A&M makes it four in a row with a three-set victory over South Carolina
Texas A&M volleyball improved its winning streak to four games with an at-home sweep over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday at Reed Arena (25-21, 25-22, 25-20).
Now 6-2 in the SEC, the Aggies took care of business behind another fast start that led to them dominating most of the match.
Caroline Meuth led the offense with 17 kills, 16 digs and seven blocks. Other offensive leaders included Logan Lednicky with nine kills and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla with six.
The defensive side of Texas A&M’s game was challenged with South Carolina playing a short game, which included numerous tips and off-speed shots throughout the match.
“We can’t let a tip fall without anybody going for it,” A&M’s head coach Jamie Morrison said. “To their credit, we were slow starters with that, but in the third set, I thought we did a really good job with it.”
Although the back row struggled, the Aggies still managed to tally 15 blocks, which gave them a defensive edge to take the match in three sets.
In the first set, setters Nisa Buzlutepe and Margot Manning established the middle hitters early. It consequently opened up the pin hitters, giving them copious opportunities to put the ball away.
South Carolina put up a fight in the opener, logging an eight-point run to challenge A&M. The Aggies remained ahead but traded points with the Gamecocks before pulling away at the end of the set on a scoring run of their own to take the set, 25-21.
The second set did not start in the Maroon & White’s favor, and the Gamecocks actually led 7-4 early.
However, the home team eventually climbed back into it with a five-point run to take a 9-7 lead.
From that moment on, A&M controlled the set. Meuth guided the offense and set the tone at all six rotations.
“Caroline is able to serve, pass, defend, attack, block. Pick a skill, and she’s really good at it,” Morrison said. “She did a really good job.”
The Aggies prevailed again in the second set, 25-22, despite a late surge from South Carolina.
The Gamecocks dominated the majority of the third set until A&M went on a 10-point scoring run to take a 22-19 lead on the way to winning the set, 25-20.
The come-from-behind win in the third and final set allowed the Aggies to win the match, marking their fourth win in a row.
“Logan put it very well. We were talking about pouring into your teammates,” Meuth said. “When it starts to get hard, we have to pour our soul and our energy into everything for our teammates.”
The Aggies return to Reed Arena to host the Florida Gators in the “Maroon Out” Match. First serve is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m.
