The Texas A&M volleyball team found itself in a pit on the floor of Reed Arena Sunday afternoon, saddled with the weight of a two-set deficit to Missouri that was quickly becoming a sweep as the Aggies trailed 22-16 in the third period.
That’s when the gears started to turn.
A trio of substitutions put a charge into the A&M lineup for a 9-1 rally that gave the Aggies the win in the third set and fired up the 2,590 in attendance. The Maroon and White rode the wave of momentum and capitalized on the home-court advantage to engineer their first reverse sweep since 2015, notching a 3-2 win over the Tigers for their first conference victory.
“I never had a doubt in my mind,” Pepperdine transfer OH Emily Hellmuth said. “Like we talked about in our huddle after those first two sets, [we have] one option, the next three sets are ours and [we have] total belief in each other, zero doubt that we were going to get the next three.”
That belief was about all A&M had going for it after Missouri took convincing victories in the first two sets, with the Aggies looking out of sorts on defense and plagued by errors.
The Aggies jumped to a sizzling start, claiming the first five points of the match en route to an 11-5 lead before the pendulum swung in the Tigers’ favor. Missouri rattled off a 10-0 run featuring seven service aces from senior right-side hitter and SEC service ace leader Jordan Iliff. The Tigers maintained the momentum for the remainder of the set, taking a 25-17 victory.
Missouri carried its hot streak into the second set, as an early 7-2 lead gave way to an A&M timeout and the substitution of junior outside hitter Lexi Guinn. The Frisco product helped stop the bleeding for the Aggies with a pair of kills in a 3-0 run before Missouri strengthened its lead to 12-6. An 11-6 streak by A&M brought it within a point of 18-17, but the Tigers capitalized on their early lead to snag a 25-20 win.
“There was no option, like, you’re winning,” Hellmuth said of the turnaround third set. “We stay alive and keep fighting. We find ourselves down a few points. We knew what we had to do. We knew we had to come together as a team and give it everything we had, and that’s what we did.”
Junior middle blocker Morgan Perkins ended a 3-0 Missouri run with a kill before Hellmuth, redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Ital Lopuyo and Grand Canyon transfer libero and defensive specialist Tatum Thomas made their way into the match. The trio took advantage of five Tiger attack errors and added three kills to take the set, 25-23, and keep the Aggies’ hopes of a victory alive.
“I thought Ital did a really good job blocking,” coach Jamie Morrison said. “[Sophomore setter] Margot [Manning] did a really good job distributing the ball, good location, and we were taking some good swings. I think that’s also when Emily started to turn things on, was during that little run, and that continued the entire match.”
A&M’s depth was showcased with nearly the entire roster touching the court at some point during the team’s comeback. Hellmuth led the way with 19 kills while junior OPP Logan Lednicky and Perkins each notched double digit kills. A trio picked up 10 or more digs, led by Northwestern transfer DS Ellee Stinson’s 16.
“I said we’re going to find different ways,” Morrison said. “I said we’re gonna have different people, and our team’s deep. We proved that tonight. … I think a piece of it is we practice this way. I think there’s a lot of programs that have A-side, B-side and do some things in there. For a lot of the week, we compete against each other. I really believe in interchangeable parts that anybody can come into a match and contribute in some way, shape or form. … I think they’re prepared for these moments when they need to step in and play.”
With Reed Arena reenergized, the game’s intensity continued into the fourth set as the Aggies and Tigers were even at 7 early on. Missouri took advantage of a pair of errors to grab a three-point edge, but three kills from Hellmuth helped knot the score at 15. Two Missouri attack errors offered A&M an edge it wouldn’t relinquish as Hellmuth added another trio of kills to claim a 25-21 win and force a fifth tiebreaking set.
“I started off a little slow,” Hellmuth said. “I was getting myself into the game. Eventually, I just got to the point of, like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to jump higher and hit harder than them and find my own space.’”
Two Lednicky kills spurred the Aggies to a 7-3 lead in the final set as all energy looked lost from the Tigers’ bench. Missouri got its mojo back with four of graduate OH Mychael Vernon’s 26 kills on the day, leveling the score at 11. Despite a wave of Tiger subs, A&M controlled the remainder of the match, completing its furious rally with an ace.
“I’m going to keep talking about our team in a positive light and just that we find ways to win,” Morrison said. “I’m proud of the resolve that we had. I’m proud of the way that, regardless of the score, we came back, and we kept pushing. We’re going to continue to do that.”
A&M returns to the court at 2 p.m. Sunday versus Auburn in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers are at the top of the SEC standings at 11-1 with a 1-0 mark in conference play.
