On Wednesday evening, the Texas A&M volleyball team hosted Florida at Reed Arena in College Station in its final doubleheader of the regular season. The Gators defeated the Aggies 3-0, handing A&M its fourth consecutive loss.
The scoring was even in the match’s opening set, with A&M sophomore Ciera Hecht and senior Camille Conner earning early kills. Holding a 22-20 lead, the Aggies gave up a point off of a service error and three straight points on attack errors, allowing the Gators to steal the set, 25-23.
The Gators came out hot in the second set, taking an early 12-4 lead. Kills by senior Morgan Davis and Conner sparked a 6-1 run for the Aggies, but a late attack error gave Florida a 25-19 victory in the second set.
After falling behind 5-0 in the third set, Davis and Hecht helped the Aggies crawl back into the mix with a pair of kills. The scoring went back and forth throughout the set, with sophomore Lauren Davis and junior London Austin-Roark delivering kills for A&M. With a 21-20 deficit, the Aggies were once again haunted by attack errors, and the Gators took a 25-20 victory.
Hecht led the Aggies with eight kills, two aces, a block and eight digs. Morgan Davis and Lauren Davis also showed out, earning seven kills each. Conner led the team in assists with 24, and also earned five kills and two blocks.
Following the match, A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn expressed the importance of playing without mistakes and finishing sets.
“We always talk about playing clean, we have to earn points by playing clean, especially in big games,” Kuhn said. “Volleyball is a game of momentum, so we have to execute. We need to start finishing sets and winning matches.”
Following the match, A&M falls to 9-8 on the season, while Florida improves to 18-3. A&M will take on Florida again on Thursday night at Reed Arena at 6 p.m.