By: Shelby Hild, Athletics Communications
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Texas A&M (2-2) volleyball team powered past Cal Poly (1-3) in five sets Wednesday night, snapping the longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division I volleyball.
The Mustangs had previously won 32-consecutive home matches, going undefeated at Mott Athletics Center the last three seasons, and had not lost a home match since October 28, 2016.
Lauren Davis fell a kill shy of matching a career high, finishing with a season-best 19 hitting at a .268 clip. Fellow junior Morgan Christon added 18 in the Aggie effort, turning in a team-best .359 hitting percentage. Setter Camille Conner recorded a double-double, finishing with 47 assists and 10 digs, while the Aggies turned in 13 team blocks with London Austin-Roark leading the way with seven block assists.
Cal Poly raced out to an early advantage, opening the match on a 10-3 run. A block on the outside by Treyaunna Rush and Austin-Roark aided in the Aggies’ efforts to cut the deficit to four, trailing 16-12 midway through the set. The Mustangs jumped back out to a seven-point lead, before Morgan Christon’s fourth kill spoiled set point. Another stuff by Rush and Austin-Roark kept the frame alive, until Cal Poly sealed it, 25-19.
It was a back-and-forth battle to start the second set, as Davis’ match-leading ninth kill broke the seventh tie of the frame for an 11-10 advantage. A 5-0 run by the Mustangs helped the home team break open scoring, before a Rush kill ended the spree. Davis’ third 10+ kill performance in four matches brought the Aggies back within one. For the second-straight set, Christon ruined set point for the Mustangs. A block by Mallory Talbert and Conner gave A&M the one-point edge in the extended frame, before another kill from Davis gave the Aggies the 29-27 win.
A pair of four-point runs in the third highlighted a 12-5 lead for the Aggies. Cal Poly responded with a run of its own to knot the score at 14-all. Austin-Roark matched a season high performance with her fifth kill to give A&M the one-point edge, while Camryn Ennis’ third service ace extended the lead. Another kill on the slide by Austin-Roark leveled the set at 20-all, but the Mustangs slipped past the Aggies, 26-24.
The Maroon & White chipped away at a deficit to jump ahead 8-7 in the fourth. Davis notched a season-high 16 kills to give A&M a slim 13-11 lead midway through the set. The Aggies took their largest lead, sitting at a 19-14 cushion, behind kills from Rush and Christon, as well as A&M’s 10th block. Christon’s 16th kill carried the Aggies to set point, before a service error by the Mustangs handed A&M the set, 25-20.
In the race to 15, Christon’s season-high 17th kill knot the score early. A pair of miscues midway through the set helped A&M jump out in front. Back-to-back stuffs in a five-point run gave the Aggies an 11-7 advantage. Two more errors by Cal Poly pushed the Maroon & White ahead by six, while a pair of kills from Conner won it 15-11 for A&M.
The Maroon & White is set to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for its home opener on Monday, September 6. First serve between the Aggies and the Islanders is scheduled for 2 p.m.
BIRD BITS
Laura ‘Bird’ Kuhn, Texas A&M Head Coach
On snapping longest home streak in NCAA…
“It’s been proven that it’s a tough place to play and that’s exactly why we bring our team on the road this early in the season. It’s a great experience for them. Tonight, we showed what you can do when you execute and respond. The team found a way to grind and earn points when we needed to.”
On the fight of the team in the second set…
“The team found their fight and it was the first set where we earned points to finish. That feeling is significant for any team and can really help you down the stretch.”
On Camille Conner’s leadership…
“Camille’s leadership is consistent, and she always finds a way to make an impact in key moments. Her steadiness is a vibe that the team feeds off of and you can see that.”
On Lauren Davis and Morgan Christon’s offensive production…
“The combination of their performances allowed us to continue to earn points, because of their choices and play on balls during long rallies. We talked to them about being consistent and knowing when to take big swings, and I thought you saw that tonight.”