The Lady Vols returned home from a quick, undefeated two-game road trip, only to respond by dropping the next two conference matchups at home.
Texas A&M outworked the Lady Vols on every level Sunday afternoon as the No. 9 Aggies left Food City Center with a 3-1 victory over No. 16 Tennessee.
Hayden Kubik finished with the most kills for Tennessee with 17, though it wasn’t her most efficient day with 48 total attacks. As a team, the Lady Vols hit .138 on the day compared to the Aggies’ .265 over four sets.
The game started strong with the Lady Vols’ offense, and the two squads traded blows back and forth through the first 20 points, tied at ten even before the Lady Vols went on a 5-0 run, which positioned them well for the rest of the set.
“We hit .353 in the first set, and then we hit zero something in the next three sets,” Lady Vols head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “Texas A&M made a couple of unforced errors in the first set that helped us, but we were significantly better offensively in the first set than we were the rest of the time.”
The Aggies had just one run during the first set that extended further than two points consecutively. In terms of momentum, it seemed to be leaning in favor of the Lady Vols early.
Yet it faded as quickly as it arrived. The Aggies remain one of the conference’s most seasoned teams, including one of the best defenders in not only the conference but the entire league.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, a 6-foot-2 senior with the Aggies, posted a season-high 13 blocks against the Lady Vols’ offense.
“They’ve got tremendous blockers, Cos-Okpalla is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation as a blocker,” Rackham Watt said. “So she makes it tough to score, makes your hitters think about what they’re doing.”
The Aggies out-blocked the Lady Vols 16 to 10 on the afternoon. Defense continues to be a topic of discussion for the team, yet Rackham Watt feels there are a lot more plays left on the court to be made.
“I thought our block did a decent job at times,” Rackham Watt said. “I still think blocking-wise, we left some of these out there as well, some situational things that we’re in the right spot, but we’re just not able to execute it in the way it needs to be done.”
Chelsea Sutton led the team in blocks with six. She continues to be a pillar on the defense when times get tough. She was joined today by Zoe Humphrey, who finished her day with four blocks, tied for second most with Izzy Mogridge and Paityn Chapman.
Just like Humphrey, Mogridge has had limited experience in conference play, specifically SEC play, but both have displayed glimmers of growth despite the losing skid.
Mogridge has shared time this season as a true freshman at setter beside Caroline Kerr.
“I thought Izzy played really well,” Rackham Watt said. “Tough situation to go in as a true freshman and perform, but I thought she had a nice match. The more she’s out there, the more she’ll learn.”
As the days inch closer to the SEC tournament, which begins on Nov. 21, the margin for error becomes even smaller with each game. The trend of two straight losses while at home can do damage to a mindset for such a young team, but the message has remained the same.
“It doesn’t get any easier going on the road next week,” Rackham Watt said. “I think this team has been good about their belief. I don’t think that’s wavering. We got to get back to work and then figure out where we need to improve and get our offense clicking again.”
