The Texas A&M volleyball team has hit a rough patch of late by losing its last four matches, including the SEC home opener last Sunday against Missouri.
The Aggies (3-6, SEC 0-2) travel to Athens Friday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs (11-4, 1-1 SEC) are coming off a loss to Auburn in three sets.
“They have a system, with having a new coach, the players know how to fit well and execute in their system. It’s definitely going to be a challenge on Friday, you have to play a smart calculated game, when you play the system they have.” said Aggie coach Laura Corbelli.
Georgia is led by freshman outside hitters Rachel Ritchie and T’ara Ceasar. They’re both topping the SEC in scoring. Ritchie is at number five with a 4.75 average and is leading the team in kills with 205. Ceasar is at number three in scoring in the SEC with an average of 4.95 points per set and is leading the team in service aces with 24. She also was the Freshman of the Week for the third time on Monday. In his first year, Georgia’s head coach is Tom Black; he’s spent the seven previous years at Loyola Marymount.
“They have some outside hitters who are getting majority of their sets, who know how to hit the ball and hit it very hard,” Corbelli said. “They spread out their offense occasionally but just enough to keep on your toes to know who’s getting the ball and you have to be patient and try to limit unforced errors.”
A&M has had its way with Georgia the last nine meetings including winning all six since joining the SEC. The last time these teams met they played last November at Reed Arena and the Aggies won out in three sets.
“They have a lot of young talent that have come in and they have a new coach, but we have them on film and are prepared to make adjustments and do the same thing as last year to come away with a win,” said senior outside-hitter Kiara McGee.
McGee is one the Aggies top scorers with an average of 2.67 points per set and 72 Kills. They’re also led by sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans, who leads the team in every offensive category including a team-leading 130 kills.
Though the Aggies have been struggling as a of late and are considered to having the toughest strength of schedule according to volleytalk.com, Corbelli is hoping to get back on the right track against Georgia.
“We just need a solid performance, from every position, we need a confidant, well followed game plan going into this matchup; its time to get back to the nucleus and get rolling again,” she said.
The match will tip off at the Ramsey Center on Friday at 7 p.m. in Athens, Georgia.
