Texas A&M volleyball is riding high after dominating No.8 Arizona State 3-1 in the Regional quarterfinal of the NCAA Tournament. After a disappointing first-round loss in last year’s tournament, the Aggies took on No.7 Wisconsin for a spot in the Regional final.
“I think we have grown so much as a team these past two seasons,” junior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla said. “That starts with [coach Jamie Morrison] and the trust and belief he has in us, and then we take that on the court and play free and confident. I think we showed today all the hard work we’ve put in, and this is just the beginning.”
The Aggies gave a huge effort behind junior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky’s 23 kills and 7 blocks, but a tough Wisconsin defense and power ultimately led to their downfall, 3-2.
“I am so proud of this group,” Morrison said. “They battled today, as they have all season long. I thought we showed the growth of this team and program, battling with an extremely good Wisconsin team. We played a really good volleyball game today and came up two points short. I don’t come away from this match discouraged. I’m just so proud of what we are building here.”
A&M started off hot in the first set, jumping out to a 5-2 advantage behind kills from Lednicky, Cos-Okpalla and junior OH Taylor Humphrey. The lead was short lived, however, as Wisconsin’s fifth-year senior OH Sarah Franklin and senior OH Julia Orzol combined for three consecutive kills to give them a 9-11 lead.
Junior Oklahoma transfer MB Morgan Perkins made her presence known with a pair of kills to give A&M a slight edge, 17-16. Both teams traded kills until Wisconsin streamed together a set-deciding run. Kills by senior Right-side hitter Anna Smrek and Franklin combined with a service ace propelled Wisconsin to a 24-20 lead. Another kill by Smrek sealed the first set for Wisconsin 25-21.
Knowing this set was crucial to stay in the match, A&M began the second set determined and intense. The Aggies front-line showed their skill as junior Pepperdine transfer OH Emily Hellmuth, Perkins and Humphrey all contributed kills on the way to an early 12-6 lead.
Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer, Smrek and Franklin responded with consecutive kills of their own to cut into the Aggies’ lead, 15-11. Later in the set, a Wisconsin error, a block by Perkins and a kill by Hellmuth gave A&M a commanding 20-12 lead before Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky took over. Consecutive blocks and a kill by the junior duo sealed the second set for the Maroon and White, 25-18.
The third set began with both teams splitting the first 16 points, as nobody gained momentum. However, an A&M attack error gave Wisconsin a 10-8 lead before back-to-back kills by Cos-Okpalla and a few Wisconsin errors kept A&M in front, 12-11.
Later in the set, an attack error by Franklin evened the score at 19 before Wisconsin had a run of a lifetime. Three attack errors by A&M combined with kills from Wisconsin’s junior MB Carter Booth and Smrek clinched the third set to give Wisconsin a 2-1 set advantage.
The fourth set started similarly to the third, with no team gaining an advantage. Early in the set, A&M’s defense was important as consecutive blocks by Humphrey and Perkins combined with a Lednicky kill gave them an early 7-4 lead.
A&M maintained a two-point lead with a service ace and a Lednicky kill, pushing to a 16-12 lead. Perkins and Lednicky dominated towards the end of the set, recording three kills each as A&M forced a fifth set, 25-23.
As the fans cheered, the energy arose. Knowing the winner of this set takes a spot in the Regional Final, both teams prepared to leave it all out there. After back-to-back kills from Franklin put Wisconsin up 6-4, Perkins responded with consecutive kills of her own to even the score.
After that exchange, Wisconsin went on a 5-0 run to take a commanding 11-6 lead and full control of the set. But All-Southwest Region selection Lednicky gave A&M hope, scoring a hat-trick of kills on her way to 23 kills for the match. Despite an incredible comeback attempt, Franklin sealed the match for Wisconsin with her 21st kill, 15-13.
“Hats off to Wisconsin,” Lednicky said. “They are a really great volleyball team. I’m really proud of our group of girls. We came into this match excited and knowing we could play with any volleyball team, and I think we showed that today. It’s tough right now, but we are so encouraged about how we played in the tournament as a whole. And we know we are building something special.”
