A&M’s postseason run ends with a heartbreaking five-set win over Wisconsin

A heartbreaking end to a great season.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, Texas, A&M Volleyball continued its march toward a national championship in the NCAA Tournament, but that path ended Friday night.

The No. 6 seed Aggies lost to No. 2 seed Wisconsin 3-2 in five sets (21:25, 25:18, 19:25, 25:23, 15:13).

Playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019, A&M knew the opponent on the other side of the net. The Aggies and Badgers previously met in regular season competition, with Wisconsin coming out on top.

With a chance to redeem themselves and advance to the Elite Eight, A&M came into the game.

The opening set began with a kill from none other than junior opposite Logan Lednicky, who posted a phenomenal 27 kills in the team’s last game against Arizona State.

Lednicky scored a match-high 23 in the game against Wisconsin, but her heroics weren’t enough.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

In its second year under the leadership of Jamie Morrison, Texas A&M concludes its 2024 season with a record of 21-8.

Still, she gave the Aggies a 7-4 lead early in the set and picked up two more in the period.

However, this lead was short-lived. The Badgers went on a run and took an 11-9 lead. The two teams played to an 18:18 draw. However, an attack error by junior outside hitter Emily Hellmuth allowed Wisconsin to take full advantage of its one-point lead.

The Badgers closed the set with a 7-3 run and won the first 25-21.

Similar to the first set, the Aggies started hot in the second set and took a 7-2 lead. This time the Aggies did it. After aces from Hellmuth and Margot Manning, A&M extended its lead to six at 11-5 and forced a Wisconsin timeout.

The Maroon & White go full throttle. Lednicky continued to increase her kill total, as did junior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Soon after, the Badgers made three straight errors as A&M took a 19-12 lead.

While Wisconsin cut the lead to five, A&M scored three straight points and ultimately took the set 25-18.

The Aggies and Badgers continued to battle at 7-7 early in the third period.

Tied four times, A&M received contributions from everyone involved, but with the set tied at 17-117, a Hellmuth attack error and a kill from Wisconsin star Sarah Franklin gave the Badgers the lead.

Kelly Sheffield’s team won the set with a fiery 6-0 run and 25:19.

A&M fought hard to keep the season alive as it faced elimination in the fourth round. Lednicky gave the Aggies a 7-4 lead and Hellmuth hit a service ace to give her team some momentum.

There were errors on the other side of the net, and another kill for Hellmuth gave A&M a 10-6 lead.

Wisconsin fought back and tied the score at 22-22, but the Aggies’ All-SEC First Team star didn’t go down without a fight.

Lednicky went on a run with three straight kills to force the decider.

At the start of the fifth frame it was even 6-6 when Badger finally doomed the Aggies to failure with a 5-0 lead.

While Lednicky, Hellmuth and Waak combined for four kills to cut the Badgers’ lead to one, Franklin’s 21st kill ended A&M’s run in the NCAA Tournament and the 2024 season.

The Maroon & White finished Jamie Morrison’s second season in Aggieland with an overall record of 21-8.