Texas A&M Volleyball drops SEC home opener to Missouri, 3-1

Texas A&M dropped its SEC home opener to Missouri in four sets, 21-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-22, on Sunday at Reed Arena.

Hollann Hans led the match in kills and reached the 20-kill mark for the third time in her career, Camille Conner notched 25 assists and Amy Nettles recorded a match-high 15 digs.

“The adversity has been coming at us left and right the past two weeks, and I just think we’re really trying to find who we are on the court,” head coach Laurie Corbelli said after the match. “It leaves you with a team that has a lot of question marks in their heads. It’s unacceptable volleyball.”

The Aggies claimed the first set after they jumped out a 15-9 lead and scored three of the final five points to secure the victory.

The second set was a back-and-forth affair that featured nine ties and five lead changes. With the score tied, 14-14, the Aggies won four of the next five points to take an 18-15 lead, but Missouri responded with a run of its own to close the gap and scored the final four points to win the set.

Sophomore Maddie Douglas was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time of her career in hopes of sparking the struggling Aggies, and she came through with a nice performance. The Georgetown product’s six kills were second on the team and she also collected two aces.

“The number one thing I try to bring is energy,” Douglas said. “I think that’s something that’s super important. When we have our backs against the wall, it’s important that we don’t back down and we’re not passive. I just try to bring that competitive energy to the floor whenever I can.”

Missouri dominated the third set, scoring 14-of-16 points at one point, and then came out on top in a tightly contested fourth set to win the match.

"We're just looking for where to put our talent," said Corbelli, who tinkered with the Aggie lineup all afternoon. "We think we know where they're supposed to be, but when it's not working, you have to try other things."

The Aggies travel to Georgia on Friday, September 29, to take on the Bulldogs. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network +.