After a decisive 3-1 victory over Lipscomb, the Texas A&M Volleyball team had its hands full Saturday night, losing 3-0 to No. 6 Wisconsin. The loss puts the Aggies at (3-3) on the season, and keeps Wisconsin’s undefeated record intact at (7-0).
The Aggies went point-for-point with the Badgers at the beginning of the opening set, starting the set off 14-14 thanks in part to sophomore Hollann Hans’ three kills. Wisconsin then jumped ahead 21-17, forcing the Aggies to use a timeout. The timeout didn’t prove to stop Wisconsin’s momentum, and the Badgers took the first set 25-19. Wisconsin sophomore middle-blocker Dana Rettke dominated the net with six kills in the set.
Junior Kaitlyn Blake had two aces early in the second set, helping the Aggies jump to an 11-7 lead in the second set. Wisconsin roared back, reclaiming the lead 21-20. Both teams battled for every single point, however, Rettke’s 6’8 frame helped her get key kills down the stretch and the Badgers won the second set 25-23.
The Badgers started off the third set with five straight points forcing the Aggies to use a timeout. The Badgers didn’t look back from there, winning the set 25-10. Wisconsin’s Rettke finished the match with 12 kills and just two errors. Despite the sweep, there were some positives to take from the game including stellar play from senior Kiara McGee who finished the match with 13 kills. Blake had five kills and Hans had six.
The win clinched the championship for the Badgers, who won both their matches in the tournament. After the match, Blake and McGee were names to the all-tournament team.
The Aggies will now begin preparations for their match against the No. 5 Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns lost to No. 1 Minnesota on Friday night. The Aggies will look to give the Longhorns consecutive losses for the first time this season as they host the Longhorns Wednesday night at Reed Arena at 7 PM.
