No. 2 Texas volleyball learned an important lesson on Friday night against No. 9 Texas A&M: Reed Arena in College Station isn’t the ideal place to spend Halloween.
A program attendance record of 9,801 fans showed up for the rivalry matchup, nearly all of them donning either maroon or a festive Halloween costume to celebrate the holiday and support the home team.
The liveliness and passion with which they approached the matchup were especially prevalent in the game’s fifth and final set. The Longhorns battled from behind for the majority of the nail-biting set, but despite tying it up at 12-12, two kills by senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and a service ace by sophomore outside hitter Kyndal Stowers sealed the deal for the Aggies.
The Longhorns left College Station with their first loss of the season, along with a few areas of improvement to address before the last stint of their conference season.
Blocking was a major area of weakness for Texas, and the Aggies took full advantage. They finished with 14 blocks to Texas’ four, and A&M’s prowess at the net served as a key difference for them throughout the matchup’s duration.
The Longhorns also struggled in terms of grabbing leads and holding onto them, particularly in the second set. In what could’ve been a decisive win and an opportunity to tie the set score at 1-1, Texas instead lost control of a 21-17 lead and went down 0-2.
While it wasn’t enough to help her team claim the set, junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford recorded a 5-0 run during the set, including an ace. Stafford and freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal lead the team in terms of kills, accumulating 24 and 19, respectively.
Texas suffering a loss at this point in the season certainly isn’t ideal, but 18-1 still reads as an impressive record.
Despite losing to their rivals in a five-set thriller, the Longhorns don’t have much time to wallow in this loss. They will quickly have to shift their attention to their next matchup against the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats, which is set to take place at Gregory Gymnasium on Sunday.
The Wildcats and the Longhorns are the top-ranked SEC teams, and this matchup could be a strong indicator of how the Southeastern Conference Championship tournament could go for the Longhorns.