Texas A&M volleyball will return home this week and add another chapter to the A&M-UT rivalry, as they prepare to host No. 6 University of Texas Wednesday night at Reed Arena.
This matchup marks the first meeting between the two teams in College Station, since A&M left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference in 2012. The last time the two teams met on the court was last September and Texas defeated A&M in Austin in straight sets.
Last week, Aggies split their games at the HotelRed Invitational, defeating Lipscomb University in four sets, and losing to Wisconsin in straight sets. A&M looks to finally defeat a ranked opponent since all three of their losses have come to teams ranked in the Top Ten or higher.
A trio of new faces has emerged as key players for the A&M line up. Freshmen setter Camille Conner and middle blocker Makena Patterson have started all six of the Aggies’ games so far. Freshman outside hitter Samantha Sanders has played a major role in the group, playing on both sides of the ball as the Aggies’ starting defensive specialist in the front row.
Sophomore Hollann Hans continues to build off her strong freshman year and is fourth in the SEC with 0.48 aces per set. Hans is also fifth in the SEC with 4.05 kills and 4.76 points per set.
The Longhorns come into College Station with a record of 6-2, and coming off a 2-1 weekend. Which includes their first loss at home against No. 1 Minnesota which ended the Horns’ six-game win streak.
The Longhorns boast a strong line up including freshman Lexi Sun, who led her team with 19 kills this past weekend. Sun also leads the team in average kills and points per set at 3.67 and 4.33, respectively.
Senior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu leads Texas and the Big 12 in blocks with 1.64 per set. As a team, Texas leads the nation with 3.39 blocks per set.
The rivalry matchup is set to start Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in Reed Arena.