On Friday, Texas A&M volleyball faced Missouri at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. The Tigers defeated the Aggies 3-0 in A&M’s first loss in three sets this season.
The match’s opening set went back and forth, but back-to-back kills by sophomore Treyaunna Rush gave the Aggies an early 8-6 lead. However, the Tigers would force a 19-6 run to comfortably win the set, 25-14.
Missouri opened the second set by taking a 12-4 lead. A trio of late points from sophomore Ciera Hecht brought the score within 10, but a late kill by Missouri sophomore Anna Dixon gave the Tigers another 25-14 win in the second set.
The third set started off back-and-forth, with the score knotted at seven, when Missouri went on an 11-2 run to take a commanding lead. A kill by junior London Austin-Roark and a service ace by junior Allison Fields gave A&M some late momentum, but the Tigers closed out a 25-19 victory, claiming the match in three sets.
Hecht led the Aggies in kills with eight, and senior Camille Conner led the team in blocks (3), assists (17), and digs (10). Both players tied for the lead in aces, along with Fields, with one.
Following the match, A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said the team can build off of the things it learned in the loss and expressed excitement about the rematch on Saturday.
“We need to do some soul searching tonight and come back ready to play tomorrow,” Kuhn said. “It comes down to competing against every opponent, every match and to take advantage of the opportunity to compete.”
With the loss, the Aggies fall to 9-6 on the season, while the Tigers improve to 12-7. A&M will face Missouri again Saturday night at the Hearnes Center at 6 p.m.