Match #14: No. 14 Texas A&M 3, Alabama 0
S1: A&M, 25-18; S2: A&M, 25-22; S3: A&M, 25-19
Records: Texas A&M (9-5, 2-0), Alabama (8-4, 0-3)
Box Score
The Ags stay undefeated in the SEC.
No. 14 Texas A&M volleyball took down Alabama on Friday evening at Reed Arena for its third consecutive sweep, while improving to 9-5 on the season.
“Overall, pleased with how we finished,” A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said. “I thought we got off to a little bit of a slow start in terms of urgency, but I’m really happy on where we ended up.”
Even in the sweep, the Aggies put on one of their worst offensive performances of the season, hitting .167 and only collecting 42 kills, their lowest since Aug. 28 against Arkansas State.
Megan Fitch was the star of the show for the Maroon & White, knocking down a career-high 14 kills, four blocks and hitting at a .310 clip.
“I think she’s taking really smart swings,” Morrison said. “She’s swinging really high and trying to put more heat on the ball. The ability to hit with range, the ability to go out and do all those things is really important.”
Freshman Brooke Lacewell got an opportunity in the wake of an injury to sophomore Taryn Morris. Lacewell made the most of it, finishing with four kills, four blocks and two aces.
Libero Gabi Rodriguez extended her double-digit kill streak to 12, contributing 11 on the night
A&M has been decimated by injuries as of late, missing the likes of junior Eliza Sharp, fifth-year Natalie Ring and Morris on Friday. The Aggies' depth has had a chance to shine, with sophomore Djurjda Stanojevic and freshman Lolufe Adedeji stepping up to fill the gap.
“It doesn't matter if you’re one of the seven, eight or nine people playing on Fridays and Sundays, or if you’re a person that’s not, we’re going to develop people across the board,” Morrison said.
The Aggies rode the wave of two early blocks from Adedeji and Stanojevic until the Crimson Tide found an A&M defensive hole, utilizing tips to grab a 15-14 lead to start Set 1.
Fitch took over to close things out, adding back-to-back kills and a block to seal the deal in frame one, 25-18.
A&M capitalized on a cluster of Alabama errors to grab a quick 10-4 lead in the second stanza.
Kaia Castle made her unexpected return after missing two games due to injury. The Ohio State transfer had some rust to shake off, as back-to-back errors helped fuel an Alabama six-point run.
Despite hitting -.021 in the frame, the Aggies came back and stole the second thanks to a decisive kill from Stowers, 25-22.
“It shows a side of maturity,” Morrison said. “We talked about it three weeks ago. We need to become a mature team faster than others. We want to stay calm in those moments, problem-solving and figuring out a way to win.”
Set 3 was all Maroon & White, taking control early and capitalizing on Crimson Tide errors to secure a 25-19 stanza victory.
The Aggie defense stayed strong all night, holding the Crimson Tide to a .076 percentage and only totaling 28 kills.
“I can't pull the team over to the sideline every single time,” Morrison said. “We have to [make adjustments] on our own, and I thought we did that within the match.”
A&M will look to extend the winning streak to six against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 4, with first serve slated for 12 p.m. CT.
