Following a 3-1 beatdown against South Carolina that pushed its winning streak to six, No. 9 Texas A&M volleyball took its talents east to Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on Alabama.
Front-line dominance, serving brilliance and the ability to convert on plays allowed the Aggies to cruise past the Crimson Tide, highlighted by senior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky’s 11 kills and senior setter Maddie Waak’s 32 assists.
A slow start for the Maroon and White allowed the Crimson Tide to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first set after junior outside hitter Kaleigh Palmer and sophomore middle blocker Ashby Daniel each recorded kills.
Alabama maintained a small lead through the middle of the first set before A&M’s front line began to show its dominance. Following back-to-back service aces from senior MB Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, kills were fired off at a rapid pace.
Like a machine gun’s constant fire, a kill from Lednicky, a kill from senior OH Emily Hellmuth and a kill from senior MB Morgan Perkins put the Aggies in front 17-15 as Crimson Tide coach Rashinda Reed was forced to call a much-needed timeout.
Sophomore OH Kyndal Stowers and Cos-Okpalla each made their presence known with back-to-back kills to put the Fightin’ Farmers in place to take the first set. A&M’s defense played its part as Alabama’s senior OH Sophie Agee made an attack error to secure a Maroon and White first-set win.
No team gained a momentum advantage early on in the second set with both teams claiming four points. Waak continued to set herself up with success as after 11 assists in the first set, she set up a gorgeous, over-the-head pass to Hellmuth for a fireball smash to give the Maroon and White a 5-4 advantage.
This play sparked a generational Aggie run, scoring 11 straight points behind kills from Lednicky, Hellmuth, Stowers and Perkins before Bama’s freshman OH Maggie Kyriakides stopped the bleeding with a kill. A 2-0 lead was in sight for the Maroon and White with no intention to take their foot off the gas.
The disappointment from the Alabama crowd only fueled A&M to keep pushing, claiming the second set on another 9-4 run that dashed the hopes of every Crimson Tide fan in the building.
Similar to the beginning of the second set, both teams traded blows as seven ties were seen through the first 20 points of the third set. The play from the Aggies’ front line continued to dominate, spiking kill after kill to keep them even with the Crimson Tide.
A personal-record fifth service ace from Cos-Okpalla got the A&M bench jumping with excitement. At this point in the match, A&M had Alabama right where it wanted it. The energy in the building was low, and the Alabama players looked defeated as A&M was fully on pace to walk out with a straight-sets win.
Hellmuth and Lednicky continued to dominate up front, combining for 33 kills for the match while demonstrating impressive hitting ability and net defense. Waak tagged on 10 more assists in the third while also leading the team in digs.
Back-to-back kills by Hellmuth and Lednicky sealed A&M’s seventh-straight victory, ending all hopes of an Alabama comeback as the Aggies took the third set, 25-18.
The Fightin’ Farmers will be back in action when they return to Reed Arena to host the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
