Aggies Drop Opening Match Against Mississippi State – Texas A&M Athletics

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M volleyball team dropped the opening fixture of the two-game matchup versus Mississippi State, 3-0, on Friday night at Reed Arena.
 
Leading the way for the Aggies (10-7, 2-4 SEC) was Logan Lednicky, the freshman finished the game registering 22 kills and nine digs. Graduate transfer Elena Karakasi led the Aggies with 41 assists. Freshman libero Ava Underwood totaled 13 digs on the day, while Junior Madison Bowser added four blocks.
 
In the opening set, the Bulldogs (10-5, 3-2 SEC) came out aggressive, jumping out to an early four-point lead. Sophomore Brooke Frazier steadied the Aggies, serving to a four-point run of their own which brought the Maroon & White back into the set. The Aggies ball movement was on great display as; Lednicky, Caroline Meuth and Mia Johnson combined for 19 of the Aggies’ 20 kills in the set. The Bulldogs pulled away from the Aggies late, but a three-point run for A&M tied the game, 24-24. After a long back-and-forth, the two teams battled to another tie at 29-29. However, the tie was ultimately broken by the Bulldogs as they snatched the first set, 31-29.
 

Mississippi State carried momentum into the second set as it pulled away to a 7-3 lead. With the Aggies needing a spark, they went to the pairing of Meuth and Lednicky, as both Aggies reached double-digit kills in the second frame. The Maroon & White fought throughout to cut into the Bulldogs lead, however Mississippi State held on to finish the set 25-18.
 

The Bulldogs continued their fast starts in the third game, pulling away on a 6-1 run to open the frame. The Aggies stayed with the hot hand of Lednicky, as she registered three kills in the Maroon & White’s opening five points. Mississippi State held steady on its advantage, as the Aggies tried to find a way back. A&M attempted a late charge, stringing together a 10-3 run late set, but ultimately fell short, dropping the final frame of the match, 25-22.
 
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to Reed Arena tomorrow at 4 p.m. for the second match of the two-game series.
 
BIRD BITS
Head Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn
On the Aggies fight in the opening set…
“I’m really proud of the way we fight. We can make adjustments and rotate players in, and I know they’ll do their job….