Aggie volleyball takes down Ole Miss in final home game of the season
Texas A&M Volleyball (20-6, 12-4) returned home to host the Ole Miss Rebels (14-13, 6-10) and secured a 3-1 victory in their final home game of the regular season. The Aggies claimed a season sweep of the Rebels, previously snapping a 14-game Ole Miss win streak on the road in their first match-up of the season. The Rebels have not won a game since before the Aggies visited Oxford.
It was Senior Night at Reed Arena, honoring three seniors including libero Camila Gomez, outside hitter Hollann Hans and setter/defensive specialist Haley Slocum, as well as junior middle blocker Makena Patterson, who is graduating early.
Set One: Texas A&M 25-21
The Aggies set the tone with strong hitting early in the set, hitting a .400 clip overall. Taylor Voss served an ace to put the Aggies up 9-6, and offense kept the Aggies rolling. Lauren Davis led the Aggies in kills with six, followed by Treyaunna Rush and Patterson with four each. The Rebels followed closely behind the Aggies for the entirety of the set, calling a timeout down 22-19 in attempt to stay alive. After a long rally, the referee blew the play dead on an Aggie dig, ruling that the ball had hit the ground, which put the Rebels within one at 23-22. Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn challenged the call, resulting in a win for the Aggies and a replayed point. The Rebels proceeded to launch a serve into the net and a kill by Mallory Talbert locked up the set one victory, 25-21.
Set Two: Ole Miss 25-23
The Aggies fell to the Rebels late in a close set two. Texas A&M was off to a 4-0 start, but Ole Miss quickly responded. Set two had nine tie scores and when it came down to the wire, the Aggies fell short. Down 24-22, an A&M timeout tried to spark a comeback. Hans smacked down a kill to put the Aggies within one coming out of the timeout, but a serve into the net ended the set and tied the match at one. Hans and Davis each had five kills to lead the Aggies in a slow offensive set.
Set Three: Texas A&M 26-24
Texas A&M started out hot in set three, quickly claiming a 6-1 lead. The Aggies maintained a comfortable lead until the Rebels began to claw their way back late, down only four at the 20-point mark. The Rebels knotted the score at 23 and forced extra points, but the Aggies took back the lead at 25-24 and claimed the set with a kill from Talbert. Despite the late scare, the Aggie offense was solid with a .341 hitting percentage and Hans leading the way with six. Davis and Camille Conner each contributed four kills of their own.
Set Four: Texas A&M 25-20
Set four started close, until the Aggies began to take control through the midway point on. At the Texas A&M 19-17 lead, the Rebels called a timeout, after which the Aggies immediately went on a 3-0 run. Conner earned back to back points with a kill and an ace, contributing to her triple-double on the night with 10 kills, 52 assists and 17 digs. She is the first to record a triple-double in the SEC this season. Davis also had a career high 19 kills on the night.
After an impressive rally in which the Aggies played the ball off the jumbotron, it was set point. It couldn’t be more fitting for Hollann Hans to have the kill to win the set and match for her last home game in maroon and white. She had six more kills in the set, totaling 20 on the night.
Thoughts from Senior Night:
“We knew we needed to come to the court focused,” said Camila Gomez. “They’re a tough team. I tried to keep myself together and not let the emotions [of the night] get in.”
“We did a good job of staying on top the whole match,” said Haley Slocum. “It’s a huge blessing that I got to stay here [in College Station.]”
“There were a lot of emotions we had to keep in check,” reflected Hollann Hans. “We got to enjoy that after the game and it was a really special moment. It’s just a really special place here. Growing up an Aggie and ending my last game here at Reed Arena was really overwhelming but special. I’m just so thankful for the time I’ve had here.”
“We wanted this to be like every other game but were really intentional about playing for each other,” said Makena Patterson. “[After graduation] I’m hoping to go play overseas. We’ll see where it takes me.”
“This senior group is such a core of not just volleyball players, but humans,” said Coach Kuhn. “I think I underestimated how much emotion they were feeling in this match. This senior class all has their own leadership skill and their own impact on the team and program.
“To have a player of Hollann’s caliber be the person she is off the court… This place is so special to her and I think that’s what makes her so special to this place. She’s hands-down one of the most natural, gifted players [I’ve coached]. She’s a natural volleyball player, but it’s the person she is that makes her even better.”
Up Next:
The Aggies have two remaining games of the regular season, each on the road. First up is the South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday with first serve at 6:00 p.m. The next and final game is at No. 15 Florida on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
