By Lily Helton
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- To add on to this rough weekend for the University of Tennessee athletics, the Lady Vols volleyball team fought in a tough matchup against No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon, and came up short.
The No. 16-ranked Lady Vols fall to 16-5 on the season. The Aggies won 3-1(25-19, 15-25, 20-25, 21-25), setting the Lady Vols’ overall conference record to 7-4.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” said head coach Eve Rackham Watt.
How It Happened
In the first set, the Lady Vols came out swinging. The Aggies stacked serving errors and net violations. The Lady Vols capitalized on those mistakes on offense, finishing with 15 kills on the set. True freshman Izzy Mogdrige was a large factor in the offensive success, finishing the match with 32 assists. The Lady Vols did well stacking points and maintaining momentum, and won the set 25-19.
In the second set, the Lady Vols fell flat. The Aggies were able to stack point after point, and unforced hitting errors were common for the Lady Vols. The Aggies maintained a dominant presence at the net and produced on offense. The Lady Vols finished with seven kills and six hitting errors, losing the set 25-15.
“We’ve been way too high error,” said Rackham Watt.
The third set sang a similar song. The Aggies were able to stack defensive blocks, forcing the Lady Vols on their heels and scrambling to make a play on the court. Players like Zoe Humphrey and Starr Williams showed beacons of light on offense, helping to stack ten team kills on the set. But again, one too many hitting errors, and the Lady Vols fell 25-20.
In set four, the Lady Vols showed some signs of life on offense, in large part due to outside hitter Mackenzie Plante, piling four kills on the set. The margins of point difference were much smaller in this set; both teams battled for all 25 points. Ultimately, though, Aggies’ middle hitter Ifenna Cos-Okpalla dominated at the net. The Aggies piled up five blocks on the set, and the Lady Vols were unable to answer the Aggies’ defensive push.
“They’ve got tremendous blockers… it makes it tough to score,” said Rackham Watt.
The Lady Vols go back on the road this week, facing Vanderbilt on Friday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
“We’ve got to get back to work and figure out where we need to improve,” said Rackham Watt.