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Texas A&M Set to Take on Rice in Second Round of NCAA Tournament

In the first round of NCAA play, Texas A&M swept the BIG EAST Tournament Champion St. John’s Red Storm
Credit: KAGS-Sports

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Following a first-round victory over St. John’s on Thursday night, Texas A&M volleyball turns its attention to the second round of NCAA Tournament play on Friday, as the Aggies (22-7) take on the Rice Owls (27-3). First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Casey Richardson and Chelsea Reber on the call.

 

In the first round of NCAA play, Texas A&M swept the BIG EAST Tournament Champion St. John’s Red Storm, advancing to the second round for the 20th time in program history. The Aggies climbed to 27-24 in NCAA tournament matches with the win over the Red Storm. A&M also recorded its second-highest team hitting percentage in a three-set postseason match, hitting the ball at a .400 clip.

 

Senior outside hitter Hollann Hans earned a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs. Junior setter Camille Conner delivered 36 assists, four kills and four digs in the winning effort. The SEC All-Freshman team duo of Treyaunna Rush and Lauren Davis finished with nine and six kills, respectively. Sophomore middle blocker Mallory Talbert ended with six kills on a .857 hitting clip.

 

On the defensive end, Taylor Voss registered six digs while Camila Gomez recorded five. Leaders at the net included Rush and junior middle blocker Makena Patterson.

 

After finishing the year with a 27-3 regular season record, the No. 21 Rice Owls’ received an at-large ticket to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Rice pulled off one of the signature upsets of the season on Sept. 18, as the Owls defeated then-No. 3 Texas in five sets. Rice opened tournament play with a dominating performance over Oklahoma, winning its first-round matchup in a sweep.

 

The Owls are led by junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, who holds the top spot on her team in kills with 490 and ranks second on the roster with a total of 350 digs. Setting up the offense for the Owls is the duo of senior Adria Martinez and sophomore Carly Graham, placing first and second on the team with 709 and 500 assists, respectively. Rice’s defensive anchor is senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham, who leads the Owls with 474 digs. 

 

Texas A&M holds a commanding 35-4 all-time lead against Rice, with the last meeting between the two schools coming on Sept. 1, 2001. This marks the first NCAA tournament matchup between the Aggies and Owls.

 

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