A&M caps off trip to Magnolia State with sweep of Bulldogs
After a four-set victory against Ole Miss on Friday and a sweep against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Sunday, Texas A&M volleyball is leaving the state of Mississippi victorious.
The Aggies took down the Bulldogs for the second time this season in straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-19). The offensive effort from the visiting team left the Bulldogs' defense unable to produce effectively, which consequently shut down their offensive production.
"I thought we played a clean match,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “I think the things we've been working on all week really showed today, and I'm really pleased to come away from this road trip with two wins."
Throughout the match, the right-side hitters for both teams were the stars of the show. With little middle and outside production, both setters turned to their opposites to execute.
Logan Lednicky and Ital Lopuyo, right-side hitters for Texas A&M, led the offense statistically with a combined 21 kills for the afternoon. Lopuyo hit an astonishing .538 clip, claiming eight kills individually and four blocks to her stat line.
In the first set of the match, the Aggies started slow but went on a seven-point run to take the lead. The offense was able to find their groove quickly and settled into the match.
Margot Manning, who ranks eighth in the SEC with service aces, entered the match and made a difference after missing the match against Ole Miss due to an apparent head injury.
The Bulldogs’ defense was unable to stay consistent due to the pure dominance from the Aggies, which made the first-set win an easy one. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla closed out the set with a kill in the middle, 25-19.
The second set was closer than the first, with the Bulldogs hanging on until the final points of the set.
The Aggies went on a 5-0 run which included two back-to-back aces from Manning. The runs that the Maroon & White were able to produce throughout the match and the second set allowed them to take a comfortable lead and eventually take the set with two back-to-back kills from Lednicky, 25-21.
"We're about knocking our opponents off the net from the service line,” Morrison said. “Our ability to consistently do that helps set up our blocking. It all ties in together and was evident today."
The third set was similar to the second set scoring wise, but the Aggies remained confident and purely dominant throughout the set.
The ladies in Maroon & White went on three separate four-point runs to give them the easy 3-0 victory. Three of Lopuyo’s kills came in the third set, two of which were at the end of the set and sealed the victory for the Aggies.
A&M was able to end the match in familiar fashion with a huge kill from Caroline Meuth, who has been quiet offensively in the past few matches for the Aggies. The visiting team walked away with the win, 25-19.
The Aggies have one more away match against the LSU Tigers on Friday, October 13, before returning to Reed Arena to take on South Carolina.