No. 10 Texas A&M volleyball hit the road for a two-day back-to-back series in the Beehive State, winning Game 1 against No. 21 Utah in a 3-0 sweep. After taking victory over Central Arkansas in a grueling five-set game on Friday, Aug. 31, the Aggies made sure to sting quickly against the Utes.
The Maroon and White started strong in Set 1, securing the first point of the game. But the lead didn’t last for long, as a kill from Finnish-born sophomore outside hitter Neea-Maria Joki put the Utes on the board.
Three A&M blocks and two kills from the 6-foot-3 wall of steel, senior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, secured the Aggies a 6-point lead, forcing the Utes into a timeout with the score sitting at 9-3.
The score continued to climb for A&M as it recorded three blocks and two kills, one from Lednicky and another from senior middle blocker Morgan Perkins. Quickly, a kill to center court from senior MB Ifenna Cos-Okpalla grew the Aggie lead, but not long before Utah began closing in.
A kill from Utah freshman OPP Allie Grossenbach, followed by a Ute block and ace allowed Utah to slowly close in on A&M, 17-15, forcing the Aggies to call a timeout.
That only encouraged A&M, which came back hot and heavy led by senior OH Emily Hellmuth who quickly recorded two kills and finished the night with the highest hitting percentage for the Aggies at .667. This momentum led the Aggies back to a 6-point lead, allowing sophomore OH Kyndal Stowers to finish the set with a kill to secure an Aggie first-set win, 25-19.
The second set began with controversy as A&M coach Jamie Morrison quickly issued a challenge on the first point, ultimately in vain after the officials confirmed the point. . Unlike the heavily Aggie-dominated first set, Set 2 saw more back-and-forth play as the Utes managed to keep the lead within reach.
That was until the dynamic duo of Hellmuth and Lednicky kicked it into high gear, combining for four kills to settle the score at 9-4 and force a Utah timeout.
Multiple errors on the home side saw A&M lose its 5-point lead before a challenge was ruled in Utah’s favor, making the score 13-11.
Errors and successes for both teams kept fans on their toes as the game crept toward set point, neither team quite stealing the advantage.
Finally, to get them out of a pinch, fans saw the Sugarland native put down two back-to-back kills in true Lednicky fashion to seal the set, 25-23.
Moving into the third set, Morrison wanted the team to focus on its defense at the net and stay strong against the Ute attacks.
“ … In the first set [Utah] actually had a little push of three or four points, and I liked the way we responded to that,” Morrison said after the match. “They pushed, and we pushed back. That’s the biggest thing you could hope for from your team.”
As the third set unraveled, fans saw a battle like no other as both teams fought to take the lead. Finally, a block from Stowers and Cos-Okpalla allowed the Aggies to take the first lead of the set, 9-7.
The battle continued, but A&M held its ground. Line and cross-court kills from the Aggies — accompanied by saves from the backrow — allowed the Maroon and White to keep the Utes at an arm’s length.
Slowly, Utah began to creep back into the match as hitting errors from Stowers and Lednicky forced Morrison to call a timeout. Despite the errors, the Aggies kept their lead as the Utes slowly trailed behind.
An ace from senior setter Maddie Waak led to a Utah timeout, but even that wouldn’t stop the Maroon momentum. Waak returned to the service line, where she recorded two more aces to make it a three-ace run before Lednicky sent a kill deep into left court to secure yet another win.
The Aggies remain undefeated moving into Friday’s game, sitting at 4-0 for the season. The Aggies will now head to Logan, Utah, at 8 p.m. for an Aggie vs. Aggie showdown against Utah State.
