SEC action has arrived.
No. 16 Texas A&M prepares to face South Carolina at Reed Arena to open the Southeastern Conference on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2:30 p.m. CT.
The Aggies and Gamecocks have faced extremely different strengths of schedule up to this point. While A&M and South Carolina wrapped up non-conference play 7-5 and 7-4, respectively, the Maroon & White played a much tougher schedule in their first 12 games.
The Aggies have only dropped matches to opponents ranked in the top 20, such as SMU, Louisville, Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin.
On the other hand, the Gamecocks have dropped multiple matches to unranked foes like Cal, Michigan State and East Tennessee State.
A&M’s tough preseason losses hurt in the moment, but they also quickly built the team up, strengthening resilience, mental toughness and game strategies at the highest level of Division I volleyball.
“Looking at the long term, the learning that’s happened in the last 12 matches we’ve played in terms of the next four to five years, I think it’s going to pay dividends of what we went through,” said A&M head coach Jamie Morrison.
Overall, A&M’s non-conference losses effectively prepared the Aggies for a successful postseason tournament run rather than focusing on an unblemished record.
They’ll look to stay focused and not grow passive in a conference opener against the Gamecocks.
The South Carolina offense is led by sophomore outside hitter Olivia Borgman with 128 kills.
Outside of A&M middle blockers Eliza Sharp (57) and Kaia Castle (34), sophomore opposite hitter Taryn Morris and sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove hold the third and fourth highest block counts with 30 and 29, respectively.
A&M’s dominant right side of the front row has decreased hitting stats for those across the net, regardless of who stands in front of these two.
The Aggies were stellar on Tuesday against Rice, displaying resilience and depth as Castle, Sharp and Addi Applegate were all unable to compete in their regular lineup positions.
“It’s a day-to-day thing,” Morrison said. “I’m hopeful the three will be back Sunday, but we’ll see once we get closer.”
The Aggies swept the Owls, who — like South Carolina — are an unranked team that has snuck up with strong showings against ranked opponents, including No. 25 Creighton.
Tuesday was a huge team-building opportunity as A&M gave freshman middle blocker Lolufe Adedeji and sophomore middle blocker Djurdja Stanojevic the opportunity to contribute on offense.
Players who usually do not work alongside each other built bonds and connections, proving A&M is a team that can compete regardless of who is on the floor.
Volleyball’s popularity in Aggieland has grown tremendously since Morrison stepped onto the scene, but there could be even more growth yet to come.
“When we get to step out and see different arenas, see the attendance and see what happens at Reed Arena, a little bit is yet to come,” Morrison said. “Overall, if you look at this year and look at the growth of the quality of opponent in the SEC, there were matches last year where you’d go in against an opponent who’s not necessarily ranked, but you’re still nervous.”
That really speaks about the competition in the conference play. Even unranked teams like South Carolina test a team’s focus and attitude.
It’s an “every team deserves your best game” mentality for the Aggies.
The Gamecocks recently took a great Georgia team to a five-set thriller on Wednesday.
“They’re well coached,” Morrison said of South Carolina. “They’re a good volleyball team, and they’ve got arms.”
