No. 10 Texas A&M volleyball swept Arkansas in three sets at Reed Arena on Sunday, Oct. 19. Although Arkansas may not exactly be formidable, with a now 0-6 away record, the Razorbacks kept pace with a dominant group of Aggies.
“I’m really curious to go back and watch this match,” coach Jamie Morrison said. “It was one of those things where they hit for higher efficiency than we’ve had other teams hit against us, I didn’t necessarily feel like it was one thing. I couldn’t really pinpoint, like, ‘Hey, this person is going off and hurting us.’”
Arkansas hit with a .206 efficiency against A&M today, noticeably higher than the .159 average the Aggies typically allow.
Senior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky had a monster game against the Hogs, picking up 22 kills — tying her own program record for a three-set match —13 digs, a block and an ace. Lednicky also hit .606, a career high for A&M’s North Star.
Freshman outside hitter Megan Fitch continued to be special for the group, making many key plays for the Maroon and White.
“She’s a good volleyball player, but she just brings an infectious energy to the court,” Morrison said. “From a volleyball standpoint, she’s turned into a really well-rounded volleyball player. She can put the ball away, she can pass, she makes these little touches look really, really easy.”
The net-front presence for the Aggies continues to be a driving force behind a lot of their gameplan. They used their size advantage to generate chaos around the net, which led to big plays. Lednicky is 6-foot-3, senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla is 6-foot-2, Fitch is 6-foot-2 and senior OPP Emily Hellmuth is also 6-foot-3. These Fightin’ Farmers possess some serious size, and it was on full display versus the Hogs with six blocks and some monstrous spikes from Lednicky, like the one to earn her 15th kill of the match.
Although the Aggies secured the win, there were some abnormalities — including the aforementioned efficiency that Arkansas hit with and unforced errors from A&M.
“I’m gonna go back and watch this match a little bit and try to figure out why they hit .250 or .240 or whatever and kind of start from there,” Morrison said.
The Aggies’ depth played a key role in the win, with contribution from every player who saw the floor. Hellmuth had nine kills, a block and a dig, along with being a defensive force in front of the net. Fitch had six kills, four digs and some great serves throughout the match, and Cos-Okpalla had four blocks, including when she secured match point for the Aggies in the second set.
Senior setter Maddie Waak also had 36 assists, continuing her strong campaign. Waak sits at first in the SEC and in the country in assists, and she continued to be a key part of the attack.
A&M will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday, Oct. 24 for a primetime matchup against LSU at 7 p.m.
