Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Volleyball
Aggie volleyball falls to Hawaii in NCAA second round, 3-0
Ending a team's 21-match winning streak is a tough task. Doing it two nights in a row to two different teams would be a Herculean feat.
It would be a heavenly storyline for any writer. That narrative passed by the wayside, however, because on Saturday night at Reed Arena, the Aggie volleyball team's performance was far from divine.
No. 15 Texas A&M (24-7, 16-2 SEC) matched up with No. 7 Hawaii (28-1, 16-0 Big West) for a chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, but just didn't have enough firepower to stay in the match, losing in straight sets, 3-0.
The Aggies started strong, running out to a 12-8 lead in the first set. After trading a few points with the Wahine, A&M led 15-12 and looked like they would keep pace the rest of the way. It wasn't to be however, and Hawaii went on an 8-2 run to take control. A few points later, the Wahine took the set, 25-22.
"They produced 18 kills in set one," A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We only produced 11. I think that possibly had us wondering if we were going to be able to get our offense going."
As rough as the middle of the first set was, the beginning of the second was just as bad. Hawaii jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead. The Ags got back in it in short order, tying the set at 11, but the Wahine were just too much. They quickly put together a three-point run and maintained the lead all the way to a 25-19 victory.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Senior captain Shelby Sullivan played her last match in an Aggie uniform on Saturday.
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Down 2-0 and in dire straits, Texas A&M needed a miraculous comeback a la the Florida match two weeks ago to keep their season alive. Unfortunately for the SEC champions, the third set was just more of the same.
Hawaii went up 13-5 behind the arm of middle blocker Olivia Magill. The Aggies went on a five-point run and attempted to climb back in the match, but the Rainbow Wahine were not to be denied. Jazzmin Babers was a small bright spot the rest of the way for the Ags, but Hawaii emerged from the third set with a win, 25-20.
"Obviously, we're disappointed," Corbelli said. "It wasn't quite our night. Hawaii had -- in our eyes at least -- a relatively flawless night. We're incredibly proud of the season we've had. Even though this stings, we'll always be proud of the things we did accomplish this season."
The sweep at the hands of the Wahine was the Aggies' first since the loss to Florida on October 9th. With the winning streak snapped, Texas A&M will have to regroup over the offseason and come back swinging next year.
The Aggie coaches will have a lot to work with. They return 15 of 17 players next season.
It would be a heavenly storyline for any writer. That narrative passed by the wayside, however, because on Saturday night at Reed Arena, the Aggie volleyball team's performance was far from divine.
No. 15 Texas A&M (24-7, 16-2 SEC) matched up with No. 7 Hawaii (28-1, 16-0 Big West) for a chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, but just didn't have enough firepower to stay in the match, losing in straight sets, 3-0.
The Aggies started strong, running out to a 12-8 lead in the first set. After trading a few points with the Wahine, A&M led 15-12 and looked like they would keep pace the rest of the way. It wasn't to be however, and Hawaii went on an 8-2 run to take control. A few points later, the Wahine took the set, 25-22.
"They produced 18 kills in set one," A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We only produced 11. I think that possibly had us wondering if we were going to be able to get our offense going."
As rough as the middle of the first set was, the beginning of the second was just as bad. Hawaii jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead. The Ags got back in it in short order, tying the set at 11, but the Wahine were just too much. They quickly put together a three-point run and maintained the lead all the way to a 25-19 victory.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Senior captain Shelby Sullivan played her last match in an Aggie uniform on Saturday.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Senior captain Shelby Sullivan played her last match in an Aggie uniform on Saturday.","MediaItemID":63695}
Hawaii went up 13-5 behind the arm of middle blocker Olivia Magill. The Aggies went on a five-point run and attempted to climb back in the match, but the Rainbow Wahine were not to be denied. Jazzmin Babers was a small bright spot the rest of the way for the Ags, but Hawaii emerged from the third set with a win, 25-20.
"Obviously, we're disappointed," Corbelli said. "It wasn't quite our night. Hawaii had -- in our eyes at least -- a relatively flawless night. We're incredibly proud of the season we've had. Even though this stings, we'll always be proud of the things we did accomplish this season."
The sweep at the hands of the Wahine was the Aggies' first since the loss to Florida on October 9th. With the winning streak snapped, Texas A&M will have to regroup over the offseason and come back swinging next year.
The Aggie coaches will have a lot to work with. They return 15 of 17 players next season.
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