A&M drops third straight with four-set loss at No. 12 Kentucky
Texas A&M volleyball dropped yet another conference match to No. 12 Kentucky on Thursday in four sets at Rupp Arena (25-17, 25-20, 26-24, 25-12).
The Aggies (15-10, 7-8) have now lost three straight.
Kentucky capitalized early on as A&M’s offense failed to execute.
Similar to their previous matchup against Missouri, the Aggies lost the first two sets, and despite a comeback in the third, lost all momentum in the fourth and final set.
In the first set, the Aggies started off slow offensively and were awarded points due to mistakes by the Wildcats. Although the visitors were able to sneak some impressive kills and digs into the set, Kentucky set the tone early and did not allow A&M to gain any ground.
The Wildcats hit a blistering .341 clip in the first set, nearly double the Aggies’ percentage (.175).
Bianna Muoneke, who has led the Aggie offense in previous matches, only tallied four kills. Logan Lednicky earned three.
The Wildcats shut the Aggies down with a massive kill by Azhani Tealer, taking the opener, 25-17.
In the second set, the Wildcats jumped out with an early 5-2 lead.
The Aggies then answered back by capitalizing on rare mistakes from Kentucky’s offense to take a 7-6 lead.
Ital Lopuyo made a statement with a huge kill followed by some swings that put the Wildcats out of system.
Muoneke and Lednicky continued to lead the offense but only added three kills each to their stat line.
The Aggies continued to stay neck-and-neck with the Wildcats throughout the set but the home team ran away, 25-20.
Playing like a brand new squad in the third set, the Aggies jumped out ahead and stayed even with the Wildcats. Nearly all of their starting offensive players tallied kills in the third.
The set went the distance and entered extra points with the Aggies leading the entire time and Kentucky following closely behind.
Caroline Meuth tied the set off with a huge kill, 26-24.
Though, that momentum was short lived as the Wildcats completely trampled over the Aggies in the fourth set.
A&M seemingly shut down as Kentucky ended the final frame in quick fashion.
Erin Lamb finished the match off with a kill to right back, ending the match, 25-12.
"I thought we played good volleyball throughout the first three sets,” A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said. “I was specifically happy with the fight we showed in the third set, and it was a good step forward, we just need to do that earlier."
The Aggies travel back to College Station to take on No. 8 Tennessee at Reed Arena on Sunday. First serve is set for 2 p.m. CT.