BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M volleyball team came out on top in a five-set (25-19, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 18-16) thriller against the Tennessee Lady Vols on Saturday, while a season-high 2,533 members of the 12th Man packed it into Reed Arena.
Caroline Meuth and Madison Bowser each turned in career performances for the Aggies. Meuth recorded a collegiate career-high 30 kills, becoming the first player in the Southeastern Conference to reach that milestone this season. Hitting at a career- and team-high .765, Bowser finished the match with a career-best 13 kills and four blocks.
Three Aggies – Meuth, Elena Karakasi and Logan Lednicky – turned in double-doubles, while Ava Underwood scooped a season-high 13 digs while earning the starting libero spot.
In an electrifying fifth set, the Maroon & White erased a 9-5 deficit, as a kill from Meuth pushed A&M ahead, 13-12, giving the Aggies their first lead of the frame. The deciding set needed extra points, as Ciera Hecht’s season-high 10th kill moved A&M to set point, and a kill from Lednicky sealed it, 18-16.
Meuth tallied seven kills in the opening frame, while Hecht provided three, to help the Aggies start the match with a 25-19 victory. After dropping the second and third sets by identical 25-23 scores, the Maroon & White bounced back in the fourth set.
Blocking errors by the Lady Vols proved costly to start the fourth, as the Aggies opened on a 7-2 run. Tennessee worked to close the gap, but Bowser recorded her 11th kill of the match to give A&M a 21-15 advantage. Meuth matched an A&M career-high with her 24th kill to help the Maroon & White grab the set, 25-17.
UP NEXT
The Aggies and the Lady Vols will face each other one more time tomorrow at 2 p.m. Youth Sunday Funday, A&M Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day and post-match autographs highlight Sunday’s series finale.
BIRD BITS
Head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn
On the energy in Reed Arena…
“The energy of the 12th Man is real. I told the team before the match that we have to create it and set the tone on the court, but we can feed off the 12th Man and use that energy to help settle us.”
On the competitiveness of the SEC…
“The SEC is a battle. We need to consistently be clean in how we play, and that is something that is apparent. There is going to be…
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