Texas A&M Falls to Tennessee, 3-2

Friday, October 19

College Station

6:30 p.m.

Texas A&M

12-8, 5-3SEC

Tennessee

15-5, 6-2SEC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Tennessee	25	22	25	24	15	3
Texas A&M	23	25	21	26	12	2

Oct 19, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photos

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M suffered a hard-fought 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-12 loss to Tennessee tonight at Reed Arena.

Tennessee, which entered the match tied with A&M for fourth place in the Southeastern Conference standings, improves to 15-5 overall and 6-2 in league play after snapping an eight-match losing skid in the series against the Aggies.

A&M suffers only its second home loss of the season and moves to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

Aggie junior outside hitter Hollann Hans led all players with 22 kills as well as a personal-best 21 digs to record the first 20-20 of her career. Junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer had a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs, and sophomore setter Camille Conner also added a double-double with 54 assists and 12 digs and also contributed a match-high and career-high seven blocks. Sophomore opposite hitter Samantha Sanders pitched in 11 kills to tie her season high.

A&M senior libero Amy Houser and freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields finished with 14 digs apiece.

Tessa Grubbs, who returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 28, led the Lady Vols with 19 kills, and Erica Treiber and Addisyn Rowe added 12 kills each.

Tennessee narrowly outhit A&M, .202 to .195. A&M led in kills (66-61), but committed a season-high 30 attack errors. The Aggies also led in assists (65-57), digs (80-76), and blocks, 11 to 9.5

SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES

Set 1 – A&M got off to a slow start which allowed Tennessee to jump out to an 8-2 lead. The Lady Vols went on to build their largest lead at 17-10 before A&M began chipping away at the deficit. A&M got kills from three different players during a 5-0 run that put the Aggies within 19-18. The teams began to trade point for point until a Tennessee attack error and a kill by Sanders tied the score, 23-23. The Aggies, who outhit Tennessee, .219 to .212, were unable to take the lead as they committed their fourth service error, putting the Lady Vols at set point. A&M hit long on the ensuing play as Tennessee held on for a 25-23 win.

Set 2 – Tennessee once again jumped out to an early lead and went on to build its largest cushion at 13-8. The teams exchanged sideouts before A&M went on 6-1 run, with an ace by freshman Taylor Voss knotting the score, 15-15. Tennessee got a kill to keep the lead, but freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark put down a big kill, and Conner followed with an ace to give A&M its first lead since 2-0. The score was tied four times before sophomore middle blocker Morgan Davis had two kills during a 3-0 run that put the Aggies up, 23-21. After a Tennessee kill, Hans put A&M at set point with her eighth kill of the frame. A service error put Tennessee within 24-22 before Palmer closed out the set and tied the match with her fourth kill in the stanza.

Set 3 –Texas A&M used a 3-0 run to build a 14-10 advantage, but Tennessee, which outhit A&M, .303 to .282, countered with a 3-0 run to stay within striking distance. The Aggies later were up, 20-17, before the Lady Vols scored three unanswered points to tie the score, 20-20. Palmer tooled the block for a kill to put A&M up, 21-20, but it would be the final point for the Aggies as Tennessee reeled off three aces during a 5-0 run to close out the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set 4 – Tennessee held a 24-22 lead, but a service error and an attack error tied the score for the fifth time. The Lady Vols appeared to retake the lead on the next play, but A&M won a challenge to put the Aggies at set point. Palmer followed with her fifth kill in the frame to end the set and force a fifth set.

Set 5 – A&M, playing its second consecutive five-set match and it fifth five-setter in SEC play, took an 11-10 lead on a block by Davis and Conner, but A&M's 12^th service error of the night tied the score for the final time and marked the start of a 4-0 run that put the Lady Vols at match point, 14-11. Hans kept A&M alive with a kill, but Grubbs answered with a kill to seal the win for Tennessee.

TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn

Opening Statement…
"Tennessee is a good team. We knew it was going to be a battle and we needed to play clean. We started slow and our passes were not there tonight. That's execution, and when the ball is on our side we have to be clean and put balls away. We definitely fought, and I always am proud of them for that, but our execution must be much better than it was tonight.

On mindset for next match against Kentucky...
"It's going to be another battle. We know Kentucky is a good team and they have balance. It's going to be execution. We have to execute our game plan defensively and get in the gym and pass. It's like the momentum Brookah [Palmer] just talked about; volleyball is a game of momentum, and we need to hold on to it when you have it, especially when you are in your home gym like that.

Senior Libero Amy Houser
On team's ability to keep momentum in fourth set with Tennessee in the lead…
"I think we just kind of have an uncanny ability to believe when we are down that it doesn't matter, and that the game is not over. Sometimes that comes back to bite us in the butt because we do it frequently, but we do know and have faith in each other that we can execute in those moments."

Junior Outside Hitter Brookah Palmer
On the kill to close out the fourth set…
"It is always an awesome feeling to get a kill like that. I think what made it more worth it was seeing the fight all of my teammates had. Then just them having my back so I can be able to put that ball away for them."

UP NEXT
The Aggies continue their homestand on Sunday at 2 p.m. as they play host to No. 15 Kentucky. Numerous promotions will be taking place on Sunday, including:

Take a Kid to the Game: Four kids admitted free with the purchase of one adult ticket (Available in-person on game day only. Not available in advance);
Giveaway: Adidas Maroon Performance T's for the 1st 100 fans at all entrances
Kids Zone Sunday: (1 to 2 p.m.) on the upper level concourse from Sec.126-130. Free youth entertainment including inflatables, a selfie station, face painting, balloon animals & more.
Concessions: Free popcorn for the first 100 kids in the Kids Zone.
Post-Match Autographs: Fans are invited to the court to receive post-match autographs from the team.

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.