Texas A&M volleyball sweeps A&M-Corpus Christi in home opener, 3-0

Texas A&M volleyball swept the Corpus Christi Islanders on Monday afternoon at the Reed Arena home opener, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20.

London Austin-Roark had a career-high in kills (12) and service aces (4), while Destiny Cox put up 13 kills and three blocks. Macy Carrabine recorded 21 digs and four assists as libero.

“We never take 3-0 wins for granted,” said Texas A&M head coach Bird Kuhn postgame. “I think there will always be things that we need to clean up and be better at, but it’s awesome to be back.”

The Aggies, who are home following a 2-2 road trip, began the match with shaky footing at the top of the first set. The Islanders scored five points with little pushback as the Aggies trailed for the majority of the set.

TexAgs

Cox led the Aggies with 13 kills on .433 attacking.

The opening set was close as the Aggies struggled to regain a lead until they reached a tie at 20-20. Cox hit multiple kills to pull the team ahead and into a first-set victory.

“This group, we can be slow starters sometimes. Even though the team has energy, it feels like they often need to settle into the vibe of the game,” Kuhn said. “Sometimes it takes us calling a timeout to settle into the match, but hopefully, as we go along, it’s going to click for them.”

A&M took the momentum and carried it through the second set, where they scored four points off the break. The Islanders hit a double block to bring the score to 9-6 and kept the set tight until a timeout at 20-20. After the break, the Aggies score five consecutive points to win, 25-20.

The third set highlighted Texas A&M’s communication abilities and energy as they completed the sweep, putting up three service aces and four blocks to bring the match to a close.

“I think one thing that’s a strength of the team this year is that we’re really physical, and so I think we can use that in games to be a force against opponents,” Cox said of A&M’s eight blocks and strong defensive play.

The sweep is an exciting start to the home season, and the Aggies felt the arena's energy during the game.

“I think sweeping a team 3-0 is big for us, but we can’t set limits for ourselves,” Austin-Roark said. “I think it’s a taste of what we can do, but it’s just fuel for our fire right now.”

The Aggies host the Texas A&M Invitational this weekend. First serve against Houston is at 6 p.m. on Friday.