Aggies register second-straight sweep with 3-0 win over VCU
Texas A&M recorded its second-straight sweep Saturday night as the Aggies won all three sets against Virginia Commonwealth at Reed Arena.
Kiara McGee led the Aggies (2-0) in kills again with 11 to go along with seven digs, freshman Makena Patterson collected nine kills and Camille Conner, who was named tournament MVP following the match, dished out a match-high 34 assists.
“I think we finished really strong and I was happy about that,” junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake said after the match. “Passing was amazing, which led to great setting and great hitting percentages, so it was really nice to see everything come together.”
The Aggies did not trail in the first set, outhitting VCU .357 to .160. Hollann Hans scored five of A&M’s first eight points, including three consecutive aces. Kaitlyn Blake got a kill to get the score to set point, and then an attack error by the Rams gave the Aggies a 25-12 win.
Sets two and three were much closer, but the Aggies still found a way to win both with relative ease.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair for the most part as neither team could manage much separation, but after a Rams run cut the A&M lead to 22-19, the Aggies scored three of the last four points to capture the win.
VCU jumped out to a 9-6 lead in the final set, but the Aggies responded with a 9-1 run that effectively put the set out of reach. In addition, A&M scored the final four points of the set to seal its second sweep in as many nights.
Conner’s 66 total assists in her first two matches earned her MVP honors, something the Katy native didn’t expect entering the weekend.
“I honestly did not expect that at all,” Conner said. “Coming in my teammates just really helped me. I felt like I played with a lot of confidence this weekend, and my team definitely helped me.”
Fellow freshman Makena Patterson won the best blocker of the tournament and McGee was named best attacker.
“I really enjoyed coaching them tonight — lots of really confident eye contact with players,” said head coach Laurie Corbelli. “Getting instruction and having it happen right away is really rewarding as a coach.”
A&M will be back in front of the 12th Man next weekend as it hosts powerhouses Penn State and Stanford. The Aggies know they will not be favored to win either match, but they are going to relish the role of being the underdog.
“We’re ready to strive for an upset,” Corbelli said. “We have no pressure and we have a chance to just play free, grow and be better as we go and figure things out. I just feel like that’s going to be the best part of next weekend.”