Texas A&M volleyball ends slide, home slate with sweep of Ole Miss
Texas A&M volleyball broke their four-game losing streak with a must-win sweep over the Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday night (25-15, 25-22, 25-21).
In her final match at Reed Arena, Caroline Meuth led the offense with 10 kills and five digs. Logan Lednicky matched her effort with 10 kills of her own as well.
Defensively, the Aggies were able to find a grove early into the game. Although there were small mistakes made, the home team was able to control the Rebels, holding them to a .108 clip.
“We talked about letting the game flow from us, not forcing anything,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “It never felt forced, even when they were up and down the stretch in the third set.”
In the first set, A&M was unable to stop the undeniably dominant serve coming from the Rebels early. After finding a solid groove, the Aggies were able to handle not only serve-receive but all aspects of the game.
After a slow start, the Aggies were able to kick it into gear with an incredible 9-1 run to shut down Ole Miss. As the communication broke down for the visitors, A&M capitalized on every opportunity.
Meuth was able to put the Rebels out of their misery with a kill, ending the set 25-15.
The second set was closer than the first due to the constant shift of momentum from both teams.
A&M’s scrappy defense continued to persist, and Morgan Perkins made several statements and floor-denting slams that shifted the momentum in the Aggies' favor.
Lednicky earned six of her 10 total kills in the second set, setting A&M into motion and giving the Maroon & White the edge they needed to take the set. Despite the Rebels staying within reach, Meuth shut down any hope the visitors had with yet another kill, ending the set 25-22.
The third set saw a slight breakdown of the Aggies' momentum, but they were able to stop the offensive effort that Ole Miss decided to finally throw their way.
Both teams played neck-in-neck with each other for the entirety of the set, capitalizing on the small mistakes that the other would make. A block from Ital Lopuyo and Perkins set the Aggies in motion and gave them the game-winning edge.
A massive kill from Lednicky shifted the momentum and game to the Ags, sending the Rebels packing 25-21.
“This season has been incredible in front of the 12th Man,” Lauren Hogan said. “I can’t wait to see what they bring next year.”
The Aggies will play their final conference game of the season on Saturday against the Alabama Crimson Tide. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT.