BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Texas A&M volleyball team (7-3) needed just three sets (25-21, 27-25, 25-22) to top the nationally-ranked WKU Hilltoppers (11-2) on Friday night at Diddle Arena.
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A&M's straight-set victory over the Hilltoppers marked the first time since 2018 that WKU had been swept by an unranked opponent. The Aggies hit for .452 in the match – their highest hitting percentage since hitting at a .481 clip at Auburn in 2015.
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Caroline Meuth led the way, hitting at a career-high .615 clip finishing with 17 kills. Logan Lednicky turned in her fifth-straight double-digit kill performance, recording 12. The Aggies out blocked the Hilltoppers, 6-2, led by rookie Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who finished with three.
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The Aggies erased a five-point deficit in the opening frame courtesy of an 8-0 run in the final points, giving A&M a 25-21 opening-set win. After trailing early, an ace and second kill from Lednicky brought momentum on A&M's side, as kills from Bowser and Meuth brought the Aggies back within two. WKU jumped out to a 17-12 advantage, but a pair of kills from Karakasi and three from Meuth kept the Maroon & White's run alive, giving A&M the 25-21 victory.
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WKU took an early lead again in the second, but back-to-back kills from Bowser brought the Aggies back within three, trailing 11-8. The Hilltoppers pulled ahead, 16-10, for their largest lead of the set, before a block by Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla helped A&M cut into its deficit. A four-point surge by the Aggies brought the Maroon & White within one, as back-to-back kills from Lednicky leveled the set at 23-all. The rookie reached double-digit kills for the fifth-straight match, pushing A&M to set point, before miscommunication by WKU handed the Aggies the set, 27-25.
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A trio of kills from three different Aggies made it 6-5 in favor of A&M in the deciding set. A kill from Cos-Okpalla leveled the score at 12-all, before an ace from Elena Karakasi helped the Maroon & White keep its lead. After falling behind, Cos-Okpalla's fifth kill and a kill on the outside from Ciera Hecht created separation for the Aggies. Back-to-back kills from Meuth gave A&M the 22-19 advantage. The Hilltoppers used a timeout with the Aggies at set point, but a service error by WKU handed A&M the set, 25-22.
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UP NEXT
The Aggies wrap up non-conference competition and the WKU Invitational tomorrow at noon against Tennessee Tech.
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BIRD BITS
Head coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On the team's resiliency…
"It's all about growing and learning. It's frustrating that we have to learn the tough way, but I'm proud of them to bounce back and compete. As a team, they needed to figure out how good they are consistently, and tonight's match was the first full three sets that we competed and showed who we were."
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On Ifenna Cos-Okpalla's performance…
"I'm proud of Ifenna. She's a freshman, but she goes into the match, and she knows she's got an arm and that she's aggressive. The most you can ask for in a middle is what she did tonight. She goes into the match, and she does her job."
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FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
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A&M's straight-set victory over the Hilltoppers marked the first time since 2018 that WKU had been swept by an unranked opponent. The Aggies hit for .452 in the match – their highest hitting percentage since hitting at a .481 clip at Auburn in 2015.
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Caroline Meuth led the way, hitting at a career-high .615 clip finishing with 17 kills. Logan Lednicky turned in her fifth-straight double-digit kill performance, recording 12. The Aggies out blocked the Hilltoppers, 6-2, led by rookie Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who finished with three.
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The Aggies erased a five-point deficit in the opening frame courtesy of an 8-0 run in the final points, giving A&M a 25-21 opening-set win. After trailing early, an ace and second kill from Lednicky brought momentum on A&M's side, as kills from Bowser and Meuth brought the Aggies back within two. WKU jumped out to a 17-12 advantage, but a pair of kills from Karakasi and three from Meuth kept the Maroon & White's run alive, giving A&M the 25-21 victory.
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WKU took an early lead again in the second, but back-to-back kills from Bowser brought the Aggies back within three, trailing 11-8. The Hilltoppers pulled ahead, 16-10, for their largest lead of the set, before a block by Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla helped A&M cut into its deficit. A four-point surge by the Aggies brought the Maroon & White within one, as back-to-back kills from Lednicky leveled the set at 23-all. The rookie reached double-digit kills for the fifth-straight match, pushing A&M to set point, before miscommunication by WKU handed the Aggies the set, 27-25.
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A trio of kills from three different Aggies made it 6-5 in favor of A&M in the deciding set. A kill from Cos-Okpalla leveled the score at 12-all, before an ace from Elena Karakasi helped the Maroon & White keep its lead. After falling behind, Cos-Okpalla's fifth kill and a kill on the outside from Ciera Hecht created separation for the Aggies. Back-to-back kills from Meuth gave A&M the 22-19 advantage. The Hilltoppers used a timeout with the Aggies at set point, but a service error by WKU handed A&M the set, 25-22.
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UP NEXT
The Aggies wrap up non-conference competition and the WKU Invitational tomorrow at noon against Tennessee Tech.
Â
BIRD BITS
Head coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On the team's resiliency…
"It's all about growing and learning. It's frustrating that we have to learn the tough way, but I'm proud of them to bounce back and compete. As a team, they needed to figure out how good they are consistently, and tonight's match was the first full three sets that we competed and showed who we were."
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On Ifenna Cos-Okpalla's performance…
"I'm proud of Ifenna. She's a freshman, but she goes into the match, and she knows she's got an arm and that she's aggressive. The most you can ask for in a middle is what she did tonight. She goes into the match, and she does her job."
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FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.