Volleyball does a Texas-two-step
VCU volleyball went two-for-three over the weekend, winning their first two matchups at the Texas A&M Invitational before falling to Texas A&M University itself to end their run in the tournament. Sophomore middle blocker Jasmin Sneed proved to be one of the stars of the series, tallying 14 blocks and 15 kills for the Black and Gold.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M held off the Rams to win the invitational title in front of a home crowd of almost 1,000 with the hosts pinning the Rams down to a .116 hitting percentage after three sets.
Senior outside hitter Alicia Kandler led the Rams in hitting percentage at .304, and sophomore outside hitter Vicky Giommarini notched seven kills and six digs to help out the Black and Gold.
Senior libero Rebekah Strange was able to record seven digs for the Rams, earning the title of ‘Best Libero’ for the entire tournament. Although the Rams jumped out to a pair of early leads, the Aggies battled back to sweep all three sets, hitting .314 or higher in each one.
“I think this was a good experience for our girls,” said coach Jody Rogers. “Texas A&M is a very good team and this will help us get better so that when conference season comes around, we’re ready to contend for a championship.”
Sam Houston State
The Black and Gold dominated the Sam Houston State Bearkats Saturday morning, winning three sets to one, with the only loss coming by a mere two points.
VCU hit .278 during the match, with sophomore setter Dajah Ard tallying an impressive 13 kills and 25 assists and junior opposite hitter Julia Adler hitting .500 and notching eight kills.
Giommarini also registered 10 kills against Sam Houston State, and Sneed added seven of her own to the team’s total. VCU continued their strong first matches of the season, improving their record to 2-0 for the first time since 2013.
Strange collected 12 digs to reach the milestone of 1,300 in her career, ranking seventh on the all-time list of Rams and just thirteen shy of Marisa Low for sixth.
Texas State
The Bobcats of Texas State University were unable to keep up with the Rams’ stellar play, as VCU shut them out Friday evening. The Black and Gold edged Texas State in the first two sets and then proceeded to run away with the third set, winning by 13 points.
The Rams out-blocked the Bobcats 15-4, as their size on the front line provided a massive obstacle to Texas State. After the Bobcats hit a worrisome .250 in the opening set, the Rams retaliated by holding them to a -.36 percentage over the rest of the match.
Sneed and sophomore opposite hitter Gina Tuzzolo were the stars of the match, combining for 18 kills and 13 blocks. Sneed, playing in her home state, tallied a .538 hitting percentage with eight kills, plaguing the Bobcats with her nine blocks.
Tuzzolo continued her stellar run from her freshman year with 10 kills and 4 blocks.
The Black and Gold return to the court Tuesday, Aug. 29, for their home opener against the College of William and Mary.
Adam Cheek
Contributing Writer
