The Texas A&M volleyball team got back into the win column Friday night with a 3-0 win over the Auburn Tigers. The Aggies move to 11-7 on the season and 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
“That’s great, coming home and to have them execute our grind mentality and earning points,” head coach Laura Kuhn said. “Those were the things we focused on this week, so that was big for us.”
A&M had struggled offensively in the games prior, but it looked as if those worries were laid to rest. The Aggies recorded a season-high hitting percentage of .424 against the Tigers, with junior Hollann Hans notching a .444. Sophomore Makena Patterson earned the team’s highest percentage with .643.
Hans also added 16 kills, making this her fifth consecutive game with over 10 kills.
“It was a great team win tonight,” Hans said. “Coming off of two losses, we didn’t let it discourage us. We worked even harder in the gym and came back and showed what we can do.”
Senior libero Amy Houser notched her 10th consecutive game with double-figure digs, racking up 14.
The Aggies won the first set 25-19 with a kill by Camille Conner. The Aggies matched the Tigers point for point through the beginning of the set, but were able to get the ball rolling with a 4-0 run to take a 9-5 lead.
The Tigers tried to retake the lead and tied the set four times after the Aggies earned the lead, but A&M battled each time to keep control of the lead.
Things looked significantly better for A&M in the second set. The Aggies went out to an early 4-0 lead and kept the Tigers at bay throughout, only allowing them to pull within two points. The set ended 25-17.
The Aggies struggled throughout the third set, committing eight errors. The Aggies took the lead to kick off the set, but the Tiger remained in step before taking an 11-10 lead. The Aggies remained just a few points behind Auburn until a Tiger error allowed A&M to take a 21-20 lead.
Hans notched the final three kills of the night to end the set 25-21 and give the Aggies the 3-0 win.
The Aggies will take on Georgia on Sunday at the Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia.