September 01, 2000
No. 19 Texas A&M suffered a season-opening 15-11-12-15, 15-6, 15-8 loss to No. 5 Hawaii on the first day of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. An A&M record crowd of 6,901 was on hand to see the Wahine avenge a season-ending upset to the Aggies in the 1999 NCAA regional semifinals.
The Aggies, who return only two starters from last year's 28-6 team that advanced to the Elite Eight with the victory over Hawaii, dropped the first game after getting outhit .405 to .200. A&M regrouped and never trailed in the second game to tie the match at one game apiece. Following the intermission, the Aggies could not get in sync and were held below a .100 hitting percentage in each of the final two games.
"We were very focused and our attack started out very aggressive and smart," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We were making a lot of shots with a lot of confidence, and I was really impressed. After the break, we weren't passing as effectively. We couldn't get a rhythm going and we weren't attacking as a team. You can't beat a team like Hawaii if you are not attacking as a team."
Brandi Mount led the Aggies with a career-high 16 kills and a .294 hitting percentage. Michelle Cole added 15 kills, and Jenna Moscovic led A&M with 42 assists and 14 digs. Heather Marshall posted a team-high six blocks and added 12 digs.
The Wahine had five players post double figures in kills, led by Lily Kahumoku's 19 kills. As a team, Hawaii outhit A&M .258 to .156 and posted 78 kills to A&M's 54.
The Aggies resume play Saturday against Iowa at 8 p.m. (HST).