Texas A&M volleyball won its second game of the season in Reed Arena on Sunday, allowing for a clean sweep in the double header against LSU.
With LSU taking sets one and three and the Aggies capturing the victories in sets two and four, everything came down to the fifth set in the double header for both team’s season openers.
A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said the win was because of the team’s momentum.
“I’m proud of our team,” Kuhn said. “Volleyball is momentum, it’s momentum based and you have to control that as much as you can throughout the match.”
Set one was a back-and-forth contest, featuring 10 ties and three lead changes. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Davis was the standout player for the Aggies during this set, with five kills. Also noteworthy for A&M was senior setter Camille Conner, who is one of the two only seniors on the team. She put up seven assists and three kills. Although, the Tigers were able to take the victory, 25-23, on set one, following a contested call by Kuhn for no touch.
A&M quickly answered in the second set and came out swinging. Toward the middle of the set the Aggies took a five point lead, making it 17-13. Although the Tigers were eventually able to answer and took the lead towards the end of the set, A&M was able to secure the victory, 25-22, with a kill from sophomore outside hitter Morgan Christon.
With LSU winning set one and A&M taking set two, a lot was riding on the third set for both teams in order to determine who would take the lead set-wise. Opening set three for the Aggies was an ace from Christon, who kept up her dominance from set two. This set was even more neck-and-neck than set one, as there were 18 ties and seven lead changes. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they were unable to hold onto their momentum from the second set and fell 27-25.
A&M stayed in the match due to their performance in the fourth set. They took the much-needed win with a 10-point difference, 25-15. Standout player for the Aggies this set was junior middle blocker Mallory Talbert, who totaled 12 kills throughout the entire game. Talbert also concluded the set with a kill.
Kuhn said Talbert owned the net during the game.
“We talk about setting a tone, Mallory set the tone at the net,” Kuhn said. “It was her net and everyone knew it.”
The fifth set put the game away for the Aggies. Although there were four ties and lead changes, A&M was able to establish and maintain a rhythm, ending the set with a five point lead. Christon put the game away for A&M with a kill, making the set score 15-10.
Christon said she put up that game winning kill in order to do her part as a team player.
“It just felt good to make my team happy and proud,” Christon said. “Coming off the bench, I wanted to do my job and help the team.”
Davis had a great day, as her momentum seemingly never faltered. She totaled 20 kills and led the team offensively in kills. Another standout for the Aggies was Christon who had a .229 hitting percentage and posted two aces. Defensively, junior libero/defensive specialist Taylor Voss shined with two aces on her serves.
Kuhn said the team recognizes Davis’ smart playstyle.
“Lauren has the background, she played for us last year,” Kuhn said. “She is solid in her game, she’s a smart player. We know it, and each of them knows it.”
Next up, Texas A&M will face off against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., in a double header on Thursday and Friday. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Gillom Sports Center.