Texas A&M drops final match of the regular season to Florida, 3-1

Texas A&M volleyball did not end the regular season on a high note.

In the second game of their series against No. 7 Florida on Thursday night at Reed Arena, the Aggies were unable to capture the victory. Despite some positive signs, particularly for sophomore opposite hitter Treyaunna Rush, A&M dropped its fifth straight match.

Set one: Florida, 25-19

The Aggies got off to a rocky start during the opening set, giving the Gators the first point off a pass into the net from junior outside hitter and setter Camryn Ennis. Set one then became a back-and-forth affair, with a total of five ties and two lead changes throughout. However, Florida was able to take the first set off of a kill from redshirt junior Lauren Forte.

A&M head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said the Aggies tried to put up a fight but were let down by a lack of consistency.

“We had glimpses and had that fight, but we were learning and growing like everyone has this year,” Kuhn said. “It is frustrating when you know you have it and you are so close but you can’t be consistent. We have to really focus on growing as a group along with that competitive chemistry to be consistent.”

Set two: Texas A&M, 27-25

A&M was able to narrowly defeat the Gators in set two. The Aggies tried to build momentum but were unable to fully establish themselves until the end of the set. A&M got within one point of Florida at 14-13, however, the Gators regained steam after a timeout. After a series of ties, the Aggies were able to put the set down at 27-25 off of a kill from Rush.

Set three: Florida, 25-17

The Aggies were unable to keep up their consistency and momentum in a third set that saw six ties but only two lead changes. With the Gators in the lead at 24-17, Florida concluded the set with a service ace to go up 2-1 in the match. 

Set four: Florida, 25-13

Set four marked the end of the Aggies’ regular season. Once again, the first point went to Florida, but A&M fought hard to make it 9-6 early in the final set. The Aggies managed to put 13 points on the board, but the set and regular season for A&M concluded when Florida’s junior outside hitter Thayer Hall nailed a kill.

Rush led the way for A&M in kills with 13, while sophomore outside hitter Lauren Davis followed with nine.

“I think Treyaunna [Rush] figured it out after the first half of set one,” Kuhn said. “She was our spark, and she trusted her arm. Her consistency has been up and down for us this year, and her getting a glimpse of feeling that spark again was huge for her and our team.”

The Aggies finish the regular season with a 9-9 record.