The Texas A&M volleyball team ended their non-conference schedule with two losses to the Oklahoma Sooners and one win against the Northwestern State Demons at the OU Nike Invitational in the McCasland Field House on Friday and Saturday.
A&M lost its first match of the tournament against the Oklahoma on Friday. Both teams fought hard, with the Sooners winning sets 1 and 4, as the Aggies claimed sets 2 and 3. Ultimately, in a nail-biting fifth set, A&M lost the set 16-14.
Service errors were a major component of the Aggies’ downfall, adding up a costly total of 20. However, this loss is not to overshadow the players’ stellar performances. Junior outside hitter Hollann Hans had 22 kills and 13 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Samantha Sanders had 12 kills. Also noteworthy was sophomore setter Camille Conner, who had 46 assists and 12 digs.
A&M’s first Saturday game was against Northwestern State in which the Aggies came out victorious, 3-1. The Aggies dominated in every phase of the game. Once again, junior outside hitter Hollann Hans stood out with 21 kills and 2 blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Makena Patterson had 11 kills and 2 blocks and senior libero Amy Houser had 21 digs.
The final match of the tournament was a rematch against Oklahoma. The Aggies came out strong in the first set with 17 kills; they went on to win the set 25-12. After the first set, A&M fell out of sync and lost the next three sets. Similar to the first game against the Sooners, A&M had numerous errors during the last set. The Sooners scored four consecutive points as a result of these errors.
Despite the loss, there was still a number of solid plays from the Aggies. Freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark, an all-tournament selection, led the way with 11 kills. Junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer made 10 kills and 2 blocks, while Hollann Hans was selected for the all-tournament team. This match marked the end of the Aggies’ non-conference play.
A&M head coach Laura Kuhn said their experience in the tournament will help ease the transition to conference play.
“Every match is a learning experience,” Kuhn told 12thMan.com. “We will build on the good and get back in the gym Monday, focused on getting better.”
The Oklahoma Sooners went on to win their own tournament, going 3-0.
Southeastern Conference play for the Aggies starts on Wednesday at Reed Arena, where they will take on Arkansas. First serve is at 7 p.m. and the match will be televised on the SEC Network.