Saturday, September 1
State College, Pa.
7 p.m.
Texas A&M
4-2
0
at
3
Penn State
5-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 14 | 15 | 22 | 0 |
| Penn State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
Texas A&M Falls to No. 6 Penn State, 3-0
Sep 01, 2018 | Volleyball
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Sixth-ranked Penn State remained undefeated on the season, closing out its home tournament with a 25-14, 25-15, 25-22 victory over Texas A&M in the final match of the Penn State Invitation tonight at Rec Hall.
Texas A&M, facing its first ranked opponent of the season, falls to 4-2. Penn State improves to 5-0, having won all five matches in straight sets.
A&M junior outside hitter Hollann Hans led all players with 13 kills and was named to the all-tournament team. Sophomore opposite hitter Morgan Davis pitched in a career-high nine kills.
Sophomore setter Camille Conner finished with 25 assists and also represented Texas A&M on the all-tournament team. Senior libero Amy Houser had a team-high 11 digs, and freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields added 10.
Penn State, which overcame early deficits in every set, was led by Jonni Parker, who had 11 kills while hitting .400. As a team, Penn State hit .290 and held the Aggies to a season-low .093 hitting efficiency. The Nittany Lions also outblocked A&M, 11.5 to 4.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES
Set 1 – Hans got off to a hot start, posting three kills to help jumpstart the Aggies to a 4-1 lead. The Nittany Lions cut away at the deficit and soon used a 4-1 run to take the lead, 7-6. The teams exchanged points and A&M was able to tie the score three times before Penn State went on a 12-2 run to all but put the set away. Davis later got a kill to put A&M within 23-14, but A&M followed with a service error to put the Nittany Lions at match point. Penn State, which outhit A&M, .250 to .000, then sealed the set with its sixth block of the frame.
Set 2 – A&M held a 6-4 advantage before Penn State outscored the Aggies 5-1 to take a 9-7 lead. A&M tied the score at 11- and 12-all but was unable to regain the lead. With Penn State holding a 16-14 edge, the Nittany Lions went on a 9-1 run to close out the set, 25-15. Penn State outhit A&M, .433 to .094 in the set and led in kills, 17-9.
Set 3 – A&M would once again score the first two points of the set, but Penn State countered with a 3-0 run to take the lead. The Nittany Lions built their largest lead at 15-10 and maintained the five-point cushion at 20-15 before the Aggies made a late charge. A&M went on a 5-1 run, getting two kills from freshman middle blocker Mallory Talbert during the surge that put A&M within 21-20. A&M was then whistled for a ball handling error but Hans followed up with her sixth kill of the set to keep A&M within 22-21. Penn State, which outhit A&M, .200 to .189, but trailed in kills, 14-12, countered with a kill and an ace to be serving for the match. A&M stayed alive as the next serve sailed long, but the Nittany Lions got a kill by Allyson Cathey to close out the match.
UP NEXT
The Aggies make their home debut at the Texas A&M Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 6 against Pepperdine at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena. The Aggies will play two matches on Friday, taking on Nicholls at 10 a.m. and closing out the tournament against Missouri State at 7 p.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On the difference in the match…
"It's a mental state. We were in it at the beginning of every set, and then there was a little breakdown in passing and the momentum switches. You've got to be able to take that back. We always talk about when you give people confidence, you've got to be able to take it back. That was the name of the game tonight. We have to be able to control that.
"We executed to some extent and then we have to stay on that focus. We have to stay on that focus no matter what we are passing, what we are feeling, because it is the atmosphere, and we talk about that, too. You have to respond, but you also have to know what is real. We have to get our passing and then still be smart when we are attacking. Penn State is a great team. They were attacking all the time. But again, when you give teams confidence, you have to be able to slow that down and take it back."
On finally playing at home on Thursday…
"I know this team is super excited [to play at home] after being on the road for two weeks at pretty big tournaments. We are so pumped to get back to our fans, the 12th Man, and just feel that energy. It is going to be really good for us. It is going to be a solid tournament, so once again, we are looking for that response. We need that response from them, and they know it. They are demanding, but we just need to be better."
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.
Texas A&M, facing its first ranked opponent of the season, falls to 4-2. Penn State improves to 5-0, having won all five matches in straight sets.
A&M junior outside hitter Hollann Hans led all players with 13 kills and was named to the all-tournament team. Sophomore opposite hitter Morgan Davis pitched in a career-high nine kills.
Sophomore setter Camille Conner finished with 25 assists and also represented Texas A&M on the all-tournament team. Senior libero Amy Houser had a team-high 11 digs, and freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields added 10.
Penn State, which overcame early deficits in every set, was led by Jonni Parker, who had 11 kills while hitting .400. As a team, Penn State hit .290 and held the Aggies to a season-low .093 hitting efficiency. The Nittany Lions also outblocked A&M, 11.5 to 4.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES
Set 1 – Hans got off to a hot start, posting three kills to help jumpstart the Aggies to a 4-1 lead. The Nittany Lions cut away at the deficit and soon used a 4-1 run to take the lead, 7-6. The teams exchanged points and A&M was able to tie the score three times before Penn State went on a 12-2 run to all but put the set away. Davis later got a kill to put A&M within 23-14, but A&M followed with a service error to put the Nittany Lions at match point. Penn State, which outhit A&M, .250 to .000, then sealed the set with its sixth block of the frame.
Set 2 – A&M held a 6-4 advantage before Penn State outscored the Aggies 5-1 to take a 9-7 lead. A&M tied the score at 11- and 12-all but was unable to regain the lead. With Penn State holding a 16-14 edge, the Nittany Lions went on a 9-1 run to close out the set, 25-15. Penn State outhit A&M, .433 to .094 in the set and led in kills, 17-9.
Set 3 – A&M would once again score the first two points of the set, but Penn State countered with a 3-0 run to take the lead. The Nittany Lions built their largest lead at 15-10 and maintained the five-point cushion at 20-15 before the Aggies made a late charge. A&M went on a 5-1 run, getting two kills from freshman middle blocker Mallory Talbert during the surge that put A&M within 21-20. A&M was then whistled for a ball handling error but Hans followed up with her sixth kill of the set to keep A&M within 22-21. Penn State, which outhit A&M, .200 to .189, but trailed in kills, 14-12, countered with a kill and an ace to be serving for the match. A&M stayed alive as the next serve sailed long, but the Nittany Lions got a kill by Allyson Cathey to close out the match.
UP NEXT
The Aggies make their home debut at the Texas A&M Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 6 against Pepperdine at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena. The Aggies will play two matches on Friday, taking on Nicholls at 10 a.m. and closing out the tournament against Missouri State at 7 p.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn
On the difference in the match…
"It's a mental state. We were in it at the beginning of every set, and then there was a little breakdown in passing and the momentum switches. You've got to be able to take that back. We always talk about when you give people confidence, you've got to be able to take it back. That was the name of the game tonight. We have to be able to control that.
"We executed to some extent and then we have to stay on that focus. We have to stay on that focus no matter what we are passing, what we are feeling, because it is the atmosphere, and we talk about that, too. You have to respond, but you also have to know what is real. We have to get our passing and then still be smart when we are attacking. Penn State is a great team. They were attacking all the time. But again, when you give teams confidence, you have to be able to slow that down and take it back."
On finally playing at home on Thursday…
"I know this team is super excited [to play at home] after being on the road for two weeks at pretty big tournaments. We are so pumped to get back to our fans, the 12th Man, and just feel that energy. It is going to be really good for us. It is going to be a solid tournament, so once again, we are looking for that response. We need that response from them, and they know it. They are demanding, but we just need to be better."
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_AggieVB talks about what was the difference in tonight's match and finally getting to play at home starting Thursday. #OwnIt #12thMan pic.twitter.com/DGehUSdGkq
— Texas A&M Volleyball (@AggieVolleyball) September 2, 2018
Team Stats
TAMU
PSU
Kills
34
38
Errors
24
11
Attempts
107
93
Hitting %
.093
.290
Points
38.0
54.5
Assists
30
36
Aces
0
5
Blocks
4.0
11.5
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballMB/OPP
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
MB
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