COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior outside hitter Hollann Hans had a school-record eight aces and a match-high 20 kills to lead Texas A&M to a 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 15-9) victory over Georgia today at Reed Arena.
The Aggies, who won their 11th consecutive match in the series against the Bulldogs and move to 9-0 against Georgia since joining the Southeastern Conference, improve to 9-5 on the season, including 2-0 in SEC matches. Georgia drops to 10-3, including 1-1 in conference play.
Hans, who also smashed the A&M record for aces in an SEC career with 50, recorded her team-leading fifth double-double of the season as she also posted a career-high 15 digs. Senior libero Amy Houser led A&M in digs with 23, one shy of her career high.
Sophomore setter Camille Conner hit double-digit kills for the first time this season with 11, coming within one of her career high. She also dished out 48 assists to complete her fourth double-double of the season. Sophomore opposite hitter Samantha Sanders also registered double figures in kills with 10.
Freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark had nine kills and led all players with a career-high nine blocks, the most blocks by an A&M player since 2016.
As a team, A&M tallied a season-high 13 blocks while Georgia finished with 10.5. The Aggies also had a season-high 14 aces while holding Georgia to eight.
A&M outhit the Bulldogs, .210 to .172, posting 66 kills to Georgia’s 52. A&M also led in assists (65-49) and points (93 to 70.5), while Georgia led in digs, 76-74, behind a 26-dig performance by libero Kendall Glover.
T’ara Ceasar led the Bulldogs in kills with 16.
UP NEXT
The Aggies begin a three-match road swing, taking on LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday, Sept. 30, and then playing at Florida and South Carolina on Oct. 5 and 7, respectively.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARIES
Set 1 – The teams exchanged points to start out the match before Hans had back-to-back kills to give the Aggies the lead for good at 2-1. A&M, which outhit the Bulldogs, .262 to .070 in the frame, later used a 3-0 run to build its largest lead at 21-15, but Georgia made a late surge, getting two aces during a 3-0 run that put the Bulldogs within 23-20. Georgia’s next attack sailed long to put A&M at set point, and Hans closed out the set with her seventh kill.
Set 2 – There were 10 ties and five lead changes in the set. The score was knotted at 14-14 when the Aggies went on a 4-0 run, including back-to-back aces by Hans to put A&M up, 18-14. Georgia countered with a 6-1 run to retake the lead, 20-19. The Bulldogs continued to lead, 21-20, before A&M junior outside hitter Maddie Douglas tied the score for the final time with a kill off the block. Conner gave A&M the lead for good, setting the ball over to Georgia’s wide-open back corner for a kill. Junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer followed with an ace to put the Aggies up, 23-21, forcing Georgia to use its final timeout. Conner then got another kill on a second-ball attack to put the Aggies at set point, and Georgia, which was outhit, .289 to .233, hit into the net to close out the fame.
Set 3 – Georgia gained the momentum early in the set and went on to equal its largest lead at 19-11 before Hans got a kill and then served three aces during a 8-0 run that knotted the score at 19-19. A block by Georgia ended the streak and the teams began to trade sideouts. Sanders tied the score for the final time at 21-21 with her third kill of the set, but the Aggies, who were outhit, .333 to .132, were unable to take a lead as Georgia got a block, a kill courtesy of an A&M overpass and an ace to be serving for the set, 24-21. A&M then hit long on the final play to end the set.
Set 4 – Georgia jumped out to an 8-1 lead, but the Aggies clawed their way back. Trailing, 19-16, Hans powered down a kill and then stepped to the service line, where she posted back-to-back aces to tie the score, 19-19. A&M, however, was unable to go ahead as Georgia scored the next three points. A&M managed to get back within 23-22, but a serve into the net put the Bulldogs at set point. Conner kept A&M alive with a kill, but Georgia’s Rachel Ritchie put down one of her seven kills in the set to give the Bulldogs the 25-23 win and force a fifth set
Set 5 – Georgia opened with a kill, but Conner countered with back-to-back kills to give the Aggies a lead they would not lose. Sophomore middle blocker Makena Patterson tacked on two aces, and a Georgia attack error put A&M up, 5-1. The Bulldogs got a kill coming out of a timeout, but A&M reeled off three unanswered points to build an 8-2 cushion. Ceasar got back-to-back kills to put the Bulldogs within 8-4, but consecutive kills by Hans and Austin-Roark put A&M up, 10-4. Things continued to go in A&M’s favor as Ceasar sent an A&M overpass out of bounds, putting A&M up, 11-4. Georgia, which was outhit, .190 to .000, eventually got back within 13-9 before Patterson teamed with Connor for a block to put the Aggies at match point. Patterson then combined with Hans for another block to close out A&M’s first five-set victory of the season.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn
On A&M’s performance in the first two sets…
“We had solid execution and we talked about some focuses for them this week. For example, when we have the lead, we need to hold the lead. As long as they stick to the game plan no matter what the score is, then they are learning. I will say our back row kept us in system. Camille [Conner] was attacking at the net, and that is all of the back row’s work. It is huge when your setter can make sets with good passes.”
“We had solid execution and we talked about some focuses for them this week. For example, when we have the lead, we need to hold the lead. As long as they stick to the game plan no matter what the score is, then they are learning. I will say our back row kept us in system. Camille [Conner] was attacking at the net, and that is all of the back row’s work. It is huge when your setter can make sets with good passes.”
On being 2-0 in SEC matches…
“Arkansas and this game were two very different matches. I told these guys on Thursday when we came back into practice that I was proud of them because most teams don’t do that in a set when we came back against Arkansas. So, there are always those little moments where I am so proud of them. I am proud of the way they grind and fight in these matches. It doesn’t matter who we are playing, it is the game plan and it is execution.”
Texas A&M Junior Outside Hitter Hollann Hans
On her serving performance today…
“I have been working on being more consistent and I think that I still need to work on that. I just try going in with an aggressive mindset and not being scared even if it is close to the end. Even if it is close to the end, I still try to go out and serve my best. I think everyone did that tonight.”
“I have been working on being more consistent and I think that I still need to work on that. I just try going in with an aggressive mindset and not being scared even if it is close to the end. Even if it is close to the end, I still try to go out and serve my best. I think everyone did that tonight.”
Texas A&M Sophomore Setter Camille Conner
On getting kills on the second touch of the ball…
“We wanted to test it and see if they responded well to my dump and they didn’t so we attacked that. I think until they tried to stop me, I was going to keep going.”
On libero Amy Houser’s digs in the fifth set…
“Houser did awesome tonight. She had the mentality where she didn’t want the ball hitting the ground. You could see it in her eyes, and she made big-time plays to keep us in this game.”
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Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics