On Sunday, Sept. 26, Texas A&M volleyball, 9-3, swept the South Carolina Gamecocks in a swift 3-set battle at Reed Arena.
With the victory over South Carolina, A&M has won four of its last five matches and are 2-0 against SEC opponents. The conference home opener displayed promising teamwork and all-around aggressive action, with five Aggies documenting at least seven kills each.
A&M found its rhythm quickly in the opening set. After back-and-forth scoring, senior middle blocker London Austin-Roark commanded control of the set with four kills and aided the Aggies to take a 17-15 lead. Junior outside hitter Lauren Davis also registered four kills, pushing the Aggies over the edge to win the match, 25-22.
The Aggies resumed the battle with an 11-8 lead in the second set, but the Gamecocks’ efforts proceeded to keep this match closely contested. After multiple errors, junior outside hitter Morgan Christon established her place on the court, thrusting the score to 13-15 after A&M fell into an error spell. Senior outside hitter Camryn Ennis’ fourth kill reenergized the Aggies and steered the momentum of the game in their favor. The Aggies bounced back to secure the second match, 25-22.
“I think Camryn [Ennis] did a great job stepping up and playing six-rotations on the right for us, and really steadied us out,” head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said. “It was a collective team effort, but the balance was huge for us.”
The final set began point-for-point until the Aggies jumped ahead to lead 11-8. Senior middle blocker Mallory Talbert dominated the third set with four kills while the Gamecocks fought back, forcing the Aggies to work for the win. The maroon and white’s resilient offense and a service error by the Gamecocks finalized the set 25-18 and handed A&M the match.
“Our coaches do a great job every week of giving us a game plan, and I think we were all really dialed in on it this match,” Talbert said. “It just shows with our execution and knowing what [South Carolina] wants to do and shutting that down, we can do the best we can.”
Ennis ended the match with a season-best eight kills, and Talbert guided the offense with nine kills on .444 hitting. Fifth-year setter Camille Conner accumulated 32 assists while senior libero Taylor Voss played excellent defense, documenting her fifth game with double-digit digs this year. The Aggies’ balanced team efforts allowed them to clinch the match in three straight sets.
To continue conference play, the Aggies will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., where they will take on No. 21 Tennessee in a two-game series starting Saturday, Oct. 2, and continuing to Sunday, Oct. 3. The Aggies and Volunteers are both 2-0 in SEC play.
“We have more time, so that’s good, and we can really focus on us and what we need to do against [Tennessee],” Kuhn said. “They’re going to be a solid opponent, and on the road it’s always going to be a battle, so I’m excited to go on the road with these warriors again.”