Kyndal Stowers floats on air as she is in the motion to serve the ball over the net.
Photo creds: Eva Saldana
The Texas A&M Aggies beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in 3 straight sets on Friday night. With a home crowd of almost 6,000 people, the Aggies came to prove that they’re ready to win it all. This is the second SEC game of the season, the first one against South Carolina, which they also swept 3-0.
Set one started strong with a good block by 14, Kirra Musgrove and 16, Lolufe Adedeji to get the first point for the Aggies, and the momentum just continued to keep growing from there. The two teams started off matching almost every point, which seemed to be a theme throughout the game. Midway through the set, Bama was up by one, but the 12th Man had their fair share of impressive blocks and kills.
A&M was fighting back to win the set; after being down, they tied it back up at 18 a piece. It seemed to be smooth sailing from there. The Aggies then went on a 7-0 run to win set one 25-18. With an ace by freshman Brooke Lacewell as the final point
Set two started very similarly to set one, with back-and-forth points till we got to 4 points each. The Aggies went on a 5-point run that went until Alabama challenged an attack, which turned out to be an error, giving Bama the point.
The lead change seemed to alternate every few points, but the Aggies stayed in a consistent lead. As the Tide fought back, it didn’t seem to be enough, even as they tied it for the 6th time in a row at 19-19. But it went back and forth to the very end, with a kill by Megan Fitch to end the set. TAMU came out on top 25-22 to win set two.
As set three started, Bama started off trying to get an early lead, but the Aggies had come back battling on a 5-0 run. The Tide is trying their own comeback, tying it up again at 8-8. But it seems the 12th Man has found a rhythm and is staying on top coming into the media timeout, where they're up 15-13.
What changed the tide of the game was a successful challenge turning what had been a point for Bama into the Aggies' favor. With this now an ace by Kyndal Stowers, the crowd and team were on a high.
The Aggies had really taken control of this game; they're up 20-15. They're on a 3-0 scoring run and the challenge getting overturned was just more motivation to win. The Tide tried to turn the game around but wasn’t able to do it as Kyndal Stowers got the kill for the match point. Texas A&M won the set 25-19, winning all three sets to sweep the Tide. Making their conference record 2-0, their overall record 9-5, and extending their win streak to 5 in a row.
For Gabi Rodriguez, Brooke Lacewell, and Megan Fitch, it was a record-setting game, each girl getting a new record for most kills in a game. Gabi with 2, Brooke with 4, and Megan with 14.
You can catch our volleyball back in action Sunday, October 4th at 12 at Reed Arena as they take on Mississippi State to try and extend their win streak.
Story written by: Reese Elizondo
