ECOLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M had a season-high 12.5 blocks, but Arkansas pulled away in the opening set and rallied late in the second two sets to prevail, 25-20, 25-17, 26-24, in a Southeastern Conference matchup tonight at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M, playing in its 100th SEC match since joining the league in 2012, falls to 6-9, including 3-5 in conference matches. Arkansas, which entered the match tied with A&M for seventh place in the league standings, improves to 14-6 overall, including 4-4 in SEC matches.
The Razorbacks never trailed in the opening set, outhitting the Aggies .162 to .047. Arkansas built its largest lead at 17-12 before the Razorbacks committed four consecutive hitting errors to put A&M within 17-16. Aggie setter Camille Conner then put down a kill to tie the score for only the second time in the set. The lead quickly returned to Arkansas as an A&M attack error and an Arkansas kill put the Razorbacks up, 19-17. A&M got within a point twice, the last coming at 20-19 following Conner’s fifth kill of the set. Arkansas then reeled off four unanswered points to be serving for the set. Aggie sophomore middle blocker Maddie Douglas extended the set with a solo block, and A&M appeared to have won the next point when Arkansas was whistled for being in the net during a joust at the net. The call, however, was reversed by the up official, and A&M was the team charged for being in the net to end the set.
A&M trailed the second set, 14-12, before the Aggies went on a 5-2 run, including back-to-back kills by Douglas, that gave A&M a 17-16 lead, its first lead of the set since 4-3. Arkansas’ Pilar Victoria, the NCAA leader in both kills and points per set, then carried the Razorbacks, getting five of her six kills in the set during a 9-0 run to close out the frame. Arkansas committed only one attack error in the set as the Razorbacks outhit A&M, .406 to .243.
Arkansas held an 11-10 edge in the third set before A&M went on a 10-3 run to take a 20-14 lead. Arkansas was within 21-16 when the Razorbacks reeled off six consecutive points to go up, 22-21. A&M outside hitter Hollann Hans answered with a kill to knot the score at 22-22, and the teams continued to exchange points. An Arkansas kill put the Razorbacks at set and match point, 24-23, but a block by Douglas and Ashie Reasor tied the score, 24-24. Victoria registered a kill to put the Razorbacks at set and match point for the second time, 25-24. A&M initially appeared to have fought off a second match point when Victoria’s next attack was called long, but Arkansas challenged the call. The call was reversed, giving Victoria her match-high 15th kill for the match winner.
Kiara McGee led A&M with 13 kills while hitting .310, and Douglas finished with a career-high nine kills while hitting at a .350 clip. Even though A&M led Arkansas in total points, 53.5 to 49, the Aggies committed 26 attack errors as a team—two shy of their season high—and was outhit, .214 to .107 for the match.
Reasor, who appeared in her first match since suffering an ankle injury against Missouri on Sept. 24, led all players with a season-high seven blocks, and Douglas finished with a career-high six as A&M outblocked Arkansas, 12.5 to six.
Libero Amy Nettles led A&M and tied for match-high honors in digs with six.
The Aggies welcome back their former letterwinners and wrap up the first half of conference play on Sunday as they play host to Ole Miss for Texas A&M Volleyball Legacy Day. First serve is at 3:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. It will be an Aggies CAN event, and any fan who donates a minimum of four canned food items at the door will be admitted free.
As with every Sunday match, it will be Take a Kid to the Game, and up to four kids are admitted free with the purchase of one full-priced adult ticket. In addition, Kids Court will be open in the volleyball practice gym from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and will include a bounce house, face painting, balloon animals and more.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
TEXAS A&M POSTMATCH QUOTES:
HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
On the game overall…
“It is not really indicative of our team. We scored more points than they did overall. We blocked better. I do see those bright spots, but man we were having a hard time even making contact with the ball at the net. It is a mystery to me, and it can be exhausting trying to figure it out. We had a great match against Auburn. That comeback was amazing. It took all of them to get into that rhythm, so I don’t know what happened. Tonight just wasn’t an attack night for us. I don’t know how to describe it. Kiara [McGee] started playing better, but we never got a rhythm with anyone else. They were much better than us tonight. They deserved that win completely.”
On preparing for Arkansas’ Pilar Victoria…
“She does what a lot of hitters do. She just does it really consistently, and she has been playing for a long time. She is a fifth-year senior, so she has a lot of composure. We really focused on blocking this week and worked on just trying to figure out what is her main tendency in each situation. That was a little bit more than our kids have ever done before, the freshmen especially. I think that was a little bit off for us at times. She definitely gets the highest number of swings in all their matches, and she should, but they have a great supporting cast that they go to when you least expect it. They only hit three balls out of bounds. We hit 20. That’s the difference right there.”
On the starting lineup…
“[Amy] Houser has been passing really well in practice every single day, and that consistency is really important for us. I totally trust her with the passing. Sometimes I think the passing overloads Kiara [McGee] a little bit, and I want Kiara focused on the front row. Other than that, the starting lineup [was the same]. We don’t have much depth because of injuries, so these guys have to get it done.”
On preparing for Ole Miss…
“We have no choice but to [reframe our mindset]. It is in the hands of the team in a lot of respects. The players have to get their heads on right and straight. I think their confidence is off. They are just putting so much pressure on themselves to get to the tournament. I just think that they can’t function because they put so much pressure on themselves, and it keeps them from being able to play.”
TEXAS A&M SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER KIARA MCGEE
On what was the difference in the match…
“I think the difference is that we did not come cohesive as a team or a unit, and they did. We were on our heels the whole time trying to come back and trying to play our game. That is not how we should have to play to expect to win matches in SEC play. I think that was the biggest factor. At this point, I think it is mental. Everyone needs to come in with the same mentality that they come into our practices with. We are in practice playing lights out and playing some of the best volleyball we’ve played, but then we come to games and play conservative. I just feel like we can’t expect to win that way.”
On her game tonight…
“I feel like I played good, but I was just trying to do it for the team and our win. I knew that if someone else is struggling, I can’t come out here and play bad, too. That’s not a team. If someone else is lacking, you have to do more, so that is what I was trying to do. We did our scouting report, so we know where they were going to be and where to put the ball. You just have to trust what you could do.”
On Arkansas’ runs at the end of the match…
“That is 100% us not finishing. I think we were up in the third set, 21-17, and in my mind I was just like there is no excuse for us not to finish that game. We do drills like that in practice all the time, so I guess that was just another thing that wasn’t transferring today, the mentality of finish this game.”
On preparing for Ole Miss…
“We are going to come ready to work tomorrow and wipe that out of our minds. We have to let it sting a little bit, but come ready to work harder tomorrow and come harder for every other game that we have. At this point, we have to win out. We don’t have a choice.”
TEXAS A&M SOPHOMORE MIDDLE BLOCKER MADDIE DOUGLAS
On pressure to make the NCAA Tournament…
“I think that all of us kind of know that we need to win out. We didn’t set up the beginning of our season the way that we wanted to, so there is pressure there. I don’t think that is what is on our mind in the middle of the game. I think we don’t bring A&M volleyball. There are games like this that we just didn’t bring A&M volleyball. We didn’t bring all the pieces that we needed or that we can bring. We didn’t bring the pieces we should bring that we bring every week in practice. I think that there is pressure there, but I think that is something that is more firing us up rather than dragging us down. I think what is dragging us down is that we need to bring ourselves every match, and sometimes we don’t do that.”
On being a cohesive team…
“We all have to bring it at the same time, and I think that is something that we are missing. We will have two or three people bring it one game, and nobody else. You have a few people trying to carry the team. Then the next game it is someone else, a different two or three people.”
On her kills tonight…
“I think what was on my mind tonight was the offense. We have been having a hard time spreading out our offense, so I am just trying to be up. That is something that I have been really working on in practice. It is one of my goals, just to be up and transition more. I am trying to be up and pull the block and leave splits for other hitters. And with me being up more often, I get more opportunities like tonight.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics