The Aggie volleyball team topped the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats Friday night 3-1 in Lexington, Kentucky. The match tightened the race between the leading SEC volleyball programs with Kentucky’s SEC record at 8-2 followed by Texas A&M and Missouri just behind at 7-2.
To start the match, A&M’s Ashlie Reasor found kills on both opening plays, but the Wildcats kept within reach with efforts by Darian Mack and Kaz Brown. Errors by Kentucky allowed A&M enough room to pull away, but the Aggies followed with their own errors to draw the score even. A&M once led 24-22 at match point, but the Wildcats forced the score past regulation, but just as Reasor started, she finished with a kill to give the Aggies a 30-28 win.
The Wildcats (15-7, 8-2 SEC) were quick to claw back at the Aggies, leading the entire set. Through the set, the Wildcats vastly pulled away, however, off of three consecutive errors by Kentucky’s star Darian Mack, the Aggies hoped for a successful comeback. Their hopes were not answered as the Wildcats reclaimed their momentum with Brooke Morgan claiming the final four kills for Kentucky. UK tied up the series 1-1 heading into intermission.
Following the break, the Wildcats continued their momentum. At one point, UK led the third set 14-5, but the Aggies tried to rally back with a 19-13 score. A&M jumped back with a successful 7-point rally to lead 22-21. With efforts by Kaz Brown to counter the Aggie comeback set victory, the Aggies were at match point 24-23 but caught the set win with a clutch kill by Ashlie Reasor.
The score remained within two points for nearly the entire first half of the set, both teams trading leads. UK gained momentum with a four-point lead, but the Aggies were able to remain close pulling the score to 15-14. As the set began to conclude, the advantage remained constant with another four-point lead. The Aggies finally drew in with a rally to tie the score at 24, forcing the win-by-two finish. The Aggies were able to win off of an error by Brooke Morgan.
A&M (14-6, 7-2 SEC) was able to prove some doubtful thoughts looming through the season based on its road record, which was 5-5 prior to the matchup. Kiara McGee, this week’s SEC Player of the Week, led the team with 13 kills along with Ashlie Reasor. The SEC honors also included A&M’s Stephanie Aiple as the Setter of the Week, and she provided 41 assists and also managed to earn 11 digs.
A&M returns to the court Sunday to face the Tennessee Volunteers. The Aggies will challenge the Lady Vols at 12:30 p.m. in Knoxville, Tennessee in hopes to continue their win streak. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network +.
