Aggies sweep Loyola Chicago, finish 3-0 weekend at Falcon Invitational
Texas A&M met Loyola Chicago on the third day of the Falcon Invitational on Saturday morning, and the Aggies put another notch in their belt by sweeping the Ramblers (25-16, 25-21, 25-18).
With the Saturday victory, Jamie Morrison & Co. extended their record to 5-0 and finished a perfect weekend in Bowling Green, Ohio.
“This great start means we’re on the right track,” Morrison said. “We’re not the team we can be yet, but the pieces are here, and they are starting to fit together.”
The unblemished 5-0 mark represents Texas A&M’s best start in 12 years, dating back to the 2011 club that won its first nine matches and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Over the last 72 hours, the 2023 Aggies played 11 sets and managed to keep their hitting percentage above .300 in all five games thus far.
Against Loyola Chicago, A&M hit a .349 clip, earning 45 kills and collectively put up nine blocks and eight aces. Logan Lednicky led the way offensively with 12 kills.
“We needed to be dialed in today as Loyola [Chicago] are a really good team,” Morrison said. “We knew the first eight points would be a battle, but we were able to squeeze in the middle of the set to break it open, and I thought that was true in all three frames.”
Morgan Perkins immediately took the first ball kill, setting the tone of dominance for the rest of the day.
A&M’s first-set ball control created a clear leader, and big blocks on the net slowed Loyola Chicago’s pace. Space opened for A&M’s offense to take 12 kills in set one.
Caroline Meuth commanded respect on the service line, sealing the Ramblers' fate by putting down three straight aces followed by a Bianna Muoneke kill to end the opening stanza, 25-16.
Meuth finished with 10 kills with three aces and was named the Falcon Invitational’s Most Valuable Player.
“I always say that volleyball is the ultimate team sport, and I couldn’t do what I do without my team,” Meuth said. “I get my kills because my setter gets a good pass, then gives me a perfect ball and their middles are held by our attackers to make gaps for me. I couldn’t do any of this without them.”
The second frame began in more of a scrabble for the Ags.
However, even after four missed serves and a notable shift in momentum, A&M never wavered.
Loyola Chicago attempted to gain ground off tooling A&M’s block, but ultimately that hope for a lead turned into its downfall as the Aggies won the second set, 25-21.
From there, nothing could hold back the Maroon & White attack.
A&M earned 17 third-set kills, rattling the Ramblers enough for A&M to reestablish dominance and make quick work of finishing the match. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla topped off the sweep with a kill to finish the third, 25-18
The Aggies bring their winning streak to the friendly confines of Reed Arena next weekend as Aggieland hosts the Texas A&M Invitational from Sept. 7-9.