There’s always something about rivalry matchups that makes the stakes feel higher and the victories sweeter. The feeling engulfed Gregory Gymnasium on Wednesday when Texas A&M played in Texas’ territory for the second time as Southeastern Conference opponents. What ensued was well worth the anticipation.
In the two teams’ first game against each other, Texas traveled to College Station and carried a 3-1 win in its first SEC matchup of the season. This time, the Aggies traveled to Austin, ensuing a back-and-forth battle. Eventually, Texas A&M emerged victorious 3-2, splitting the season record between the two teams 1–1 and ending Texas’ undefeated SEC record.
The first set was as close as it gets in a well-balanced match. Both teams felt dominant at the net, returning kills back and forth, with neither team able to go on a significant run. The Aggies played against themselves, recording six service errors that helped keep the set close and eventually giving the Longhorns a late lead of 26-25, and a win of 27-25. Helping the team carry out the first win of the night was junior Devin Kahahawai. Kahahwai recorded three service aces, a pair of blocks and a kill in the first set.
Texas A&M was impressive at the net, which led to a second-set domination over the Longhorns. Texas eventually fell into a 15-8 deficit and never recovered, dropping the set 25-14. The Aggies recorded 11 kills and four blocks in this set.
The third and fourth sets seemed to repeat the first two’s pattern. The fourth once again saw the Aggies run away with the set; that is until a valiant effort by the Longhorns, led by five consecutive kills by senior Madisen Skinner, closed the gap to one. The Aggies eventually closed it out and took the fourth set 25-21.
The script had been revealed and the stage was set for a fifth and final set in the Lone Star Showdown. Repeatedly one side would take the lead and the other would tie it, neither Texas nor Texas A&M could find significant footing. In the final moments of the set, a shift by the Longhorns trailed out of bounds and Texas fell 18-16.
“There was a stretch where we were out of system a couple plays and I got some good swings … but there was a period of time where I just felt like we weren’t as balanced as we have been in the past,” said Skinner.
This loss marks the end of a 79-game home conference win streak for the Longhorns that has lasted since the team’s last home conference loss against Oklahoma in 2014. Texas is now 0-3 in five-set matches this year.
“We just made too many errors at the end … we can’t do that, (we) gotta play cleaner for longer periods of time,” said head coach Jerritt Elliott.
Texas remains atop the SEC with a 7–1 conference record. They now must look forward to their next opponent when Missouri comes to Gregory Gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 1. The match will begin at 8 p.m. and be aired on the SEC Network.
