The Texas A&M volleyball team swept (25-17, 25-20, 25-22) the Auburn Tigers in a bounce-back win on Wednesday at Reed Arena. The Aggies’ 3-0 victory extends their series win streak against the Tigers to nine.
Senior outside hitter Hollann Hans led the Aggies as she tallied her third consecutive double-double. Hans registered 14 kills, 11 digs and 18 total points in the contest. Junior middle blocker Makena Patterson added nine kills and nine points, and junior setter Camille Conner provided 28 assists and eight digs in her performance.
After the match, sophomore middle blocker Mallory Talbert said she felt a different energy from the team after a loss to LSU on Sunday.
“I think we were all just really excited to get a chance to be back here,” Talbert said. “It was a really quick turn around. But I definitely think that everyone is a little bit more excited to get back in the gym these next few days, to take some time and then come back and literally, beat the hell out of the next team.”
A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said the team has to keep its momentum and keep building from each game as the season goes on.
“We talk about this all the time, you have to learn,” Kuhn said. “Everything is an experience and we’ll never take a 3-0 win for granted.”
At the opening of the match and the first set, neither team was able to gain much of an advantage before a couple of Tiger offensive errors and a pair of kills from Patterson put the Aggies up 14-9. Two consecutive attack errors from Auburn forced the Tigers into a timeout, but they could not overcome A&M’s offensive streak through the end of the set. Back-to-back kills from Hans guided the Aggies to their 25-17 set win.
The Aggies started the second set right where they left off, after an Auburn attack error and a kill from freshman opposite hitter Treyaunna Rush for the 2-0 lead. The teams were tied multiple times through the set before the Tigers were able to get their first lead after three consecutive kills.
Kills by Talbert and freshman outside hitter Lauren Davis and two service aces from Hans allowed the Aggies to rebuild their lead to 17-15, forcing Auburn to call a timeout. After the break, the Tigers managed to get within a point, but the Aggies continued to roll offensively behind kills from Patterson and Davis. Auburn couldn’t capitalize on A&M’s attacking faults as the Aggies closed out the 25-20 set on back-to-back Tiger errors.
A&M got off to a quick start in the third set, with a couple of kills from Hans and Davis along with an Auburn attack error for a 5-1 edge. Midway through the set, the Aggies had four consecutive attack errors that led to the first lead change of the set and forced A&M into a timeout at 13-12.
Following the break, another kill by Hans and two service aces from Conner regained the lead for the Aggies as they held on to it for the remainder of the match. Back-to-back kills from Conner and freshman outside hitter Ciera Hecht allowed the Aggies to close out the 25-22 set and complete the sweep.
Kuhn said the Aggies needed the win in order to reset and focus on the remainder of the season.
“Even when we play really well, there’s things that we want to get better at,” Kuhn said. “So, we for sure need to execute at a higher level. Whether that’s defensively or offensively … Just getting them back in their groove and competing the way we have been all season, this time is going to be good for us.”
The Aggies will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Nov. 22 at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.