COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Texas A&M Aggies gave Laura "Bird" Kuhn the first victory of her head coaching career today, coming back to defeat Ohio University, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16, in their season opener at the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic at St. John Arena.
Kuhn, an Ohio native, saw three of her players post double-figure kills, including a match-high 20 kills by junior outside hitter Hollann Hans, who hit .326 for the match. Redshirt junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer added 16 kills while hitting at a .414 clip in her first appearance donning the maroon and white, and freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark made her A&M debut by pitching in 11 kills while hitting .308.
Sophomore setter Camille Conner dished out a career-high 47 assists while directing the effective offense that led Ohio in kills, 59-43, and outhit the Bobcats, .273 to .129. Conner tied sophomore middle blocker Makena Patterson for the team lead in blocks with three.
Senior libero Amy Houser helped initiate the Aggies' offense with her back row defensive play, leading all players with 15 digs as the A&M outdug Ohio, 55-47. Palmer completed a double-double with 14 digs to go along with her 16 kills.
Others who made their A&M debut were freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields, who played in all four sets and finished with nine digs and an ace. Sydnye Fields, a redshirt junior transfer from the University of North Carolina, also made her first appearance when she started at the opposite hitter position to start the fourth set.
Ohio, favored to win the 2018 Mid-American Conference regular season as well as the MAC Volleyball Championship crown, was led by Tia Jimerson, who had 14 kills while hitting .300. No other Bobcats reached double figures in kills.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES
Set 1 – There were 13 ties and eight lead changes before Ohio pulled away for the 26-24 win. The Bobcats, who outhit A&M, .485 to .324, built their largest lead at 17-13, before Conner connected on a second-ball attack for a kill, sparking a 3-0 Aggie run. The Bobcats continued to lead at 20-17 before Hans and sophomore opposite hitter Morgan Davis posted back-to-back kills. An Ohio attack into the net followed by an ace by Conner gave the Aggies a 21-20 lead, their first lead since 9-8.
Following an Ohio timeout, the Bobcats got a kill and a block to take a 22-21 advantage, but a service error knotted the score at 22-22. Palmer returned the lead to the Aggies, putting down an overpass following a tough serve by Hans. The teams traded points, with Austin-Roark getting a kill to put the Aggies at set point. Ohio, however, countered with a kill off the block, and an A&M attack error put the Bobcats at set point, 25-24. Ohio then closed out the frame with a kill from the back row.
Set 2 – Ohio used a 5-1 run to take a 15-12 advantage, equaling its largest lead of the set. Palmer and Patterson countered with back-to-back kills, and Conner followed with a nifty kill, strategically pushing the ball to the wide-open back corner for a kill to tie the score. Rookie Allison Fields gave the Aggies the lead with the first ace of her young career, and Patterson and Conner teamed for a block to continue the 5-0 run that put the Aggies ahead, 17-15. The teams then exchanged points until A&M, leading 18-17, went on another 5-0 run that included two kills by Hans. An Ohio kill ended the streak, but Hans quickly put the Aggies, who outhit Ohio, .098 to -.086, at set point with another kill. She then closed out the stanza, teaming with Austin-Roark for a block to even the match at a set apiece.
Set 3 – A&M scored the first three points and maintained a lead the remainder of the set while outhitting the Bobcats, .323 to -.033. The Aggies continued to pull away, building their largest lead at 23-15. Two A&M miscues put Ohio within 23-17 before Austin-Roark connected on a slide attack to put the Aggies at set point. Ohio then hit wide to close out the set.
Set 4 – The Aggies posted their longest streak of the match to start the fourth set, scoring eight unanswered points as Ohio struggled offensively. A&M, which outhit the Bobcats, .400 to .147, continued to pull away, building its largest lead at 20-9. Ohio got within 24-16 before the Bobcats had a hitting error to close out the match.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M faces Albany tomorrow at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. CT) and closes out the tournament against host Ohio State and 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CT).
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On getting her first career victory in her home state…
"It's been cool. That was fun. It was No. 1 fun because our team executed at such a high level after set one. It feels good. I am excited that I have my people here and we have great support from parents, so it is just fun. It feels good for the team in general. That's fun to do as a team."
On having a more balanced attack…
"We said that in the locker room. That is our goal. We want a balanced offense and we needed a little more from the right side. I was proud of Camille [Conner]. She moved the ball around and we had balance today, so that was good."
On what else impressed her…
"I was very impressed with our execution. I think that was something we worked on and focused on this week after the exhibition game against TCU. We really needed to be able to execute our game plan defensively in order to have that offensive productivity."
On how it feels to start the season with a victory…
"I think it's always a good start. It's good for their confidence and it's good for their energy rolling through this tournament. It feels great."
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
Kuhn, an Ohio native, saw three of her players post double-figure kills, including a match-high 20 kills by junior outside hitter Hollann Hans, who hit .326 for the match. Redshirt junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer added 16 kills while hitting at a .414 clip in her first appearance donning the maroon and white, and freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark made her A&M debut by pitching in 11 kills while hitting .308.
Sophomore setter Camille Conner dished out a career-high 47 assists while directing the effective offense that led Ohio in kills, 59-43, and outhit the Bobcats, .273 to .129. Conner tied sophomore middle blocker Makena Patterson for the team lead in blocks with three.
Senior libero Amy Houser helped initiate the Aggies' offense with her back row defensive play, leading all players with 15 digs as the A&M outdug Ohio, 55-47. Palmer completed a double-double with 14 digs to go along with her 16 kills.
Others who made their A&M debut were freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields, who played in all four sets and finished with nine digs and an ace. Sydnye Fields, a redshirt junior transfer from the University of North Carolina, also made her first appearance when she started at the opposite hitter position to start the fourth set.
Ohio, favored to win the 2018 Mid-American Conference regular season as well as the MAC Volleyball Championship crown, was led by Tia Jimerson, who had 14 kills while hitting .300. No other Bobcats reached double figures in kills.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES
Set 1 – There were 13 ties and eight lead changes before Ohio pulled away for the 26-24 win. The Bobcats, who outhit A&M, .485 to .324, built their largest lead at 17-13, before Conner connected on a second-ball attack for a kill, sparking a 3-0 Aggie run. The Bobcats continued to lead at 20-17 before Hans and sophomore opposite hitter Morgan Davis posted back-to-back kills. An Ohio attack into the net followed by an ace by Conner gave the Aggies a 21-20 lead, their first lead since 9-8.
Following an Ohio timeout, the Bobcats got a kill and a block to take a 22-21 advantage, but a service error knotted the score at 22-22. Palmer returned the lead to the Aggies, putting down an overpass following a tough serve by Hans. The teams traded points, with Austin-Roark getting a kill to put the Aggies at set point. Ohio, however, countered with a kill off the block, and an A&M attack error put the Bobcats at set point, 25-24. Ohio then closed out the frame with a kill from the back row.
Set 2 – Ohio used a 5-1 run to take a 15-12 advantage, equaling its largest lead of the set. Palmer and Patterson countered with back-to-back kills, and Conner followed with a nifty kill, strategically pushing the ball to the wide-open back corner for a kill to tie the score. Rookie Allison Fields gave the Aggies the lead with the first ace of her young career, and Patterson and Conner teamed for a block to continue the 5-0 run that put the Aggies ahead, 17-15. The teams then exchanged points until A&M, leading 18-17, went on another 5-0 run that included two kills by Hans. An Ohio kill ended the streak, but Hans quickly put the Aggies, who outhit Ohio, .098 to -.086, at set point with another kill. She then closed out the stanza, teaming with Austin-Roark for a block to even the match at a set apiece.
Set 3 – A&M scored the first three points and maintained a lead the remainder of the set while outhitting the Bobcats, .323 to -.033. The Aggies continued to pull away, building their largest lead at 23-15. Two A&M miscues put Ohio within 23-17 before Austin-Roark connected on a slide attack to put the Aggies at set point. Ohio then hit wide to close out the set.
Set 4 – The Aggies posted their longest streak of the match to start the fourth set, scoring eight unanswered points as Ohio struggled offensively. A&M, which outhit the Bobcats, .400 to .147, continued to pull away, building its largest lead at 20-9. Ohio got within 24-16 before the Bobcats had a hitting error to close out the match.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M faces Albany tomorrow at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. CT) and closes out the tournament against host Ohio State and 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CT).
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On getting her first career victory in her home state…
"It's been cool. That was fun. It was No. 1 fun because our team executed at such a high level after set one. It feels good. I am excited that I have my people here and we have great support from parents, so it is just fun. It feels good for the team in general. That's fun to do as a team."
On having a more balanced attack…
"We said that in the locker room. That is our goal. We want a balanced offense and we needed a little more from the right side. I was proud of Camille [Conner]. She moved the ball around and we had balance today, so that was good."
On what else impressed her…
"I was very impressed with our execution. I think that was something we worked on and focused on this week after the exhibition game against TCU. We really needed to be able to execute our game plan defensively in order to have that offensive productivity."
On how it feels to start the season with a victory…
"I think it's always a good start. It's good for their confidence and it's good for their energy rolling through this tournament. It feels great."
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.