Texas A&M volleyball had its second tournament win in the Texas Christian University Fight in the Fort Invitational against the University of Memphis and heads into its final match with high spirits.
The Aggies traveled to Fort Worth on Friday, Sept. 2 for a non-conference tournament. The squad defeated Coastal Carolina in three sets earlier that morning, and the energy followed the maroon and white into a clean sweep over the Memphis Tigers.
The match got off to a slow start with both teams trading points to a 4-4 tie. The Aggies pushed forward to a 14-9 lead, causing Memphis to call the first timeout of the game. With the Tigers holding tight to an 18-10 lead, Memphis quickly took its second timeout. A&M won the first set with a wide 25-15 gap.
Memphis started out the second set strong, quickly gaining a four-point lead against the Aggies. A&M closed the gap on Memphis with an ace by Caroline Meuth. Back-to-back aces by A&M produced a 17-15 lead, forcing the Tigers to call their third timeout of the match. The maroon and white played with high intensity and took the second set with a 25-19 win.
Tensions were high in the deciding set as both teams battled powerfully to a 17-all score. The Aggies fell into a three-point hole after a run by Memphis, but A&M refused to accept defeat and challenged its opponents to a 22-22 tie, causing another Memphis timeout. A&M ultimately shut its opponents down with a big block from freshman opposite hitter Logan Lednicky and finished the set with a 25-22 game victory.
Meuth led the Aggies with a total of 12 kills, along with freshman libero Ava Underwood on defense with 10 digs.
A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn responded to their win with an optimistic outlook for their last game on Saturday.
“The response after a quick turnaround and the discipline tonight is what stands out to me,” Kuhn said. “I felt like the team was more locked in and disciplined than we were this morning. For that being the second match of the day, I’m proud of them for that. We’ve got a clean slate tomorrow with another new team that we need to execute against.”
A&M volleyball will play its final game of Fight in the Fort 2022 against Texas Christian University on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.