The Aggies suffered their second shutout of the season at the hands of Tennessee.
Texas A&M lost 3-0 to the No. 20 Lady Volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 2 in a quick three-set match. The Aggies fell to 9-4 on the season with a 2-1 record against conference opponents. The Lady Volunteers are 8-1 at home and 11-2 overall, with a 3-0 record against SEC teams.
A&M kept the score close with the Lady Volunteers to start the opening set. A kill by fifth-year setter Camille Conner brought the score to 10-8, with the Aggies trailing by two. Tennessee started to pull ahead, going on two three-point runs. The Aggies could not keep up, falling 25-19 in the first set.
Tennessee stole an early 8-3 lead in the second set with a 5-0 run. The Aggies fought back, tying the score up at 14 with a kill by junior outside hitter Lauren Davis. The game started to slip back out of A&M’s fingers after a 6-1 run by the Lady Volunteers. Tennessee finished the set with a 25-20 win.
With the Lady Volunteers ahead 2-0 in sets, the Aggies could not afford to drop another. The third set was a back-and-forth affair, and the Aggies trailed 11-12 at the first Tennessee timeout. The score remained close as both teams took turns going on runs, but in the end, the Lady Volunteers pulled off the sweep with a 25-21 victory.
“We just need to do a better job at earning our own points and making smart decisions,” A&M head coach Laura Kuhn said. “We need to be in system so that we have all our options and can move the ball offensively. Defensively, we need to manage their attackers and respond by earning points.”
The biggest statistical difference between the two teams came with the serves. The Lady Volunteers had eight aces to the Aggies’ one, coming from senior middle blocker London Austin-Roark. Tennessee also doubled A&M in blocks, recording 12 to the Aggies’ six.
Junior outside hitter Morgan Christon led A&M in kills with 10. Christon has had 10 or more kills in nine of her 13 appearances this year. Davis and senior middle blocker Mallory Talbert followed behind with seven each.
Conner tied for the match-lead in assists, securing 28 of A&M’s 32. Senior outside hitter Camryn Ennis led the team with 11 digs and fifth-year libero Macy Carrabine had nine.
The Aggies rematch the Lady Volunteers on Sunday, Oct. 3, at noon in the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.