We have our freedom back | Sports | thebatt.com – Texas A&M The Battalion

Due to NCAA guidelines, athletes cannot have contact with their coaches during the summer offseason. However, this has not held Texas A&M volleyball back from preparing for the return to a normal season.

Senior libero Allison Fields said the team has been voluntarily exercising and conducting open gyms in College Station since June 1.

Workouts have been awesome because it has been our choice to be in the gym, Fields said. The past year, we have been on a leash with where we can go and what we can do, but we have our freedom back in a way.

Despite missing out on the NCAA tournament in 2020, coach Laura Bird Kuhn believes players are better prepared for the 2021 season. Kuhn said the team fully understands the expectations and level of play needed to be more successful in the fall.

Having a 9-9 record is not where we want to be at the end of the season. However, our young players gained a lot of experience, and we grew significantly as a whole, Kuhn said. Our goal going into next season is knowing the expectations of where we want to be and knowing as individuals, and as a team, what that takes.

Senior middle blocker Mallory Talbert finished last season leading the Aggies in blocks, blocks per set and was second in kills. Talbert said maintaining the same intensity and pushing herself and her teammates to the best of their abilities will be important in repeating her success of last season.

It all goes back to the team. I work so hard for every other person on the team, for their success and the success of our team, Talbert said. I am capable of doing all of that because of everyone who has touched my life in the past and all my coaches and teammates who continue to touch my life and push me to the best of my ability.

The Aggies are going into the season with five seniors, all bringing different leadership roles to the team. Being a senior comes with a lot of responsibility, Talbert said, by having more experience than anyone on the court.

Alongside Fields and Talbert are libero Taylor Voss, middle blocker London Austin-Roark and outside hitter and setter Camryn Ennis. Fields said she wants to be a motivator and the best version of herself so she can lead the team.

None of that motivation or drive just comes from me, Fields said. Mallory Talbert and every single one of my teammates is on the court every day keeping each other accountable and making sure we are working our hardest and that motivates me to do the same.

Along with the five seniors, the team expects two players to exercise their extra year of eligibility from COVID-19 Camille Connor, who made the All-SEC team in 2019, and University of Denver transfer Macy Carrabine, who played libero for four years.

Kuhn said the depth of competition the Aggies have at each position will have a significant effect on their success this fall.

Mallory Talbert and London Austin-Roark are two veteran middles whose presence and personalities not just as middles on the court but as people [are] significant to the team, Kuhn said. Allison Fields is also a returning captain for us. She got injured near the end of last season. However, her rehab over the summer has been very successful. There is an undertone that she provides for this team that is unmatched.

The Aggies will be facing tough talent in the 2021 season, including a young and competitive Missouri squad and the No. 1 returning national champion, the University of Kentucky. Ensuring the Aggies are in top-shape for the tough upcoming season is key, Talbert said.

The weight room has also been the biggest help this summer because we didnt have that spring offseason to get stronger and tune things, Talbert said. We also have been doing a lot of conditioning because we are playing a lot of tough teams this fall and we need to outlast them during the season.

Reflecting on her past three years of playing for A&M, Talbert said one of her favorite memories was beating Rice during the 2019 postseason. Talbert recorded 10 kills and six blocks in the 3-1 win.

That game went into the thirties, and there was definitely a point during the game where we thought we were going home, Talbert said. We went all-out for each other, for the 12th Man and for what weve been working so hard for all season.

The Aggies first game of the season will be held Friday, Aug. 20 at Reed Arena against Baylor. A&M will host the Texas A&M Invitational Friday, Sept. 10 and will then face the University of Texas on Friday, Sept. 17 before its first conference game on Wednesday, Sept. 22 against Alabama.

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We have our freedom back | Sports | thebatt.com - Texas A&M The Battalion