Texas A&M Plays Host to No. 15 Kentucky

Sunday, October 21

College Station

2 p.m.

Texas A&M

Kentucky

Buy Tickets

Oct 20, 2018 | Volleyball

Complete Match Notes (PDF)

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M Aggies (12-8, 5-3 SEC) vs. No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats (13-4, 7-0 SEC)
Sunday, October 21, 2 p.m.
Reed Arena
College Station, Texas

Stream: SEC Network+
Twitter Updates: @AggieVolleyball

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M (12-8, 5-3 SEC) wraps up the first half of the Southeastern Conference schedule on Sunday as the Aggies play host to 15th-ranked Kentucky (13-4, 7-0 SEC) at Reed Arena. First serve is at 2 p.m., and the match will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Casey Richardson and Chelsea Reber calling the action.

The match will showcase the two top point-producing players in the league in A&M's Hollann Hans, the two-time reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week who leads the conference in points and aces per set in league play, and Kentucky's Leah Edmonds, who leads the SEC in kills per set and is second in points average in conference contests. The match also will feature two of the top setters in the league in A&M's lefty Camille Conner and the Wildcats' Lilley Madison.

The Aggies are coming off their first SEC home loss of the season, a hard-fought 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-12) setback to Tennessee on Friday. Meanwhile, Kentucky won its 10th consecutive match in convincing fashion, disposing of LSU, 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-21) while outhitting the Tigers, .327 to .090, on Friday in Baton Rouge.

PROMOTIONS

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.
Sunday Selfies: Fans are invited to the court to get selfies with team members.

TEXAS A&M-KENTUCKY SERIES HISTORY

Kentucky leads the all-time series 10-8 since the teams first met in 1982.
Kentucky has won the last three meetings and is 7-3 against A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.
Kentucky swept the home-and-home season series last year, winning both matches, 3-0.
In the most recent meeting, Kentucky defeated A&M 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-17) at Reed Arena on Oct. 29, 2017, to snap a two-match losing skid in matches played in College Station.
In that most recent meeting, Kentucky used a 9-1 run to pull away in the opening set. The Wildcats used a 10-2 surge and outhit A&M .214 to -.029 en route to the second-set win, and they led the entire third set, outhitting A&M, .520 to .172, in the frame to complete the sweep.
Avery Skinner had 12 kills to lead Kentucky, which outhit A&M, .393 to .116 for the match. Kaz Brown had six block assists for the Wildcats to lead them to a 7-4 lead in team blocks. Senior outside hitter Kiara McGee finished with a team-high 12 points while hitting .304 for A&M. Then-freshman setter Camille Conner had 20 assists, libero Amy Nettles had a team-high seven digs, and middle blocker Morgan Davis led the team in blocks with three.
A&M's most recent victory over Kentucky was Nov. 18, 2015, when the Aggies upset the 19th-ranked Wildcats, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 26-24) at Reed Arena. It remains A&M's only three-set sweep against the Wildcats since joining the SEC, and it also completed A&M's only home-and-home season series sweep against Kentucky. The victory was the 11th win in a 14-match winning streak the Aggies would ride to close out the SEC season and capture the SEC Championship, A&M's first and only conference title in program history.
In the first-ever meeting as SEC foes, Kentucky defeated the Aggies, 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 15-12) on Sept. 23, 2012, at Reed Arena. It was A&M's first conference loss in SEC history after opening its inaugural season in the league, 2-0, in conference matches.

TEXAS A&M IN THE SEC

Texas A&M is tied with South Carolina for fifth place in the SEC standings with a 5-3 record.
A&M is picked to finish 8th in the SEC in 2018, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
Texas A&M junior outside hitter Hollann Hans was named to the nine-member 2018 Preseason All-SEC Team, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
All five of A&M's SEC wins this season have been against teams that were predicted to finish above the Aggies, according to the preseason poll. A&M has two 3-2 victories against Georgia as well as a 3-2 win at LSU. Both of those teams tied for fourth in the preseason poll. The Aggies swept both Auburn and Arkansas, who were picked to finish sixth and seventh, respectively.
A&M went 7-11 in conference matches last season to finish in ninth place in the SEC.
A&M's best season in the SEC was 2015, when the Aggies, despite dropping their conference season opener to Arkansas, went 16-2 to capture the SEC title, A&M's first conference championship in program history.
In their inaugural SEC season opener, the Aggies defeated Ole Miss on Sept. 14, 2012, at Reed Arena, marking Texas A&M's first SEC victory in any sport. The Aggies went on to finish 16-4, winning the SEC Western Division and placing second overall.
Texas A&M is 82-36 (.695) all-time in SEC matches only.
The Aggies are 43-17 (.717) all-time in SEC home matches and 39-19 (.672) in SEC away matches.

AGGIE PLAYER NOTES

Junior outside hitter Hollann Hans was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week and the third time this season on Monday after averaging 5.94 points, 4.88 kills, 0.62 aces and 2.50 digs per set in A&M's wins over Auburn and Georgia.
She also was named Power 5 National Player of the Week by PrepVolleyball.com, which also has the outside hitter listed in the "others considered" for its Midseason All-America Team.
Hans entered the weekend ranked eighth in the nation in aces per set, 10th in points per set and 17th in kills per set.
Hans currently leads the SEC with 5.22 points per set in all matches as well as 5.47 points per set in conference matches only.
She also leads the SEC with 0.66 aces per set in conference play and is second in the league with 0.51 aces per set for the full season.
She is second in the conference with 4.49 kills per set for the full season and is third in the league with 4.54 kills per set in SEC matches only
Hans needs only one ace to tie and two to break the A&M record of 24 aces in an SEC season, which she set last year.
Hans recorded the first 20-20 performance of her career with 22 kills and a career-high 21 digs against Tennessee.
Hans now has 919 career kills and needs 81 more kills to become the 19th player in program history to join the 1,000-Kills Club.
Hans' 34 points and 32 kills at Florida smashed the previous Texas A&M records for most kills and most points in a match in the 25-point scoring era. She had set the previous record with 28 kills and 32.5 points against Penn State in 2017.
Her 32 kills and 34 points are the most by an SEC player in a conference match this season.
Hans served a school-record eight aces in A&M's 3-2 win over Georgia on Sept. 23, breaking the previous A&M all-time record of six, reached 12 times, most recently on August 30, 2013, by Allie Sawatzky against South Dakota State.
Hans' eight aces against Georgia are the most by an SEC player in a match this season and ties for second in the nation for most aces in a five-set match this season.
Hans has posted double-figure kills in 17 of 19 matches played, including 10 matches in which she has recorded 20 or more kills.
Hans, only a junior, now has a school-record 64 aces in her SEC career, smashing the previous record of 46 set by Shelby Sullivan (2012-15).

Sophomore setter Camille Conner, and freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark are the only two A&M players who have started every match this season.
Team captain Amy Houser, the only senior on the team, has started every match as the designated libero and has played the position in all but one set.
Conner is the only player who has appeared in all 74 sets.
Conner is the only player in the SEC to record a triple-double this season.
Conner had 46 assists and career highs of 13 kills and 18 digs, as well as a personal-best .385 hitting efficiency when posting 10 or more kills, in the Aggies' 3-2 win at LSU on Sept. 30. It was Conner's second triple-double of her career, as she was one of only two players in the SEC to accomplish the feat in 2017, having tallied 12 kills, 12 digs and 43 assists against No. 5 Penn State (Sept. 2, 2017).
Conner came within one dig of posting a triple-double in the 3-2 victory against Georgia on Sept. 23.
Conner is third in the SEC with 10.35 assists per set for the full season and also third in the league with 10.37 assists per set in SEC play only.
Conner is second on the team and tied for sixth in the SEC with eight double-doubles in all matches.
She is tied for the team lead and tied for second in the SEC with five double-doubles in SEC matches only.

Amy Houser has reached double-figure digs in 12 consecutive matches and 16 matches overall.
Houser has tallied 20 or more digs in a team-leading six matches.
She is No. 6 in the SEC with 4.14 digs per set in SEC matches only.
Houser is seventh in the league with 4.03 digs per set for the full season.
Houser's point-saving play at set point in the third set at Georgia was No. 5 on ESPN SportCenter's Top 10 plays of the day and was NCAA Volleyball's No. 2 play of the week.
Houser recorded the first double-double of her career in the 3-2 win at LSU (Sept. 30), posting a career-high 11 assists and tying her career best with a match-high 24 digs.
Houser has a team-high 434 service receptions. She also has a team-best .968 service reception percentage among players who have at least 15 reception attempts.
Houser had a match-high 19 digs in the three-set victory over Arkansas, tying a school record for most digs by an A&M player in a three-set SEC match.
Middle blocker London Austin-Roark was named the SEC Freshman of the Week and was PrepVolleyball.com's runner-up for National Power 5 Freshman of the Week after averaging 1.12 blocks as well as 2.38 kills per set while hitting .421 in the Aggies' victories against Auburn and Georgia last weekend.
Austin-Roark leads A&M with 0.91 blocks per set in conference matches only and leads starters with 0.78 blocks in all matches.
Austin-Roark, who has started all 20 matches, had a career-high nine blocks against Georgia on Sept. 23. It still is the most blocks by an A&M player this season.
After having appeared in only one match over the first nine matches of the season, sophomore opposite hitter Samantha Sanders has appeared in each of the last 11 matches. She tied her season high and recorded her fourth double-digit kill performance of the season with 11 kills against Tennessee.
Sophomore Morgan Davis was the unsung hero in the win at Georgia. Davis, who has trained only at opposite hitter this season, subbed in at middle blocker late in the fourth set against the Bulldogs and finished the match with four kills—including a team-leading three kills in the decisive five set—without an error to hit .800 for the match.
Davis also came off the bench and played middle against Tennessee and posted a personal season-high five blocks, including two solos, the most solo blocks by an A&M player this season
Freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields, who played libero in the final set in the sweep against Nicholls, has started 18 of 20 matches and has posted double-figure digs nine times, including a career-high 20 digs against Missouri State.
Freshmen defensive specialist Taylor Voss has seen action in 17 matches and 60 sets, typically as a server for a middle blocker. She has had a career-high five digs in each of the last two matches.
Freshmen middle blockers London Austin-Roark and Mallory Talbert and freshman lefty setter Kaitlyn Rogers all graduated high school early and participated in A&M spring drills and also went on the team's foreign training tour to Europe in May.

TEXAS A&M NOTES

With a 12-8 record, A&M already has two more wins then it totaled in the entire 2017 season.
Texas A&M is 3-1 in SEC home matches and 5-2 in all home matches this season.
The Aggies are third in the league in assists (12.78) per set and fourth in kills (13.61), aces (1.54) and digs (14.78) per set in all matches.
In SEC matches only, A&M is third in aces (1.57) and assists (12.94) per set.
A&M is outhitting its opponents, .233 to .191 in all matches and .234 to .212 in SEC matches only.
For the season, A&M is 6-2 in three-set matches, 3-2 in four-set matches and 3-4 in five set matches.
Seven of A&M's last 12 matches have been decided in five sets.
A&M jumped from 79 to 64 in the most recent NCAA RPI (rating percentage index).

KENTUCKY QUICK HITS

Kentucky (13-4, 7-0 SEC) is riding a 10-match win streak and is second in the SEC standings behind 9-0 Florida.
Kentucky was picked to win the SEC, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
The Wildcats, who entered the weekend ranked fifth in the nation in hitting percentage, lead the SEC with a .301 hitting percentage, 12.89 assists and 14.12 kills per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, the Wildcats lead the league in hitting percentage (.309) and opponent hitting percentage (.158), and assists (13.67) and kills (15.08) per set, and are tied for first with 2.0 aces per set.
Kentucky outhit LSU, .327 to .090, in the sweep at Baton Rouge on Friday. It was the ninth consecutive match the Wildcats have held their opponent to a .199 or lower hitting efficiency.
Sophomore setter Lilley Madison is the reigning SEC Setter of the Week.
Senior middle blocker Brooke Morgan entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in hitting percentage and leads the SEC with a .433 hitting efficiency in all matches.
Junior outside hitter Leah Edmond leads the SEC with 4.75 kills per set in league play and is second behind A&M's Hollann Hans with 5.25 points per set.
Edmond and Morgan led the Wildcats with 10 kills apiece and hit a combined .391 in the victory against LSU.
Kentucky has not suffered a lost since Sept. 7 when the Wildcats fell, 3-1, at then-No. 6 Texas.
The Wildcats lost their first three matches of the season, losing to then-No. 13 Creighton, 3-2, at then-No. 10 USC, 3-1, and a 3-2 setback to Northern Iowa.
Kentucky is 7-0 in three-set matches, 5-2 in four-set matches and 1-2 in five-set matches.
They are 8-0 in home matches and 5-2 in away matches, including 3-0 in SEC away matches.
Former three-time SEC Libero of the Year Ashley Dusek graduated from Kentucky in May and now serves as the volunteer assistant coach for the Aggies.
Craig Skinner is 315-117 in his 14-year head coaching career, all at Kentucky.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Texas A&M closes out its three-match homestand, Friday, Oct. 26, as the Aggies play host to Alabama. First serve is at 6:30 p.m., and the match will be streamed on SEC Network +.