by Kentucky’s aggressive offense, ending the set and the game with a winning score of 25-12.
Some highlights for the Aggies included sophomore opposite hitter Logan Lednicky completing the match with 13 kills. Behind her were Muoneke and Meuth with nine kills each.
Perkins led the hitting stat board of the match with a hitting percentage of .714. Also leading the Aggies was junior middle blocker Molly Brown, who earned a 6.0 blocking statistic, and freshman setter Margot Manning, who completed a total of 17 assists.
“I thought we played good volleyball throughout the first three sets,” Morrison said. “I was specifically happy with the fight we showed in the third set, and it was a good step forward, we just need to do that earlier.”
The Aggies will head home to Reed Arena for Sunday, Nov. 19’s match and senior day against No. 8 Tennessee, starting at 1 p.m.