Texas A&M Takes on LSU on Sunday in Baton Rouge

Sunday, September 30

Baton Rouge, La.

1 p.m.

Texas A&M

LSU

Sep 29, 2018 | Volleyball

Complete match notes (pdf)

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M Aggies (9-5, 2-0 SEC) vs. LSU Tigers (5-9, 0-3 SEC)
Sunday, September 30, 1 p.m.
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Baton Rouge, La.

Stream: SEC Network +
Twitter Updates: @AggieVolleyball

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M (9-5, 2-0 SEC) aims to open Southeastern Conference play 3-0 for the first time in program history and notch its first true away match victory of the season as the Aggies open the road portion of their SEC slate at LSU (5-9, 0-3 SEC) on Sunday. First serve is at 1 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, and the match will be streamed on SEC Network +.

Led by reigning SEC player and defensive player of the week Amy Houser and SEC co-setter of the week Camille Conner, A&M is 2-0 in SEC matches for the first time since 2014 and the second time overall since joining the league in 2012. The Aggies, who had a bye earlier this week, stayed undefeated in impressive fashion in both victories last week, fighting back from a five-point deficit in the first set and a substantial 10-point hole late in the second set in a sweep against Arkansas, followed by a 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 15-9) victory over Georgia. Both the Bulldogs, who are receiving points in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, and Arkansas were picked to finish ahead of A&M according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches, as A&M was picked eighth, while Georgia and Arkansas were picked tied for fourth and seventh, respectively.

LSU, meanwhile, is in search of its first conference win. The Tigers, picked to tie for fourth with the Bulldogs in the preseason poll, opened SEC play last weekend with a 3-2 loss at Georgia and 3-0 setback at South Carolina. LSU also suffered a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-19) loss to No. 11 Florida in the Tigers' SEC home opener on Wednesday.

TEXAS A&M-LSU SERIES HISTORY

Texas A&M leads the all-time series, 27-16 (8-7 in College Station, 9-4 in Baton Rouge and 10-5 at neutral sites).
A&M is 5-3 against the Tigers in SEC matches only, including 3-1 in matches played in Baton Rouge.
The teams last met on Sept. 22, 2017, when LSU defeated A&M, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23) in Baton Rouge in both teams' 2017 SEC opener. The win snapped the Tigers' three-match losing skid against the Aggies and gave LSU its first home victory against A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC.
In the only meeting of the 2017 season, the Aggies, playing without both starting senior outside hitter Kiara McGee and senior defensive specialist Gabby Litwin due to medical reasons, were outhit, .294 to .139. LSU also led A&M in kills (45-35), digs (55-39) and blocks (8-6).
Hollann Hans had a match-high 14 kills, and libero Amy Nettles had a team-high 18 digs for A&M. LSU had three players record double-figure kills, including Taylor Bannister, who had a team-high 13 kills.
A&M's most recent win against the Tigers was Nov. 23, 2016, as the Aggies celebrated Senior Day by completing the home-and-home season series sweep with a 3-1 (25-17, 25-27, 25-18, 25-22) victory to close out the regular-season home schedule at Reed Arena.
The teams will meet again in the 2018 SEC season finale as the Tigers come to College Station on Friday, Nov. 23. First serve is at 12 p.m. at Reed Arena, where the Aggies will be celebrating Senior Day.

TEXAS A&M IN THE SEC

Texas A&M is 79-33 all-time in SEC matches only.
The Aggies are 42-15 all-time in SEC home matches and 37-18 in SEC away matches.
A&M is picked to finish 8th in the SEC in 2018, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
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 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 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.

TEXAS A&M NOTES

The match at LSU marks the start of a three-match road swing for the Aggies.
A&M is 0-4 in true away matches this season, having suffered a loss at both Ohio State and Penn State, as well as two losses at Oklahoma during the pre-conference schedule.
The LSU match also marks A&M's 15th match of the season, marking the conclusion of the first half of the Aggies' 30-match regular-season schedule.
For the season, A&M is 5-2 in three-set matches, 3-1 in four-set matches and 1-2 in five set matches.
For the season, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .227 to .170.
The Aggies are second in the SEC in assists per set (12.75) and third in both aces (1.69) and digs (14.67) per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, A&M is 2nd in opponent hitting percentage (.150), as well as assists (13.25) and aces (2.62) per set.
The Aggies have only one senior on the team, Amy Houser, who has been the libero in all but one set this season.
A&M has used the same starting lineup in each of the last five matches: junior outside hitters Hollann Hans and Brookah Palmer; sophomores Camille Conner (setter) and Makena Patterson (middle blocker); and freshmen London Austin-Roark (middle blocker) and Allison Fields (defensive specialist).

AGGIE PLAYER NOTES

Camille Conner, Brookah Palmer and London Austin-Roark have started every match this season and Conner has appeared in all 52 sets.
Senior libero Amy Houser, who tied the A&M record for digs in a 3-set SEC match with 19 in the 3-0 win vs. Arkansas, leads the conference with 5.25 digs per set in SEC matches only.
Most recently, Houser had 23 digs against Georgia, marking her sixth consecutive double-digit dig performance and the fourth time in six matches she tallied 20 or more digs.
Houser, who has been the libero in 51 of 52 sets, leads the team and is sixth in the SEC with 4.14 digs per set for the full season.
Houser, the only senior on the team, has a team-high 261 service receptions. She also has a team-best .969 service reception percentage among players who have at least 15 reception attempts.
Hollann Hans leads A&M with five double-doubles, including four double-doubles over the last six matches.
Hans leads A&M and ranks second in the SEC and 19th in the nation with 0.51 aces per set for the full season.
Hans' school-record eight aces against Georgia ties for second in the nation for most aces in a five-set match this season.
Hans leads A&M, is third in the SEC and 21st in the nation with 4.94 points per set for the full season.
Hans has posted double-figure kills in 11 of 13 matches played, including five matches in which she has recorded 20 or more kills.
Camille Conner is third in the SEC with 10.33 assists per set for the full season and is fourth in the league with 10.25 assists per set in SEC play only.
Freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields, who played libero in the final set in the sweep against Nicholls, has started 12 of 14 matches and has posted double-figure digs six times, including a career-high 20 digs against Missouri State.
Fields is second on the team with 2.57 digs per set for the full season.
Freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark, who has started all 14 matches, had a career-high nine blocks against Georgia, the most blocks by an A&M player this season.
Austin-Roark leads A&M and ranks fifth in the SEC with 1.38 blocks per set in conference matches only.
Sophomore middle blocker Makena Patterson had a career-high and match-high 13 kills while hitting .478 in the victory over Arkansas.
After having appeared in only one match heading into the OU/Nike Invitational on Sept. 14-15, sophomore opposite hitter Samantha Sanders has appeared in each of the last five matches.
Sanders posted double-figure kills for the second time this season with 10 while hitting .304 in the win against Georgia.
Freshmen defensive specialist Taylor Voss has seen significant playing time as of late, having seen action in 11 matches and 33 sets typically as a server.

LSU QUICK HITS

LSU (5-9, 0-3 SEC) is looking for its first SEC win of the season after opening conference play with three consecutive losses.
Most recently, No. 11 Florida swept the Tigers, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19, in LSU's SEC home opener on Wednesday.
Milan Stokes had a match-high 12 kills while hitting .346, and libero Raigen Cianciulli had a match-high 20 digs in the loss to the Gators.
Sophomore 6-5 opposite hitter Taylor Bannister, who had 11 kills against Florida, leads the SEC with 5.01 points per set for the full season and is second in the league with 4.51 kills per set. In SEC matches only, she is second in the conference in both points (4.68) points and kills (4.18) per set.
The Tigers are 1-3 in home matches, 2-4 in away matches and 2-2 at neutral sites.
LSU is 3-5 in 3-set matches, 1-2 in 4-set matches and 1-2 in 5-set matches.
Head coach Fran Flory (Texas '84) is 361-254 in her 21st season at the helm of the Tigers.

A&M-LSU CONNECTIONS

LSU coach Fran Flory was a former assistant coach at Texas A&M in 1987 under former Aggie head coach Al Givens.
Scott Woodward, a 1985 graduate of LSU and formerly a director of external affairs at his alma mater, is in his third year as director of athletics at Texas A&M.
Baton Rouge native Erin Boyette is in her seventh season as Texas A&M's volleyball athletic trainer. The former Erin Greenwich graduated cum laude from LSU in 2010 and served as the graduate assistant athletic trainer for coach Fran Flory's volleyball program while pursuing her master's degree, which she received from LSU in 2012.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

A&M concludes its three-match road swing next weekend, facing No 11 Florida on Friday, Oct. 5, at the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., and playing at South Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
The match against the Gators begins at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) and will be televised on SEC Network.
The match against the Gamecocks begins at 12:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) and will be streamed on SEC Network +.

Go 12thman.com/sports/2017/8/20/promotions.aspx for complete list of promotions.
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.