Stowers returns as Ags suffer top-15 sweep in West Lafayette

Match #6: No. 14 Purdue 3, No. 12 Texas A&M 0
S1: PU, 27-25; S2: PU, 25-23; S3: PU, 25-20
Records: Texas A&M (3-3, 0-0), Purdue (1-1, 0-0)
Box Score

The road woes continue for the Aggies.

No. 12 Texas A&M was swept by No. 14 Purdue on Tuesday night in West Lafayette, Ind., in quick fashion to begin the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week.

Kyndal Stowers returned to the starting lineup tonight just in time at Mackey Arena.

Coming off an injury and not playing for the past five matches, Stowers was the second-highest scorer on the team, putting up 10 kills in her first game back.

Stowers played well in rhythm with sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove, who contributed 41 assists. Her ability to adjust to out-of-system sets kept A&M in the match as each of the first two sets were hotly contested.

Sophomore opposite hitter Taryn Morris also shined, leading the team with 12 kills and hitting at a .450 rate.

Freshman libero Gabi Rodriguez did a good job anchoring the defense, contributing to 13 of A&M’s 35 digs.

As the 12th Man was thrilled to see Stowers return to the starting lineup, Purdue’s star second-team All-American outside hitter Kenna Wollard is dealing with an undisclosed health issue that is keeping her from competing for the Boilermakers. Her exact return date is unknown to the public.

Still, Purdue made the most of Tuesday’s opportunity in front of a large home crowd.

The Aggies found themselves on the wrong end of the sweep, as they were less consistent in all aspects of the game. Although A&M had 48 kills to Purdue’s 47 and 35 digs vs. 34, the Ags had significantly more unforced errors that eventually cost them three close sets.

Junior middle blocker Eliza Sharp made her presence known in the hostile environment of Purdue’s home court. Hitting .250, Sharp did not crumble to the crowd’s aggressive presence. Sharp can play to her true standard even in high-stress moments.

Yet it wasn’t enough.

A&M made a service error in the first set, giving Purdue their first set point. In moments like these, Sharp remained resilient, running a slide attack to tie up the score 24-24 to keep the Aggies in the frame.

After three set points, Purdue clinched the first set after an attacking error out of bounds by junior middle Kaia Castle.

Morris was a key player throughout the match. Purdue has one of the biggest and strongest blocks A&M has faced to this point. Being able to take aggressive swings, regardless of the block in front of you, was something Morris did well, with only three hitting errors in 20 attempts.

A&M lost the first two sets, 25-27 and 23-25, fighting all the way down until the final play, but their unnecessary attacking errors, service errors and overall sloppy play gave Purdue their three-set win.

The Aggies will take on their fourth ranked opponent in seven games as they stay in West Lafayette for a match against No. 21 Indiana on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT.