Tennessee volleyball dropped another match on Sunday against No. 9-ranked Texas A&M after falling to Missouri on Friday night. The Aggies knocked off the Lady Vols in four sets (19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-21) as Tennessee dropped both of its matches on the homestand.
The No. 16 Lady Vols (16-5, 7-4 SEC) were halted by a Texas A&M team that has played up to its potential this season, going 19-3 for the year and 11-1 in conference play.
The Lady Vols immediately set the tone with a 25-19 win in the first set, and the efficient offensive runs would be the difference in the first set as Tennessee held on to take the crucial first set over the Aggies. The Lady Vols’ offense came alive early on Sunday after a dormant performance against Missouri on Friday night.
Tennessee hit at a .353 clip in the first set and made just three attacking errors to open the match, a return to their identity as a team that allowed them to pick up the first set. The Lady Vols could not clean up their game as Texas A&M walked away with the match win.
The Aggies responded right back by dominating the second set from the net and behind the line, leveling the match with a 25-15 win.
“Probably a little bit of both,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said of the influence of Texas A&M’s defense on the Tennessee offense. “We’ve been way too high-error and that’s been kind of chronic now for a little while and we’re going to have to address that.”
Texas A&M made Tennessee work all night, with the Lady Vols fighting from behind for most of the second set before a no-touch call on the Aggies swung the momentum to the Lady Vols briefly, but Tennessee could not put Texas A&M away as the Aggies took the third set as well.
It was a back-and-forth effort on both sides all afternoon, with the Lady Vols and Aggies trading points with very few big scoring runs. After the Lady Vols’ 5-0 run that propelled Tennessee to the first set win, Texas A&M would not allow the Lady Vols to string together more than three points consecutively in a stretch.
Kubik was once again at the heart of the offensive effort, making the biggest difference on Sunday with her 17-kill game leading the team. Yet the depth shone again as well for Tennessee, with Zoe Humphrey and Paityn Chapman both collecting four blocks and a combined 13 kills for the afternoon.
“I thought Zoe played pretty well,” Rackham Watt said. “I think that’s what Zoe’s capable of and kind of what we’ve been waiting on for a little bit so she’s continued to get the start because she’s got a great ceiling.”
Izzy Mogridge also stepped up in a big way for the Lady Vols defensively, collecting 24 assists, 10 digs and three blocks Sunday afternoon.
“Tough situation to go in as a true freshman and perform but I thought she had a nice match,” Rackham Watt said of Mogridge. “The more she’s out there, the more she’ll learn.”
After a hot start by taking the first set, Tennessee could not figure out the Aggies’ defense, dropping the next three sets en route to the loss. The Lady Vols could not force a fifth set, as the Aggies’ defense dominated the net the rest of the match.
Texas A&M physically outmatched the Lady Vols, collecting 16 blocks to Tennessee’s 10 while the Aggies hit .265% to the Lady Vols’ .138.
Tennessee will head out for its final road swing, heading to Nashville to face Vanderbilt on Nov. 7 and Kentucky in Lexington on Nov. 9.
