With the win, the Aggies improve to 8-0, equaling the 2007 team for the best start in school history after eight matches. SFA drops to 6-4.
The Aggies had three players reach double figures in kills, led by senior outside hitter Kelsey Black's 13. Junior right-side hitter Alisia Kastmo had 11 kills, and junior middle blocker Lindsey Miller reached the 500-career kills milestone, pitching in 10 kills while hitting at a .421 pace. Sophomore setter Ally Sawatzky finished with 44 assists.
Defensively junior libero Megan Pendergast was one of four Aggies with double-figure digs, posting a career-high 20. Black had 19 digs and senior outside hitter Chelsea Ringel added 12 digs. In addition, Kastmo completed the first double-double of her career with a personal-best 10 digs.
Black and Miller led all players with six blocks each.
There were five ties in the first half of the opening set, with the last tie coming at 14-14 following a kill by Ringel. Hendrickson followed with a kill to give the Aggies the lead and then teamed with Kastmo for a block to put A&M ahead, 16-14. SFA called a timeout and came back with a kill, but the Aggies bounced right back and continued on an 8-2 rally to put A&M ahead, 21-16. Kastmo had three kills and Black added two during the run, forcing SFA to use its final timeout. The teams then traded points and A&M, which had at least two kills from each of its five attackers in the opening set, held a 23-19 advantage before a SFA committed its sixth service error of the frame to put the Aggies at set point. Hendrickson would put down her third kill to close out the set for the Aggies.
A&M, which outhit the Ladyjacks, .262 to .178 in the opening frame, improved in the second set, hitting .357 while holding SFA to a .098 hitting percentage.
The teams were tied at 4-4 when Black got a kill and followed with an ace. SFA then hit a ball off the antenna to put the Aggies ahead, 7-4. A&M would later use runs of four and five points to build a 19-10 lead. The Ladyjacks were unable to get closer than six points before back-to-back kills by Black and Hendrickson completed the 25-16 win, giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead going into the break.
"I was really impressed with the first two sets," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "I thought we were executing well, making good adjustments and serving well."
A&M scored the first three points after the break, but the Ladyjacks caught fire following several hustling defensive plays and scored four unanswered points to build a 9-7 lead. A&M never regained the lead as SFA later used another four-point rally to go up 15-10. The Aggies, who were outhit, .344 to .242 in the frame, later cut the gap to two points at 19-17 and 20-18 before the Ladyjacks reeled off five consecutive points to get the win.
"I felt like after the break we got outplayed on defense, and I thought we let up too much on our serving," Corbelli said about the third set.
The Aggies got back on track in the fourth set, jumping out to a 5-1 advantage and never relinquishing the lead. They also benefitted on SFA's numerous attack errors, outhitting the Ladyjacks, .273 to .024 in the final stanza.
A&M built its largest lead at 19-11, but SFA would later going on a 4-0 run to get within 20-17. The Ladyjacks could get no closer and trailed 21-18 when Ringel tipped in a kill and then aced her serve to put the Aggies at match point. An A&M error prolonged the contest before Black capped the match with a kill.
"We picked back up again in set four, and the team really adjusted quickly," Corbelli said. "I thought we ran a few new looks on offense, coming from more zones with our outside hitters to hopefully throw off their defense. It worked a little, but they played great defense. They played a really nice match."
A noisy crowd of 533 crammed into the tiny gym, causing some havoc for the visiting Aggies who improved to 18-0 all-time against their Southland Conference foe.
"Our team communication was stressed a little bit, and I think it carried over into our play somewhat," Corbelli said. "It was nice to get a win in that environment. That was our first experience with that kind of environment so far this season, so I'm glad we got that one behind us."
The Aggies conclude the tournament against Northern Illinois on Saturday at 10 a.m. Both teams are receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, with the Huskies listed 37th and A&M coming in at 38.
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