The tone was set from the first serve. This was going to be a nip-and-tuck matchThe scores in the opening set between Kentucky and Texas A&M went from 0-0 to 10-10 to 20-20. Neither the Wildcats nor the Aggies led by more than two all set.It was exactly what Craig Skinner expected.”We knew it was going to be a battle,” Skinner said.The Cats knew everything they needed to about A&M. The Aggies started Southeastern Conference play 3-7, but had rebounded and lost just one set it the last two weeks to climb back above .500.”We knew they were on a five-game streak, so we knew what they could do,” senior Whitney Billings said. “We knew they were going to bring it and they did.”Knowing that, it seemed a certainty Friday’s match would come down to end-of-set execution, but not quite to this extreme. All three sets in Kentucky’s dramatic sweep of Texas A&M were decided by two points — the minimum for a volleyball match — and two went beyond regulation.  And when points counted most, the Cats were at their best.”Our kids were better executing under pressure than we were at the beginning and middle of all three sets,” Skinner said. “I’m proud of that.”The third set was the most dramatic example, as UK found itself in a 23-20 hole with A&M just two points away from forcing a fourth set. With a combination of tough serving, well-placed attacks and a sturdy block, the Cats won six of the next seven points to close out the victory.  “I just like the way we kept our composure,” Billings said. “We didn’t freak out that we were down a couple points and we pulled through.”Billings was central to that effort, tallying three kills in the match-deciding run. The senior, like much of her team, struggled with errors in the first and second set, but came on the final frame to hit .545 and register seven of her match-high 15 kills.”The thing that Whitney did best: She went for everything,” Skinner said. “That was as aggressive as I’ve ever seen her offensively and she made some errors, but she had some big-time kills when we needed it and made plays at the net. That’s all you can ask for.”All season, the Cats have shown a knack for raising their game when it matters most. Set-ending spurts have become the norm and UK now boats a 15-10 record in sets decided by the minimum of two points. As with pretty much everything else, that starts on the practice floor.”We have a lot of drills that we’re down and the other side is ahead and we have to come back and win and there’s usually something on the line for it,” Billings said.Billings named taking down and setting up the nets for practice as one set of possible stakes.”No one wants to do that,” Billings said.However UK has become so effective at the end of sets, it bodes well as the Cats out the regular season and prepares for the NCAA Tournament.”It’s important,” Skinner said. “Every team we play from here on out is very good. And so you expect to be in sets after 20 in close games and you’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable and we definitely were that tonight.”UK will have to be “comfortable being uncomfortable” on Sunday with Missouri coming to town. The fourth-ranked Tigers are the nation’s lone unbeaten team at 32-0 and clinched the SEC Championship as UK was playing Texas A&M on Friday.”Well, we gotta get rest and get refocused,” Skinner said. “We’ll go through the game plan tomorrow on Missouri. They’re obviously a great team. We gotta go for it, we gotta play well and let the chips fall where they may. But I like this team, I like how hard we play and I know we’ll give Missouri everything that we can.”Adding fuel to the fire on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET is the fact that UK will bid farewell to the class of Billings, Alexandra Morgan, Jessi Greenberg and Desirre’ Wilkerson with Senior Day festivities. “It’s going to be sad,” Billings said. “It’s not our last match at home (UK faces Florida on Wednesday), but just knowing that it’s senior night, it’s going to be a little emotional.”Skinner isn’t hiding from that fact.”There will be emotions flying everywhere,” Skinner said. “It’s a good thing though. You can’t really anticipate what’ll happen the first part of the first set, but as long as we just keep our composure and stay focused and have tunnel vision through each point, we’ll give ourselves a great chance to be successful.”And if it comes down to the final points, don’t bet against Kentucky.