Texas A&M
3-1
Indiana
3-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Indiana | 23 | 21 | 17 | 0 |
Aggies Sweep Indiana, 3-0
Aug 31, 2018 | Volleyball
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields had a match-high 17 digs and freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark and junior outside hitter Hollann Hans had 13 kills apiece to lead Texas A&M to a 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 victory over Indiana in the opening match of the Penn State Invitational today at Rec Hall.
The Aggies improve to 3-1, while the Hoosiers suffer their first defeat of the season and fall to 3-1.
A&M freshman middle blocker Mallory Talbert made the first start of her career and responded with seven kills while hitting .333. Freshman defensive specialist Taylor Voss made her first appearance in the maroon and white and played all three sets, subbing in for Talbert in the back row. Senior libero Amy Houser also helped shore up the back row, tallying 14 digs as A&M outdug the Hoosiers, 61-44.
Junior opposite hitter Sydnye Fields played all three sets and tied Austin-Roark for match-high honors in blocks with four. As a team, A&M outblocked Indiana, 7-6.
Sophomore setter Camille Conner had 37 assists while directing the A&M offense to a 48-37 lead in kills as well as a .392 to .165 advantage in hitting percentage.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES
Set 1 – The first set was close throughout with neither team able to build more than a two-point cushion until late in the frame. The score was tied for the 12th time, 20-20, before the Aggies used a 3-0 run to take the largest lead, but back-to-back kills by Indiana put the Hoosiers within 23-22. An Indiana service error put the Aggies at set point, but the Hoosiers, who were outhit, .286 to .182 but tied A&M with 14 kills in the set, stayed alive with a kill. Indiana, however, committed its third service error of the set as the ball went into the net, giving A&M the 25-23 win.
Set 2 – Indiana got three consecutive blocks to take a 13-11 lead before Austin-Roark, who hit .579 for the match, keyed a 5-0 run for the Aggies, posting three kills during the stretch that gave A&M a 16-13 lead. A&M, which outhit Indiana, .234 to .106, would later use a 5-1 rally to build its largest lead at 23-16. The teams then exchanged kills, with junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer putting the Aggies at set point, 24-17. Indiana did not go down easily and posted its longest scoring run of the night with four unanswered points to get within 24-21. That is the closest the Hoosiers would get before Hans closed out the set with her sixth kill of the frame.
Set 3 – Four A&M players had three kills apiece in the final set, and two other players had two kills each as Conner spread out the balanced offense and directed the Aggies to a .387 to .233 lead in hitting efficiency. A&M, which never trailed in the set, held a 15-9 lead when Talbert got a solo block and Houser set up Palmer for a kill. Indiana then hung the ball over the net following a powerful serve by Hans, and Sydnye Fields put down the errant overpass for a kill, giving A&M its largest lead, 18-9. Indiana later got within 20-14 but was unable to overcome the deficit. Sydnye Fields and Talbert later capped the 25-17 victory with a block, completing A&M's first sweep of the season.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M plays two matches on Saturday to conclude the tournament, taking on Temple at 12 p.m. (11 a.m. CT) and the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions at 8 p.m. (7 CT). Penn State swept the Owls today, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 to improve to 4-0.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On her general thoughts on the match…
"We had all week to game plan and I think they executed what we needed to shut down. [Indiana] had some key attackers, and we executed that very well and we adjusted our defense.
"Alli Fields had a great match in the right back. That was huge for us. Our cover put away. That was the speed and the tempo that really sealed the deal, and that was transition. We worked on that this week and we told them you have to outwork people in transition, and that really stood out tonight."
On what the team needs to do tomorrow against Temple and Penn State…
"We need to keep the balance. I think Camille [Conner] did a really good job of moving the ball around, but we need to keep that balance and be even more powerful with our middle and right side, because from here on out everyone is going to key on certain things, and you have to be able to score. Whether you are one-on-one or have two in front, you have to find ways to score, so that is what we are going to have to work on."
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.
Bird recaps tonight's 3-0 victory over Indiana and talks about what the team needs to do tomorrow when the Aggies take on Temple and #6 Penn State. #OwnIt #GigEm pic.twitter.com/vCnJxMmw64
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) August 31, 2018
