ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Texas A&M was unable to hand No. 18 Michigan its first loss of the season as the Wolverines (12-0) topped the Aggies, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17, tonight at Cliff Keen Arena to win their own Michigan/adidas Invitational.
The Aggies (10-2) struggled on offense and were held to 36 kills and a .092 hitting percentage, both season lows, but still hung tight with the Wolverines in the first two sets.
“This is by far the toughest serving team we have faced,” A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said, “and I thought it really affected our serve receive offense which we pride ourselves on. Our serve receive offense is something we’ve been relying on and really score tons of points off of, and tonight when it wasn’t clicking as normal, it threw off our game a lot. Even still we were so close, even pulling ahead late in the second set. Not being able to execute when it came time to get the win or seal a win in a particular set, it started to wear on the team.”
Michigan appeared to be pulling away in the opening set, building a 17-11 lead when A&M called its first timeout. Wolverine setter Lexi Dannemiller was whistled for being in the net on the ensuing play, sending Elise Hendrickson to the service line. The senior middle blocker aced three of her next four serves to put A&M within 17-16, forcing Michigan to call a timeout.
The teams began trading point for point until Hendrickson posted a kill and then teamed with Kelsey Black for a block to knot the score at 22. Lexi Erwin posted a kill for Michigan but Black countered, swatting the ball off the Michigan block for a kill and a 23-23 tie. The Wolverines answered with a kill and an ace to clinch the set.
A&M trailed 17-13 in the second when the Aggies mounted a comeback. Back-to-back Michigan errors put A&M within 17-15. The Wolverines then connected on a kill off the block, but Black tooled the block on the next play. It sparked a 4-0 rally for the Aggies as Lindsey Miller and Chelsea Ringel followed with a block. Ringel, who had come in off the bench with the Aggies trailing 12-10, tied the score at 18-18 with a kill and then gave A&M its first lead of the match as she and Miller once again blocked a Wolverine attack.
“I thought Chelsea Ringel went in and did a beautiful job for us with her blocking and attacking,” Corbelli said. “I was so grateful that she came off the bench and did a beautiful job.”
A&M went on to build its largest lead at 21-19 as setter Allie Sawatzky got a solo block and Hendrickson then punished the Wolverines’ errant overpass for a kill. Michigan, however, managed to tie the score at 21- and 22-all before taking the lead with a kill out of the middle. A triple block put Michigan at set point, but Ringel kept the Aggies alive with a kill before Michigan capped the set with a kill on a slide attack.
Michigan used a pair of four-point runs and a five-point rally to take command of the third set to complete the sweep. The Wolverines hit only .103 in the set but held the Aggies to a -.024 hitting percentage in the frame.
“We had a difficult time getting our middles going,” Corbelli said. “We also had some attackers who were not hot tonight, and it put a lot of pressure on our setter and the couple of attackers who were going in aggressively and successfully.
“Once again we learned a lot about what our kids can do and what they are struggling with in times when we really need to get it done. The disappointment is pretty sharp right now, but we are regrouping and getting ready for Big 12 play. We saw a Big 12-caliber opponent tonight in so many ways, and it was huge for us to be able to come up here and see where we stand.”
Black led A&M with 11 kills but was held to a .147 hitting efficiency. Junior libero Megan Pendergast led in digs with 16, and Miller finished with a match-high four blocks.
Sawatzky finished with 25 assists and five kills and was named to the all-tournament team.
“The youngest player on the team, a sophomore who is younger than our only freshman, managed to come out of here as an all-tournament player,” Corbelli said. “For three straight matches she just runs the show and distributed the ball exactly as we asked her to do. Attacks, blocks, digs, sets, runs the show, calls the plays, and I couldn’t be more proud of a player. And the fact that she is the youngest on the team, it is promising for the future but it also makes me even more proud. The poise and the confidence that she has is really a site to see. I’m really happy for her and her efforts.”
Erwin, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, led the Wolverines with 13 kills.
The Aggies return home to Reed Arena Wednesday, Sept. 21 to play host to Houston Baptist. It marks the Aggies’ final tune-up for league play as A&M opens the Big 12 Conference season Saturday, Sept. 24 at Missouri.