The Aggies’ trip to Gainesville did not go as planned.
Texas A&M lost their fourth SEC matchup, this time against No. 23 Florida on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Aggies were 11-6 after a 2-3 loss at home against Ole Miss on Oct. 13. Florida was coming off a loss of their own after falling 1-3 against LSU in Baton Rouge.
A&M got an early 4-1 lead in set one with the help of back-to-back kills from senior middle blocker Mallory Talbert. The Gators then went on an 8-1 run to give them the 17-10 lead. Florida pulled away with a 25-12 win in set one after two more 4-0 runs.
The Aggies fought hard early in the second set with eight ties and two kills from junior outside hitter Treyaunna Rush. After a kill by junior outside hitter Lauren Davis, Florida went on a 7-0 run to give the Gators a 19-10 lead. The Aggies continued to fight as they orchestrated a run of their own, cutting the deficit down to 20-17. This 5-0 run featured back-to-back kills from Rush and an ace from senior libero Taylor Voss. Despite the hard-fought comeback, A&M lost its second set of the evening 19-25.
A&M started off set three hot with an early 4-1 run, featuring two kills from junior outside hitter Morgan Christon. However, this run was cut short after the Gators battled back, taking an 8-6 lead. The score remained close throughout the set before Florida went on a 6-0 run to win the match, 25-15.
“We need to get back in the gym and take advantage of a full week of practice,” A&M head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said. “We need to find our rhythm and get back to the basics.”
Rush led the Aggies this match with 11 kills while Christon and Talbert followed behind with six and four, respectively. This marked a season-high for Rush in kills on a .476 hitting percentage.
“It was nice to see [Rush] find her rhythm again,” Kuhn said. “She made an immediate impact after missing the last few matches for us.”
The Aggies as a whole finished with two aces, 31 kills and 31 digs.
A&M continues its road trip as they travel to Starkville, Miss., to take on Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 23, in two consecutive conference matchups.