Football put forth a strong road effort, volleyball celebrated Senior Day, soccer battled, swimming & diving is back in action, men’s basketball struggled, and women’s basketball had a nail-biter. This and much more in this week’s “Aggies in Review.” Here are the details from last week’s action.
Football
On a dreary and rain day in Athens, GA, the Aggies came up just short against the #4 Georgia Bulldogs, falling 19-13. Led by junior defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, the A&M defense (7-4, 4-3 SEC) managed to shutdown Jake Fromm and the Bulldog offense, only holding them to one touchdown and instead forcing them to kick four field goals. Texas A&M never led at any point in the game, but did have multiple scoring chances to take the lead. They look to bounce back in the final regular season matchup, on the road for the annual rivalry clash against #1 LSU. The Tigers will be the third number-one team the Aggies have faced this season, which is a first in college football. The Ags will be looking for their first win in Baton Rouge since 1994 when they kick off in primetime at 6:00 PM from Tiger Stadium, and can be seen on ESPN.
Women’s Volleyball
Reed Arena was good to the Lady Aggies all season, including in the final two regular season home games this year. They improved to 12-1 on home court, defeating Mississippi State on Friday and Ole Miss on Sunday and Senior Day. The Aggies (20-6, 12-4) close out the regular season on the road against South Carolina on Wednesday at 6:00 PM, followed by #15 Florida on Saturday at 3:00 PM. Sitting in third place in the SEC, the ladies are in prime real estate to make it to the NCAA Tournament and potentially host the first two rounds at Reed Arena.
Women’s Soccer
The Aggies’ (14-5-3) road to the College Cup came to a screeching halt, as they were defeated by the USC Trojans 2-1 on the road in Los Angeles, CA. Ally Watt provided the only goal for the Aggies, closing her Aggie career strong. This team will be back stronger than ever in 2020 as they will have 19 returning players on the roster.
Swimming & Diving
The Art Adamson Invite was successful for both squads, seeing the men win the meet and the women take second at their home pool. This meet, which invite powerhouses including Stanford and USC. The women will return to the pool in 2020, while the men travel up to San Antonio for their last meet of the semester against Incarnate Word and Trinity University on Monday, December 16.
Men’s Basketball
Playing with only seven healthy on-scholarship players, it was the senior walk-on from Frisco, TX that got the job done against Troy. Wearing #12 and embodying all that it stands for, Mark French took his play to a whole new level, scoring 12 points and defeating the Troy Trojans 56-52 in a comeback victory. Trailing for most of the first half, the Aggies (3-1) were finally able to get some momentum for the unlikeliest of heroes in French. This team will travel away from College Station for the first time and will play three games in the Orlando Invitational, hosted at Disney World. They start with an early tip-off on Thanksgiving against the Harvard Crimson (4-2) at 12 PM on ESPN2.
Women’s Basketball
Traveling to the West Coast did not face the ladies, as the Aggies (4-0) remained undefeated with a convincing 74-64 win over the USC Trojans. Once again, Chennedy Carter led the team with 26 points, but the real shocker was junior N’dea Jones’ 18 rebounds, the third highest in her career. The Lady Aggies will play a few games in the next few games, starting with Prairie View A&M (2-4) at Reed Arena on Wednesday evening with tip-off set for 6:00 PM.