Aggies Set for Home Debut at Texas A&M Invitational

Courtesy: Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M (4-2) makes its 2018 home debut as the Aggies play host to Pepperdine, Nicholls and Missouri State in the Texas A&M Invitational, Thursday and Friday at Reed Arena.

The Aggies open against Pepperdine on Thursday at 7 p.m. and return to the court for a pair of matches on Friday, facing Nicholls at 10 a.m. and closing out the tournament against Missouri State at 7 p.m. All A&M matches will be broadcast on SEC Network +, available via the WatchESPN app.

The complete tournament schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Sept. 6

4:30 p.m. Missouri State (3-4) vs. Nicholls (2-5)

7 p.m. Texas A&M (4-2) vs. Pepperdine (4-2)

Friday, Sept. 7

10 a.m. Texas A&M vs. Nicholls

1 p.m. Missouri State vs. Pepperdine

4:30 p.m. Pepperdine vs. Nicholls

7 p.m. Texas A&M vs. Missouri State

Digital Stream (A&M matches only): SEC Network + (WatchESPN)

Stats: 12thMan.com/live

Twitter Updates: @AggieVolleyball

PROMOTIONS

Thursday:

Fish Camp Night: Free admission for all freshmen wearing a Fish Camp shirt
Bring Your A Game: Free admission for any kid who presents a report card with an A
Postmatch Autographs: Fans will be invited onto the court after the match to get autographs from the volleyball team

Friday

Faculty/Staff Appreciation: 2 free tickets for Texas A&M faculty and staff. (Additional tickets are only $3)
Free Friday: Free admission by presenting your ticket for the Sept. 8 Texas A&M-Clemson football game.
Bring Your A Game: Free admission for any kid who presents a report card with an A

TEXAS A&M NOTES

The Aggies will have a new head coach on the sidelines at Reed Arena for the first time in 25 years as first-year head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn makes her first official debut in front of the 12th Man when the Aggies take on Pepperdine.
Texas A&M is 4-2 after going 2-1 at both the season-opening Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic at Ohio State and the Penn State Invitational during the first two weekends of the season.
Most recently, the Aggies fell to sixth-ranked Penn State, 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-22) in State College, Pennsylvania.
Junior outside hitter Hollann Hans was named to the all-tournament team at both tournaments, with junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer also receiving the honor at Ohio State and sophomore setter Camille Conner being selected for the honor at Penn State.
The Aggies have won 27 of 28 home openers since 1990.
Last year, A&M played its home opener as well as its season opener against Sam Houston State on the first day of the Texas A&M Invitational at Reed Arena and defeated the Bearkats, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) en route to the tournament title.
As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .251 to .175.
The Aggies are second in the SEC and 25th in the nation with 13.40 assists per set.
A&M is third in the SEC and 28th in the nation with 14.10 kills per set.

PLAYER NOTES

Hollann Hans leads the SEC and is ranked sixth in the nation with 5.73 points per set.
The junior from Corpus Christi also leads the SEC and ranks seventh in the country with 5.05 kills per set, having reached double-figure kills in all six matches, including two 20-or-more kill performances.
Camille Conner is second in the SEC with 10.95 assists per set.
Hans, Conner, Brookah Palmer and freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark have started every match and played in every set this season. In addition, senior Amy Houser has been the libero in all 20 sets and leads the team with 3.75 digs per set.
Freshman defensive specialist Allison Fields has started each of the last five matches. She has posted double-figure digs three times, including a match-high 17 digs in the sweep against Indiana. Fields is second on the team with 3.0 digs per set.
Freshman middle blocker Mallory Talbert made her first career start against Indiana and went on to start all three matches at the Penn State Invitational. She leads the Aggies with 0.80 blocks per set, and she is third on the team with 1.90 kills per set.
Freshman defensive specialist Taylor Voss made her first career appearance against Indiana in the opening match at the Penn State Invitational. She went on to play every set in the tournament, and her first career ace clinched the Aggies’ sweep against Temple.
Sophomore opposite hitter Morgan Davis, who has been splitting time with junior transfer Sydnye Fields, had a career-high nine kills while hitting .350 against No. 6 Penn State.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

PEPPERDINE

Pepperdine is 4-2 after going 3-0 last weekend to win its own Pepperdine Asics Classic.
Freshman outside hitter/opposite Rachel Ahrens was named MVP and junior outside hitter Hannah Frohling was named all-tournament as Pepperdine defeated Idaho, 3-1, North Texas, 3-0, and CSUN, 3-1.
The Waves are ranked third in the nation in kills (15.43) and assists (14.48) per set, as well as hitting percentage (.311).
Individually, senior setter Blossom Sato, a transfer from Mississippi State, is second in the nation with 12.76 assists per set.
Shannon Scully is tops on the team with 4.05 kills and 4.40 points per set.
As a team, Pepperdine is outhitting its opponents, .311 to .221, but is being outblocked, 2.10 to 1.62 per set.
Scott Wong (Pepperdine ‘01) is in his fourth season as head coach of the Waves.

NICHOLLS

The Colonels are 2-5 heading into their tournament opening match against Missouri State.
Most recently, Nicholls ended a three-match losing skid by defeating Mississippi Valley, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-19) on Sept. 1 to conclude the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Junior outside hitter/setter Heidi Carpenter was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Freshman outside hitter Katie Jones and senior right-side hitter Brieanna Hill have accounted for 47 percent of the offense as the team’s top-two kill leaders at 65 and 54, respectively. Junior libero Emily Venable ranks second in the league with 12 service aces.
Coach Jay Van Vark is in his first season as head coach of the Colonels.

MISSOURI STATE

The Bears enter the tournament 3-4 and looking for their first win away from home after falling to Kansas State, 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-8) on Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas.
The match against the Wildcats marked the start of a seven-match road trip.
MSU freshman outside hitter Amelia Flynn had a season-high 15 kills on .357 hitting at KSU, and senior libero Emily Butters reached double figures in digs (14) for the 102nd time in her career, breaking the record for most in school history.
The Bears were outhit, .284 to .111 and outblocked, 10-3.
Last weekend, MSU went 3-0, defeating Oral Roberts, Grambling and Ball State to win its own Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational.
Junior outside hitter Aubrey Cheffey was named MVP of the tournament, and sophomore middle blocker Laynie Dake and freshman setter/outside hitter Chloe Rear were named to the all-tournament team.
As a team, the Bears are hitting .172 for the full season, while holding opponents to a .153 hitting efficiency.
Flynn leads the team with 3.20 kills per set, and Butters is averaging a team-best 5.15 digs per set.
Melissa Stokes is 495-232 in her 23rd season as head coach of the Bears.

SERIES HISTORY

VS. PEPPERDINE

Pepperdine owns a 5-2 lead in the all-time series against A&M, including a 2-1 edge in College Station.
The Waves have won the last two meetings, although the teams have not met since Sept. 18, 1987, when Pepperdine defeated the Aggies, 3-1 (15-3, 10-15, 15-11, 15-6) at G. Rollie White Coliseum.

VS. NICHOLLS

Texas A&M is 5-0 all-time against Nicholls, including 4-0 in matches played in College Station.
The teams have not met since Dec. 5, 2003, when the Aggies swept the Colonels, 3-0 (30-28, 30-24, 31-29) in the first round of the NCAA Championship at G. Rollie White Coliseum.

VS. MISSOURI STATE

Texas A&M holds a 9-7 lead against Missouri State in the all-time series, which began in 1977.
Formerly Southwest Missouri State, the Bears won the most recent meeting, defeating A&M, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-20) on Sept. 3, 2010, in Springfield, Missouri, snapping a four-match losing skid against the Aggies.
A&M is 2-1 against the Bears in College Station.
The last time Missouri State played in College Station was Sept. 12, 2003, at G. Rollie White Coliseum, where the Aggies came back from an 0-2 deficit to win, 3-2 (29-31, 24-30, 34-32, 30-20, 15-12).

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Aggies conclude the non-conference schedule next weekend at the OU/Nike Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma.
A&M faces former Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma on Friday at 7 p.m. at McCasland Field House and will play two matches on Saturday to close out the tournament, facing Northwestern State at 11 a.m. and having a rematch against the Sooners at 5 p.m.
The Aggies open SEC play on Wednesday, Sept. 19 against Arkansas at Reed Arena. First serve is at 7 p.m.