Texas A&M earned its fifth consecutive win with a 3-1 victory over No. 24 Missouri on Sunday. It was the Aggies’ second win over a ranked opponent of the weekend, as A&M topped No. 15 Kentucky on Friday.
The first two sets were closely contested with several ties and lead changes throughout each.
Missouri took a 19-14 lead midway through the first set, but kills by Lauren Davis and Hollann Hans and two Missouri errors allowed the Aggies to tie the game at 20. A&M finished the set on a 3-0 scoring run, with two of those points coming from Missouri errors to win the set 25-22..
A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said she was not happy with her team’s performance during the start of the first set, but was pleased they were able to turn it around and finish with the win.
“We just weren’t executing well,” Kuhn said. “But then for them to come out and just finish that set that way on that run, that’s momentum.”
The two teams kept the second set even closer than the first, with the largest lead coming toward the end. A&M went on a 6-0 scoring run to take a 24-17 lead over the Tigers. Missouri attempted to come back from the point deficit with a 4-0 run of its own, but the Aggies used a kill by Davis to end the set with a 25-21 win.
Davis ended the night with seven kills and four digs.
The Tigers continued their momentum from the end of the second set into the third, taking an early lead that A&M could not catch up to. After Missouri went on a 5-0 run for an 11-6 lead, the Aggies would only pull within five before four consecutive points from the Tigers closed the set, 25-16.
Kuhn said she will use what she saw in set three as the basis for improvement going forward.
“Setting the tone and allowing a team to get back in like we did in set three, that’s where we have to get better,” Kuhn said. “That is our next challenge.”
The fourth set was another close matchup, with six ties and three lead changes. A kill by Hans was the start of a 6-1 scoring run for the Aggies, which gave them an early lead of 8-4. Missouri then answered with five unanswered points. A defensive effort by A&M allowed the Aggies to take the 25-22 set win.
Sophomore defensive specialist Allison Fields said the win gives A&M momentum moving forward into the final stretch of seven SEC matchups. Fields finished the night with a season-high 19 digs.
“We’re just going to keep on going,” Fields said. “Keep working hard every single day.”
The effort A&M has put into practice was on display in the win, Hans said. The senior outside hitter finished the night with 21 kills and eight digs.
“Hard work does pay off,” Hans said. “The hard work that we put in every single day at practice is just going to keep getting us better and better.”
A&M will next face off against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.