Sunday, November 19
College Station
11 a.m.
Texas A&M
8-15, 5-11SEC
3
vs
0
South Carolina
12-16, 5-11SEC
1
2
3
F
South Carolina
18
19
18
0
Texas A&M
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
Volleyball Sweeps South Carolina on Senior Day
Nov 19, 2017 | Volleyball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M's four seniors, Gabby Litwin, Kiara McGee, Ashlie Reasor and Amy Nettles, capped their final appearance at Reed Arena by leading the Aggies to a 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 victory over South Carolina on Senior Day as the team closed out the home portion of its season schedule.
McGee led the charge and finished with match highs of 17 points and 15 kills while hitting .433 as the Aggies ended a five-match losing skid to improve to 8-15, including 5-11 in SEC matches.
Mikayla Robinson had eight kills to lead the Gamecocks, who fall to 12-16 overall and 5-11 in SEC contests.
South Carolina would score the opening point in every set, but A&M, with all four seniors in the starting lineup for the first time this season, wasted little time taking over the lead and pulling away as they outhit the Gamecocks, .312 to .085, and led in kills, 42-29.
Texas A&M held an 11-6 lead in the opening set, forcing South Carolina to call a timeout. The Gamecocks came out the timeout and outscored A&M, 6-1, to tie the score at 12-12 before sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans put the Aggies ahead for good with a kill. South Carolina later was within 18-17, but an attack error and back-to-back kills by A&M sophomore middle blocker Maddie Douglas put the Aggies ahead, 21-17. South Carolina's Abreia Epps put down an A&M overpass for a kill to put the Gamecocks within 21-18, but it would be their final point. Hans and freshman setter Camille Conner connected on consecutive kills, and Reasor followed with an ace to put A&M at set point. South Carolina, outhit .276 to .133 in the set, then had an attack error to close out the frame.
The Gamecocks rallied from an 11-5 deficit in the second to get within 13-12, but McGee came through with a perfectly placed off-speed campfire kill to keep the Aggies in the lead. The kill was the start of an 8-2 run that gave A&M its largest lead, 21-14. The Gamecocks, who were outhit, .281 to .029 in the set, attempted a comeback, outscoring A&M 5-2 to get within 23-19. After an A&M timeout, Douglas put the Aggies at set point with a kill, and Hans followed with a kill from the back row to clinch the set and give the Aggies a 2-0 lead in the match.
South Carolina scored the first three points and took its largest lead of the match at the start of the third set, but A&M countered with a 6-0 run to take over the lead. The Gamecocks managed to tie the score five times, the last coming at 15-15, but for the second time after tying the score, South Carolina committed a service error. It was the start of another 6-0 run by the Aggies, with Reasor getting two kills and junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake and McGee also contributing a kill apiece during the scoring streak that put A&M ahead, 21-15. South Carolina ended the run with a kill and a block to get within 21-17, but back-to-back kills by Blake and McGee as well as a block by Douglas and Hans put the Aggies at match point. South Carolina, which was outhit, .371 to .095 in the set, staved off one match point with a kill of the block before Hans came through with her ninth kill of the match to close out the victory.
McGee had eight kills in the final set alone to propel her to her seventh consecutive match with double-figure kills. She also had 11 digs to notch her third double-double of the season. Reasor finished with a team-high and a personal season-high 12 digs, and Nettles also posted double-digit digs with 11 as A&M outdug the Gamecocks, 52-36.
A&M, which honored its seniors at the conclusion of the match, closes out the season with a pair of road matches this week. The Aggies take on Mississippi State in Starkville on Wednesday at the Newell-Grissom Building. The time of the match has been changed to 3 p.m. A&M swept the Bulldogs when the teams met in College Station on Oct. 8.
A&M concludes the season at Alabama on Saturday. The start time has been changed to 12 p.m. at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa. The match marks the only meeting between the two teams this season.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
TEXAS A&M POSTMATCH QUOTES:
HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
On the way the seniors played…
"It was amazing to be able to just find a way to get them all on the floor to start and play most of the time. I was really impressed. Ashlie [Reasor] hasn't played in the back row very much in her career, much less this year; she just killed it back there. She just has a beautiful platform. I always knew that, and I didn't have any doubts, but I think that it was really fun to have her out there the whole time. With Kiara [McGee] on fire, Amy [Nettles] on fire, and Gabby [Litwin] doing some awesome things, it was just a real satisfying finish to Reed Arena this season, and I'm super proud at the moment."
On South Carolina...
"I'm really grateful that they agreed to play at brunch time because it's not easy to fly in, get up on the road and play the next morning. They didn't practice here, so I was really grateful that they agreed to do this. They have some really physical kids, and they played great defense."
On today's match…
"I think we've been working really hard on our blocking, and you could see our left fronts really did a great job behind their setter. Any of the sets that they set back there, our left fronts were on-target with their blocking. I thought our defense was really well-placed and they stuck to their assignments. I think we had a few spurts of some passing issues, but for the most part I thought our passing was on target and Camille [Conner] got to really do her thing. We have a couple of plays that have really come along and are really difficult to stop, and we were able to run those a lot today. I was really pleased, and I think even when they got a run on us for a while in a couple of sets, we were up a lot and when they made a run, we never freaked out. We didn't back off. We just kept executing, so that was really fun to watch."
SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER KIARA MCGEE
On playing so well in her last match at Reed…
"We know how we want to go out and what statement we want to leave. It's our last game at Reed Arena, so I was just going out there and playing my hardest and getting in the best position possible to hit every ball. I just felt good."
On playing all six rotations to stay on the court the entire match…
"It was a good feeling. I was playing all the way around in practice, so I know the position and what I need to do. And we scouted them pretty well, so I knew the positions I needed to be at. I honestly just went out there and played. I didn't even put a second thought into it."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR OPPOSITE ASHLIE REASOR
On getting to play in her final match at Reed...
"It was surreal and awesome. It was just really fun to end my career at Reed Arena like that. Being able to serve and play defense, yeah I get a little emotional. It was a day that I will never forget that's for sure."
On being out on the court in a stressful situation...
"I think my adrenalin is still pumping, so I feel good. I'm just really excited that I got to play with the three other seniors. That was great and I was really thankful for that, just to be able to be out there with them."
McGee led the charge and finished with match highs of 17 points and 15 kills while hitting .433 as the Aggies ended a five-match losing skid to improve to 8-15, including 5-11 in SEC matches.
Mikayla Robinson had eight kills to lead the Gamecocks, who fall to 12-16 overall and 5-11 in SEC contests.
South Carolina would score the opening point in every set, but A&M, with all four seniors in the starting lineup for the first time this season, wasted little time taking over the lead and pulling away as they outhit the Gamecocks, .312 to .085, and led in kills, 42-29.
Texas A&M held an 11-6 lead in the opening set, forcing South Carolina to call a timeout. The Gamecocks came out the timeout and outscored A&M, 6-1, to tie the score at 12-12 before sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans put the Aggies ahead for good with a kill. South Carolina later was within 18-17, but an attack error and back-to-back kills by A&M sophomore middle blocker Maddie Douglas put the Aggies ahead, 21-17. South Carolina's Abreia Epps put down an A&M overpass for a kill to put the Gamecocks within 21-18, but it would be their final point. Hans and freshman setter Camille Conner connected on consecutive kills, and Reasor followed with an ace to put A&M at set point. South Carolina, outhit .276 to .133 in the set, then had an attack error to close out the frame.
The Gamecocks rallied from an 11-5 deficit in the second to get within 13-12, but McGee came through with a perfectly placed off-speed campfire kill to keep the Aggies in the lead. The kill was the start of an 8-2 run that gave A&M its largest lead, 21-14. The Gamecocks, who were outhit, .281 to .029 in the set, attempted a comeback, outscoring A&M 5-2 to get within 23-19. After an A&M timeout, Douglas put the Aggies at set point with a kill, and Hans followed with a kill from the back row to clinch the set and give the Aggies a 2-0 lead in the match.
South Carolina scored the first three points and took its largest lead of the match at the start of the third set, but A&M countered with a 6-0 run to take over the lead. The Gamecocks managed to tie the score five times, the last coming at 15-15, but for the second time after tying the score, South Carolina committed a service error. It was the start of another 6-0 run by the Aggies, with Reasor getting two kills and junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake and McGee also contributing a kill apiece during the scoring streak that put A&M ahead, 21-15. South Carolina ended the run with a kill and a block to get within 21-17, but back-to-back kills by Blake and McGee as well as a block by Douglas and Hans put the Aggies at match point. South Carolina, which was outhit, .371 to .095 in the set, staved off one match point with a kill of the block before Hans came through with her ninth kill of the match to close out the victory.
McGee had eight kills in the final set alone to propel her to her seventh consecutive match with double-figure kills. She also had 11 digs to notch her third double-double of the season. Reasor finished with a team-high and a personal season-high 12 digs, and Nettles also posted double-digit digs with 11 as A&M outdug the Gamecocks, 52-36.
A&M, which honored its seniors at the conclusion of the match, closes out the season with a pair of road matches this week. The Aggies take on Mississippi State in Starkville on Wednesday at the Newell-Grissom Building. The time of the match has been changed to 3 p.m. A&M swept the Bulldogs when the teams met in College Station on Oct. 8.
A&M concludes the season at Alabama on Saturday. The start time has been changed to 12 p.m. at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa. The match marks the only meeting between the two teams this season.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
TEXAS A&M POSTMATCH QUOTES:
HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
On the way the seniors played…
"It was amazing to be able to just find a way to get them all on the floor to start and play most of the time. I was really impressed. Ashlie [Reasor] hasn't played in the back row very much in her career, much less this year; she just killed it back there. She just has a beautiful platform. I always knew that, and I didn't have any doubts, but I think that it was really fun to have her out there the whole time. With Kiara [McGee] on fire, Amy [Nettles] on fire, and Gabby [Litwin] doing some awesome things, it was just a real satisfying finish to Reed Arena this season, and I'm super proud at the moment."
On South Carolina...
"I'm really grateful that they agreed to play at brunch time because it's not easy to fly in, get up on the road and play the next morning. They didn't practice here, so I was really grateful that they agreed to do this. They have some really physical kids, and they played great defense."
On today's match…
"I think we've been working really hard on our blocking, and you could see our left fronts really did a great job behind their setter. Any of the sets that they set back there, our left fronts were on-target with their blocking. I thought our defense was really well-placed and they stuck to their assignments. I think we had a few spurts of some passing issues, but for the most part I thought our passing was on target and Camille [Conner] got to really do her thing. We have a couple of plays that have really come along and are really difficult to stop, and we were able to run those a lot today. I was really pleased, and I think even when they got a run on us for a while in a couple of sets, we were up a lot and when they made a run, we never freaked out. We didn't back off. We just kept executing, so that was really fun to watch."
SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER KIARA MCGEE
On playing so well in her last match at Reed…
"We know how we want to go out and what statement we want to leave. It's our last game at Reed Arena, so I was just going out there and playing my hardest and getting in the best position possible to hit every ball. I just felt good."
On playing all six rotations to stay on the court the entire match…
"It was a good feeling. I was playing all the way around in practice, so I know the position and what I need to do. And we scouted them pretty well, so I knew the positions I needed to be at. I honestly just went out there and played. I didn't even put a second thought into it."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR OPPOSITE ASHLIE REASOR
On getting to play in her final match at Reed...
"It was surreal and awesome. It was just really fun to end my career at Reed Arena like that. Being able to serve and play defense, yeah I get a little emotional. It was a day that I will never forget that's for sure."
On being out on the court in a stressful situation...
"I think my adrenalin is still pumping, so I feel good. I'm just really excited that I got to play with the three other seniors. That was great and I was really thankful for that, just to be able to be out there with them."
Saw 'Em Off after a Senior Day win over South Carolina. #12thMan pic.twitter.com/fknDCz1bs3
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) November 19, 2017
"It's been a great time, to share this experience with them." - @glit_13 on the 2017 senior class#12thMan pic.twitter.com/5jvHurA7IE
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) November 19, 2017
"I'm really happy we could do this for them." - Kaitlyn Blake on getting the win for the seniors on Senior Day#12thMan pic.twitter.com/R5vfVcuICn
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) November 19, 2017
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Team Stats
SC
TAMU
Kills
29
42
Errors
20
12
Attempts
106
96
Hitting %
.085
.313
Points
41.0
54.0
Assists
24
39
Aces
7
5
Blocks
5.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OPP
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Media Availability: Ifenna Cos-Okpalla
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Sunday, December 21
