Texas A&M volleyball rolls to Sunday sweep of South Carolina

Texas A&M swept South Carolina (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) in three sets on Sunday afternoon, improving to 2-0 in SEC play.

Mallory Talbert forged ahead with nine kills and five block assists, while Camryn Ennis and London Austin-Roark each slammed eight kills to round out the Aggies’ offensive play. Setter Camille Conner dished out a match-high 32 assists.

“It felt good to be back at Reed and play in front of the 12th Man. This was our SEC home opener, but South Carolina is good,” said Texas A&M head coach Bird Kuhn postgame. “I was proud of how we executed defensively and offensively.”

The first set began with an intense back-and-forth as each team attempted to secure a lead. Consecutive Austin-Roark kills turned the tide in the Aggies’ favor, 17-15. The Gamecocks attempted a comeback at the end of the set, managing a three-point streak before a Talbert kill secured the set win for Texas A&M.

After a hard-fought battle, the Aggies managed a 25-22 win in the second set. The Gamecocks held the lead for most of the frame as a litany of early A&M errors kept the Aggies behind. Texas A&M found their footing at the 20-20 mark, with a Morgan Christon kill sealing the win.

The Aggies dominated the third set, coming off the break with a kill by Austin-Roark to set the stage for the frame. A four-point run led by Allison Fields behind the service line saw the Aggies push ahead.

Talbert took an offensive position this set with five total kills along with three kills and a service ace from Ennis to help the Aggies maintain a six-point edge. A South Carolina service error secured the A&M sweep, 25-18.

“I think Camryn (Ennis) did a great job stepping up and playing six-rotations on the right for us and really steadied us out. It was a collective team effort, but the balance was huge for us,” said Kuhn.

Postgame, players commented on the improvements they have noticed throughout the season, specifically the concentration they demonstrated throughout today’s game.

“Our coaches do a great job of giving us a game plan, and I think we were really dialed in on it this match,” said Talbert. “It shows with our execution, and knowing what they (South Carolina) want to do, and trying to shut that down so we can do the best we can.”

Texas A&M travels to Tennessee on Oct. 2 to take on the Volunteers in a two-game series. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m.