Texas A&M vs. Texas
Wednesday, April 4, 8 p.m.
Gregory Gym, Austin Texas
Free admission and parking
Television: Longhorn Network (Tyler Denning, Bailey Webster)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M volleyball team, under the direction of first-year head coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn, continues its spring exhibition season as the Aggies take a trip to Austin on Wednesday to face the Texas Longhorns.
The match begins at 8 p.m. at Gregory Gym, and parking and admission are free.
"I'm excited to see where we are at, where we have come over the last week and a half and how our team responds in that environment," said Kuhn, who faced the Longhorns in Big 12 Conference play every season during her seven-year stint as associate head coach at Kansas. "Texas is going to have a good crowd and the match is going to be on the Longhorn Network, so I think that game day experience is going to be good for this group, and I'm excited to see them in that atmosphere."
The Aggies opened the spring season at Rice on March 23 and dropped three of four sets.
"It was good to get to Rice and get in front of some people, so really right now we are checking our competitive confidence," Kuhn added. "We are seeing how this team can step up and what we are made of and where we are, like a measuring stick. We have a fun group. They really work and they can grind. It is just going to come down to execution, and that is something that we have been focused on since Rice, controlling the ball on our side and what we are doing with it."
When asked about what kind of changes she wants to see in her team since the Rice match, Kuhn responded, "Our identity. We've really broken it down and looked at our team and what is our identity. What are we going to do, and we are going to outwork people. We have to out-ball control. We have to pass and defend. That is where we are right now. We have to be smart with the ball, and that's what we have focused on the last week and a half. We know that is what we are going to have to do. We have to be in system."
The Aggies, who went 10-15 last year, have nine returning letterwinners and a redshirt transfer on the roster, as well as four freshmen who graduated high school early and enrolled at Texas A&M for the spring semester. They lost four seniors, libero Amy Nettles, outside hitter Kiara McGee, opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor and defensive specialist Gabby Litwin.
Texas returns three players who started every match last season: the All-American combination of outside hitter Micaya White and setter Ashley Shook, as well as middle blocker Morgan Johnson. The Longhorns, who missed making the Final Four for the first time since 2011, lose four seniors, including Cat McCoy, Chiaka Ogbogu and Ebony Nwanebu, from last year's team that went 27-3 after making a 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament regional final appearance. One of their 27 wins was a sweep against the Aggies at Reed Arena.
"I know Texas A&M-Texas is a longstanding rivalry, and I'm excited that we get to open up and get right into it," Kuhn said. "That was kind of my motive. I want to start this now. There was no reason to wait and put it off. This is a rivalry that will always be, and it is only going to make both of us better. We need to face that and thrive on that and live in that environment."
The Aggies conclude their spring slate at the F.A.S.T. Collegiate Invitational in Houston on Saturday, April 14. A&M also will take a foreign training tour to Europe in mid-May.
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.
Wednesday, April 4, 8 p.m.
Gregory Gym, Austin Texas
Free admission and parking
Television: Longhorn Network (Tyler Denning, Bailey Webster)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M volleyball team, under the direction of first-year head coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn, continues its spring exhibition season as the Aggies take a trip to Austin on Wednesday to face the Texas Longhorns.
The match begins at 8 p.m. at Gregory Gym, and parking and admission are free.
"I'm excited to see where we are at, where we have come over the last week and a half and how our team responds in that environment," said Kuhn, who faced the Longhorns in Big 12 Conference play every season during her seven-year stint as associate head coach at Kansas. "Texas is going to have a good crowd and the match is going to be on the Longhorn Network, so I think that game day experience is going to be good for this group, and I'm excited to see them in that atmosphere."
The Aggies opened the spring season at Rice on March 23 and dropped three of four sets.
"It was good to get to Rice and get in front of some people, so really right now we are checking our competitive confidence," Kuhn added. "We are seeing how this team can step up and what we are made of and where we are, like a measuring stick. We have a fun group. They really work and they can grind. It is just going to come down to execution, and that is something that we have been focused on since Rice, controlling the ball on our side and what we are doing with it."
When asked about what kind of changes she wants to see in her team since the Rice match, Kuhn responded, "Our identity. We've really broken it down and looked at our team and what is our identity. What are we going to do, and we are going to outwork people. We have to out-ball control. We have to pass and defend. That is where we are right now. We have to be smart with the ball, and that's what we have focused on the last week and a half. We know that is what we are going to have to do. We have to be in system."
The Aggies, who went 10-15 last year, have nine returning letterwinners and a redshirt transfer on the roster, as well as four freshmen who graduated high school early and enrolled at Texas A&M for the spring semester. They lost four seniors, libero Amy Nettles, outside hitter Kiara McGee, opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor and defensive specialist Gabby Litwin.
Texas returns three players who started every match last season: the All-American combination of outside hitter Micaya White and setter Ashley Shook, as well as middle blocker Morgan Johnson. The Longhorns, who missed making the Final Four for the first time since 2011, lose four seniors, including Cat McCoy, Chiaka Ogbogu and Ebony Nwanebu, from last year's team that went 27-3 after making a 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament regional final appearance. One of their 27 wins was a sweep against the Aggies at Reed Arena.
"I know Texas A&M-Texas is a longstanding rivalry, and I'm excited that we get to open up and get right into it," Kuhn said. "That was kind of my motive. I want to start this now. There was no reason to wait and put it off. This is a rivalry that will always be, and it is only going to make both of us better. We need to face that and thrive on that and live in that environment."
The Aggies conclude their spring slate at the F.A.S.T. Collegiate Invitational in Houston on Saturday, April 14. A&M also will take a foreign training tour to Europe in mid-May.
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.