In a game to celebrate its seniors, Texas A&M volleyball produced a dominant offensive performance.
The Aggies looked strong coming out of the gate, racking up four-straight points, including a kill and a block from senior middle blocker Mallory Talbert. A strong block by the Tigers brought them back into the game, but the maroon and white’s junior outside hitter Lauren Davis held the visitors to 12-6 at the break. Kills from senior outside hitter and setter Camryn Ennis and senior middle blocker London Austin-Roark carried the Aggies’ offense to a 18-10 lead, and A&M soon took the first set 25-16.
The second set featured a tough back-and-forth between the Aggies and the Tigers. Missouri pulled away despite kills from Ennis and Austin-Roark, but with two kills from Talbert, A&M took a 5-point lead. Mizzou broke set point, but A&M still pulled out a 25-21 second-set win.
In the third set, three kills from Talbert allowed A&M to pull an early lead at 7-3. The Tigers came back to level it at 10-all, but strong attacks from the Aggies pulled them up to set point 24-22. Mizzou coach Joshua Taylor desperately called two challenges in the final points of the game, but both calls stood, and the Aggies sealed the match 25-22. The game-winning kill was fittingly hit by Talbert, who had 12 kills overall for the night. Fellow senior libero and defensive specialist Allison Fields led the defense with 27 digs, and senior setter Camille Connor racked up 34 assists.
Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said the game was a tribute to A&M’s seniors.
“For our team to go out and execute and win in three was the most appropriate send-off for the senior class, but a testament to the core of who we are as a team,” Kuhn said. “The production from the middles and Camille [Connor], especially her last kill … that is Camille and who she is as a player and how she attacks with her weapons. To display that [performance] in front of the 12th Man on senior night was huge for our team, and I’m proud of them.”
This win closes the regular season for the Aggies, who now head into the offseason. Kuhn said the team’s focus will stay the same while preparing for next year.
“We need to continue to invest in each other,” Kuhn said. “That’s the biggest thing we’ve learned with this group. We have to invest in each other and have the feeling we had tonight … playing for the seniors, playing for each other and playing for this program every time we go out and compete.”
