After a bye week, Alabama volleyball jumps back into action Wednesday night in College Station, Texas, as they take on Texas A&M. 

“I felt like it was much needed,” head coach Rashinda Reed said. “For morale, for them, for resting. They’re renewed. They have a new energy, like a reset.” 

For the Crimson Tide, a reset might be just the thing to start their season up again. Sitting at 7-15, 1-9 in the conference, Alabama’s last loss came in the form of a sweep against the Georgia Bulldogs (17-5, 8-3) after the team took them to five sets the day before. 

“I felt like the first Georgia match just shows how far we’ve come and how close we are with all the teams within this conference,” Reed said. “Georgia beat [No. 12] Florida in three sets, and we’re going with them in five.” 

Ranked just above the Crimson Tide in the SEC, the Aggies (12-10, 4-7) could serve as the perfect opportunity for Alabama to test out their new “reset.” 

Although Texas A&M leads the all-time series 13-4, Alabama’s last win was a 2018 comeback five-set victory in College Station.  

The Aggies also lost to the Georgia in five sets, and lost to Kentucky in four sets as well. Texas A&M is currently coming off a win against South Carolina, but outside hitter Kendyl Reaugh said that the bye week was just as productive. 

“We got to take a step back and get back to basics,” Reaugh said. “Just got to focus on ourselves and get better.” 

Reed said that the team also worked on improving technical defensive skills, which will be necessary against a Texas A&M offense that averages a .245 hitting percentage. So far this season, Alabama has held its opponents to a .219 hitting percentage. As the only team in the SEC below .200, though, the Crimson Tide will have to raise its own from .173 if they want a win on Wednesday night.  

Alabama’s strongest asset throughout the season — its service game — will without a doubt have an impact on the match as well. Although Georgia has pulled ahead of Alabama in total aces this past week, Alabama still leads with the SEC with the higher average per set.  

The Aggies also have a strong service game with the majority of their aces coming from outside hitter Caroline Meuth. The Notre Dame transfer leads the Aggies’ offense with opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, and together, they combine for more than half of the team’s kills.  

For the Crimson Tide, though, its main focus will be finishing the season on a strong note, and the team is hoping to start that trend on Wednesday night. 

“I feel like we’ve worked really hard,” Reaugh said. “We’re just going to continue to battle each game and continue to work as hard as we can.” 

Reed said that the first match against Georgia has prepared her team for the rest of the season. 

“It was an ‘aha!’ moment for the ladies,” Reed said. “We can battle and we’re taking that mindset with these next few weeks, these next eight matches.” 

The matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Aggies begins at 6 p.m. CT in College Station and can be watched on SEC Network+. 

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]