Aggie volleyball swept in first of two matches with Mississippi State

Texas A&M volleyball dropped another hard-fought match against Mississippi State on Friday evening in Reed Arena, falling 3-0.

After a tough two-game outing at Georgia last weekend, the Aggies have not produced the same momentum that carried them through a five-game win streak just a couple of weeks ago.

Stand-out freshman Logan Lednicky continues to lead the Aggies both offensively and verbally through SEC play. The Sugar Land native tallied 22 kills and nine digs against the Bulldogs on Friday, gaining seven in the first set.

With Lednicky on the front row, the Aggies stayed point for point with the Bulldogs towards the end of the first set, battling with a handful of kills to tie the score 17-17. After several tied scores and set points, the Bulldogs topped the Aggies, 31-29.

“We’ve always been a team that fights, and that’s the one thing I’m proud of them for,” A&M head coach Bird Kuhn said. “We can make adjustments and put people in, and they will come in and do their job.”

The Aggies trailed the Bulldogs for the entirety of the second set.

A&M’s offense struggled against a scrappy Mississippi State defense, and freshman Ava Underwood along with Lauren Hogan and Brooke Fraizer struggled to pick up the aggressive swings from the opposing side. The Aggies ultimately dropped the set, 25-18.

“It’s all about match-ups,” Kuhn said. “We had to slow some of their attackers down. Obviously, #8 (Gabby Waden) was lighting us up, so we had to get someone in front of her.”

Setter Elena Karakasi attained 28 of her 41 assists through the first two sets as she continued to look for Lednicky and Caroline Meuth on the front row to help the Aggies through the third set.

After a slow start offensively for the Aggies in the third, the Bulldogs looked to close the match out with the score at 20-12.

However, with a five-point scoring run from the Aggies and a handful of Bulldog errors, the Aggies pulled within reach, 23-20. After a time-out and rally by the Bulldogs, the visitors finished the set and the match off, 25-22.

“I think Logan did a great job today, not only scoring-wise but as an energy leader on the team, and Molly Brown did a great job too,” Karakasi said. “We need more people to step up, and I believe in them. They can do that.”

The Aggies face Mississippi State again tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT.