Texas A&M volleyball sweeps Liberty to finish non-conference slate
Texas A&M volleyball closed out an impressive showing in non-conference play, picking up a near-effortless sweep over Liberty (25-13, 25-15, 25-18) on Friday at Reed Arena.
The team looked refreshed and snapped a two-game losing streak and upping their record to 8-2 with SEC conference play on deck.
“Overall, I am really happy with the non-conference 8-2, that is really hard to do,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “We did it against some really good teams.”
The Maroon & White finished Friday’s match with an impressive hitting percentage of .416, nearly quadrupling their mark from Wednesday's matchup against No. 22 Houston.
“I think offensively to start the match we were in a little bit more of a rhythm,” Morrison said. “I thought we were able to not get frustrated by the long rally and get a good ball up and get a good swing over and over.”
Offensive leaders Bianna Muoneke, Logan Lednicky and Caroline Meuth took control of the match early, tallying a combined seven kills. Ava Underwood, who earned the start at libero over senior Lauren Hogan, tallied seven digs in the first set as well.
The Aggies remained dominant throughout the opening frame, eventually claiming it, 25-13.
The second set of the match was once again controlled by the home team. The Aggies did not let Liberty breathe and held them to a .097 clip. Conversely, A&M bettered its percentages from set one, hitting an astonishing .407 during the second set.
The first line of defense for the Aggies returned to form, earning six blocks throughout the middle frame. As a result, the home team prevailed again, taking set two, 25-15.
The third set was tighter than the previous two, but the Aggie offense was still a force. Lednicky and Muoneke finished the match with nine and 10 kills, respectively. Meuth was not far behind, totaling seven kills on the day.
Liberty went on a four-point run late in the match but was unable to complete the comeback once Lednicky shut it down with back-to-back kills and a block that gave A&M the momentum it needed to finish out the set and sweep the match.
“It’s kind of an adrenaline rush, I like to build off of that sort of thing,” Lednicky said. “My confidence will skyrocket, and it helps me play so much better, and I think the team builds off of that too.”
Texas A&M prevailed in the final set, 25-18, to complete the sweep.
“I’m so excited for SEC play,” Lednicky said. “Like Jamie (Morrison) said, 8-2 in preseason against some really tough teams is a really awesome accomplishment. The SEC is only going to get harder. I think we are excited to get back in the gym and keep working and see what is in store.”
The Aggies begin SEC play on Wednesday when they host Mississippi State at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena.