PACK REED: Aggies aim to fill seats for Friday match vs. Texas State
A date with Texas State awaits Texas A&M.
On Friday, the Aggies will look to continue their hot start to the season against the Bobcats as they seek their fourth straight win to begin 2024.
With the match set for a 6:30 p.m. start, the Maroon & White have started a push to fill Reed Arena.
“We had a good crowd (on Monday),” head coach Jamie Morrison told TexAgs LIVE on Wednesday. “I heard that it was crazy and bedlam outside for people getting in. It was a different feeling than it has been in the past.”
Fans who show their McNeese State football ticket get in free.
Another promotion is $5 beers.
Morrison even promises more crowd engagement to make Reed Arena even more hostile to play in.
“My vision for this program is putting together a product that people want to come watch and putting together something where you have fans that want to be part of this program as much as they want to be part of the 12th Man,” Morrison added.
After a jam-packed Labor Day weekend that saw the Ags win three matches in a four-day span, A&M got a much-needed three-day break.
Last weekend, the Aggies were in Mobile, AL, for the Jaguar Invitational and won matches against South Alabama and McNeese State.
“I think we’re trending in the right direction,” Morrison told TexAgs LIVE. “I’m trying to find different ways for different people to try to come in and contribute because we are deep.”
On the road trip, the team lost only one set and won four of those seven by at least seven points.
A&M was dominant once again on Labor Day when they crushed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the home opener.
“I think playing in front of the 12 Man was a cool experience but also a wild and different experience for some of our athletes,” Morrison said on TexAgs LIVE. “There’s two pieces to it. There’s the amount of people. For us, it’s starting to grow and grow and grow. Then there’s that the crowd is more engaged than they are anywhere else. Hats off to our Yell Leaders just for getting that going.”
A crowd of 2,492 was on hand for that victory.
Junior opposite Logan Lednicky said that playing in front of the home crowd was “the best feeling.”
She had 12 kills and four assists against the Islanders.
“Incredible,” Lednicky said of Monday’s crowd. “It’s just super awesome to see the support, and it’s only going to get better from here. I’m super excited.”
Other players for the Aggies that showed out were sophomore middle blocker Morgan Perkins, who also had 12 kills vs. Corpus Christi, and junior outside hitter Emily Hellmuth, who racked up 31 kills and 36 total points over the three matches.
Entering Friday, Texas State has a 3-1 record that includes a 3-1 victory over rival UTSA on Wednesday.
The Bobcats are also coming off a season where they posted a 20-10 overall record and a 12-4 conference record that landed them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Given the quality of opponent for an in-state battle, Lednicky urges the Aggie faithful to — as always — Pack Reed.
“I’ll say it again, time and time again, playing in front of Reed and the 12th Man never fails,” Lednicky told Texas Aggies United on Wednesday. “It was a super fun environment to play in. It was awesome.
“Everyone needs to be at Reed on Friday. It’s just super fun to see the support from our end on the court.”
Next to beating the Bobcats, packing Reed is clearly of utmost importance for the Aggies.
After all, it’ll be the 12th Man’s only chance to see their volleyball team this week.
“We’re trying to get some people in the stands,” Morrison said. “The key to SEC play is getting the 12th Man involved in what we’re doing. We play Texas on the 27th. I want to get people ingrained in our sport.”
