Morrison & Co. to again test their mettle vs. another ranked opponent
Competition is not getting any easier for Texas A&M volleyball as the 19th-ranked Aggies prepare to face No. 4 Stanford in the Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net.
The Maroon & White will travel to Kissimmee, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for their fifth top-25 non-conference match this season. First serve will take place at 8 p.m. CT.
A&M comes into week four after a rough two-loss streak against a pair of Big Ten teams in West Lafayette.
Both Purdue and Indiana were ranked. In fact, each of A&M’s four losses has come vs. ranked foes.
“It can’t be waiting for a loss to go learn a lesson,” said head coach Jamie Morrison. “Hopefully, the things we’re pushing for right now you’re going to see against Stanford, without us having to go out and learn from something bad that happened.”
With a brand-new team of talented athletes who have never worked together before, unity will take time.
The Aggies have been pushing themselves during mindful practices this week to make quick changes to their style of play. The competition on the other side of the net is not letting up anytime soon.
“I think we’re in a better spot going into this week,” Morrison said on Monday. “At the end of practice yesterday, there was a different sense of urgency that I haven’t felt in awhile, and I’m hoping that sticks going into playing Stanford on Wednesday.”
Morrison said after returning to College Station, the team has been practicing efficiently closing out sets. Red zone practice involves scrimmaging between the squad, starting at 22-22; the first team to three points wins the set. That’s truly something the Aggies are taking seriously after reflecting on recent matches.
Although Stanford is a serve-and-pass heavy team, the Aggies are confident that if they bring their level of intensity from the back half of practice last week into their match against the Cardinal, they are in the match.
Offensive balance will be something A&M needs to prioritize going forward.
“When it clicks, it’s not just going to be Kyndal (Stowers). It's going to be six people sharing that load,” Morrison said. “And that’s the hardest thing to defend is when it’s balanced across the board, and I have no doubt in my mind everyone on this team is capable of doing that.”
Even with Stowers and sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove performing well throughout the past week in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, the Aggies look for consistency across the offense, with other talent rising to the standard.
They’ll need to continue that rise as more ranked opponents are on deck.
Following Wednesday’s match with Stanford, No. 6 Wisconsin will travel to Reed Arena for the first home game in two weeks on Friday, Sept. 11.
“We didn’t get a choice to play at home and bring in more of these matches to the 12th Man, and I’m excited for them to be able to witness that,” Morrison said. “It’s one of the best opponents here in a non-conference schedule.”
Instead of feeling discouraged, the Aggies feel well prepared to respond after two losses as they face two more top-25 opponents this upcoming week.
