Texas A&M volleyball hits the road for a double-header against one of the top-ranked programs in the country, Kentucky.
The Aggies, 12-10, travel to Lexington, Ky., on Saturday where they will face off with the Wildcats, 18-4. With only six games left in the team’s 2021 season, the Aggies need to go on a run if they want to see their first postseason since 2019.
“There will be an urgency for sure from here on out,” A&M head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said, “But it’s looking within and playing for each other.”
Over the last month and a half, the Aggies have been in a bit of a slump. Last weekend, they split a pair of matchups at home against Auburn, but since the start of October, the Aggies have gone 3-7 with just one win on the road.
The Wildcats, currently ranked seventh in the nation, are on an opposite trajectory. Over their last 13 matches, Kentucky has lost just once, falling 2-3 to the University of South Carolina on Nov. 4. This was Kentucky’s only conference loss, 11-1, and their only loss at home, 8-1, this season.
One of the biggest weaknesses holding back A&M has been the tendency to start slow. The Aggies have started from behind in their last 10 matches as their most recent first set win was against South Carolina on Sept. 26.
“We’ve talked a lot about our consistency and being able to respond,” Kuhn said. “I think it’s just something that we have to figure out as a group. You want to play to your own standard and you have to do that every day, and it’s being consistent in your behaviors every day.”
In games where the Aggies won their first set, the team is 7-0. In games where they fall behind 1-0 early, they are 5-10. If the maroon and white continue to fall behind, beating a Kentucky team with 12 separate 3-0 sweeps this year won’t be an easy task.
“It’s a big weekend, but every match is big,” Kuhn said. “The SEC is strong, so whether we are home or away, it’s going to be a battle. I think everyone saw that with Auburn being here … it’s a mindset and execution.”
Game one tips off at Memorial Coliseum at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13. Game two will begin at 1 p.m. the following day.