Texas A&M Defeats Northwestern State, 3-1

Saturday, September 15

Norman, Okla.

11 a.m.

Texas A&M

7-4

Northwestern State

4-6

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Northwestern State	25	17	22	23	1
Texas A&M	21	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics

Sep 15, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF) - Northwestern State

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

NORMAN, Okla. – Texas A&M dropped the opening set but came back to defeat the Northwestern State Lady Demons, 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23) today in the OU/Nike Invitational at McCasland Field House.

The Aggies improve to 7-4 while NSU falls to 4-6.

Junior outside hitter Hollann Hans led the Aggies with 21 kills, and sophomore middle blocker Makena Patterson tied her season high with 11 kills.

A&M sophomore setter Camille Conner dished out 46 assists and also pitched in 10 digs to record her third double-double of the season. Senior libero Amy Houser led all players with 21 digs, marking the third consecutive match she has reach the 20-dig milestone.

As a team, A&M outhit the Lady Demons, .214 to .186, and also led in kills (57-47), assists (52-44), aces (8-1) and points (71-57). NSU led in digs, 67-64, and also outblocked the Aggies, 9-6.

Alexis Warren led the Lady Demons with 12 kills.

UP NEXT
The Aggies close out the OU/Nike Invitational with a rematch against the Sooners at 5 p.m. Oklahoma held off A&M, 3-2, Friday night.

SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES

Set 1 – NSU played with impressive intensity and never trailed as the Lady Demons jumped out to a 9-5 lead. NSU went on to equal its largest lead at 14-8 before A&M began a comeback. The Aggies, who were outhit, .324 to .133, managed to get within two points six times but were unable to overcome the deficit. A kill by Patterson put A&M within 22-20, but NSU countered with back-to-back kills to be serving for the set. The Lady Demons then served long to extend the set, but they tipped the ball in for a kill on the ensuing play to wrap up the 25-21 win.

Set 2 – NSU held a 9-8 edge when junior outside hitter Maddie Douglas got a kill off the NSU block to tie the score. A Lady Demon attack into the net gave A&M the lead, and Patterson and junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer continued the scoring rally with a kill and an ace, respectively, to put the Aggies up, 12-9. The Aggies, who outhit the Lady Demons, .500 to .120, continued to pull away and were ahead, 23-17 when Hans tooled the block to put A&M at set point. Freshman defensive specialist Taylor Voss then came in and served an ace to the back corner to close out the 25-17 win and even the match at a set apiece.

Set 3 – There were 15 ties and seven lead changes, with A&M outhitting NSU, .154 to .091. The Lady Demons used a 4-0 run to build their largest lead, 12-9, but A&M chipped away at the deficit and eventually took an 18-17 lead on a back row kill by Hans. NSU twice tied the score, the last coming at 22-22 following a 3-0 run, but Patterson put down an NSU overpass to keep the Aggies in the lead. Hans then teamed with freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark for a block to put A&M at set point, and Hans closed out the set with her fifth kill of the frame, putting the Aggies ahead, 2-1.

Set 4 – NSU held the lead for most of the first half of the fourth set but was never able to build more than a three-point lead, the last coming at 9-6. The Lady Demons held onto a 12-10 lead before an NSU service error, an ace by Voss and a kill by Hans put the Aggies ahead, 13-12. The teams began to sideout until an ace by Conner gave A&M the lead for good at 15-14. A&M went on to build its largest lead at 21-17 as Conner's second-ball attack fell in for a kill. The Lady Demons, who were outhit, .211 to .205, clawed back to get within 22-21 but could get no closer. The teams then began to trade points, with Hans putting down the match-winning kill.

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

"Northwestern State made us earn points. They are a team that grinds and is relentless on defense. Our attackers had to move the ball and find ways to score. Camille [Conner] did a nice job of balancing the offense and knowing when to attack herself."

"When we execute the game plan defensively, it allows us to find our offensive rhythm. First contact is imperative when setting the tone of any match. I was happy with the way we earned points to finish—never satisfied. I'm looking forward to the rematch with Oklahoma!"

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