Texas A&M volleyball shuts out Pitt in 3 straight sets
🧹 AGGIES SWEEP PANTHERS IN 3
No. 3 Texas A&M volleyball swept No. 1 Pitt in three straight sets to punch a ticket to the national championship for the first time in program history. A packed T-Mobile Center energized the Aggies to a shut-out victory in Kansas City, MO.
Texas A&M took the momentum early, earning a 28-26 win in an absolute battle of a first set that featured seventeen ties and eight lead changes. The Aggies rallied to take Set 2, 25-21, after overcoming a 9-1 run by the Panthers.
With momentum on their side and history in the balance, the Aggies charged on to Set 3. With two service aces of her own, setter Maddie Waak powered her offense to a .455 clip in the third to best a fighting Pitt team that went up 10-7 early. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla sealed the deal with her eighth kill of the day to clinch the set and sweep, 25-20.
Kyndal Stowers was on fire with 16 kills on a .433 clip, two blocks and a service ace to lead Texas A&M to the victory while Logan Lednicky tallied 14 daggers of her own on a .323 clip.
The balanced Maroon and White attack was the difference. Waak spread out the attack with four different Aggies registering at least eight kills to hold a .382 clip while A&M defense put up six massive blocks.
With the win, Texas A&M's historic season continues, reaching the national final for the first time in program history.
TEXAS A&M SWEEPS THEIR WAY TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 🔥 x 🎥 ESPN /
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
Final stats here.
🚂 Panthers gaining speed
A big time stuff by Olivia Babcock and Ryla Jones off an Emily Hellmuth attack cuts the Panthers' deficit 17-16 and forces the Aggie timeout to slow the Pitt momentum.
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⚡️ Hellmuth with the dagger
An absolute dagger from Emily Hellmuth propels the Aggies to a 16-12 lead in Set 3. The Panthers are forced to take a timeout after a 3-0 Texas A&M run in this do-or-die set.
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🪢 at 10
A service ace by Maddie Waak extedns a 3-0 run by the Aggies to evens things at 10 in the third.
Can the Panthers earn back control?
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Texas A&M up ✌️
The Aggies rallied to earn the Set 2 victory over the Panthers, 25-21.
The momentum swayed back and forth between the two teams in the second, each going on scoring runs to take leads at different times. After a 9-1 run by Pitt, Texas A&M responded with a 7-1 run of its own to take the lead, 18-16.
Knotted at 21, the Aggies took control and finished with four straight points from another Kyndal Stowers kill and three errors by Pitt.
Stowers has tallied 11 kills on a .450 clip with two blocks and a service ace to lead the Maroon and White to a 2-0 advantage over the Panthers.
Can Pitt respond in the third?
STUFFED.
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball)
👍 1-0 🐆
S2: 24-21 //
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What 👏 A 👏 Rally 👏
In case you missed it, here's a taste of the intense competition happening in Set 2 of the Pitt vs. Texas A&M matchup.
The longest rally of the day ended by an Aggie error to give the Panthers the point.
TALK ABOUT A GRITTY RALLY 😮💨 x 🎥 ESPN /
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
Keep up with live stats here.
👀 Panthers take the lead
An Aggie net violation extended the Panther 6-1 run and forced a Texas A&M time out.
Pitt leads 12-11 in Set 2.
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🧱 Aggie block party
A roof up front from Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Taryn Morris shut down an attack by Blaire Bayless to put the Aggies ahead 10-6 and force a Panther timeout.
Can Pitt slow the Texas A&M momentum?
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👍 Aggies battle to take Set 1
Texas A&M took the 29-27 edge over Pitt in Set 1 after a back-and-forth thriller.
Just from the first set, this match is living up to the hype. Seventeen lead changes, eight ties and extras were all part of the action and we are just getting started.
The Aggies' offense powered a .410 hitting percentage while battling with a Panther team that still put up a .366 clip. The highly contested battle featured nine kills by outside Kyndal Stowers who ended the set with a dime while the Maroon and White stuffed four up front.
Can Pitt even things up in the second?
Big-time swing by Stowers to win us Set 1 ‼️ //
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball)
Keep up with live stats here.
😱 BIG kill by Babcock
An Olivia Babcock kill from a Marina Pezelj dime gives the Panthers the 27-26 lead and set point in Set 1.
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🟢 Panthers win the challenge
Pitt wins the previous challenge to narrow the deficit 24-23.
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Panthers challenge set point 👀
Pitt Head coach Dan Fisher is challenging the previous play on an "out" call. The decision will determine whether or not the Aggies take the Set 1 victory.
Evened at 2️⃣1️⃣
A Bre Kelley tip dropped into an Aggie gap up front, evening things up at 21-all.
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Texas A&M challenge 🟢
The Aggies challenged a net touch on the previous play. The ruling was overturned and the previous Panther point was awarded to Texas A&M.
The score stands 19-18, Texas A&M.
👔 Panther timeout
Texas A&M outside Kyndal Stowers punished a ball to end a lengthy rally, putting the Aggies up 12-9 and forcing a Pitt timeout.
Aggies in action 🔥 x 🎥 ESPN /
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
Can the Panther find some momentum out of the timeout?
Keep up with live stats here.