September 02, 2000
Michelle Cole and Erin Gibson both posted a career-high with 19 kills apiece to lead the 19th-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team to a 16-14, 15-9, 15-9 victory against Iowa at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic.
The win didn't come easily as Iowa was serving for game point at 14-13 in the first game. But A&M regained serve after a Hawkeye service error and then scored three consecutive points to escape with the win.
"We ran into a very scrappy team that plays excellent defense and ball control," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "Iowa was great at shot selection and played with a lot of power and smarts. They really challenged our offense and our block."
The Aggies trailed 5-3 early in Game 2 before outscoring Iowa 6-0 to take a led they would never relinquish. Holding onto a 9-7 advantage, A&M scored four consecutive points without a sideout. The Hawkeyes scored two points before a Cole service ace and an Iowa kill error gave A&M the win.
The score was tied at 7-7 in Game 3 when A&M took the lead on an Iowa kill error. The Aggies held an 11-9 advantage before reeling off four points without a sideout to end the match.
In addition to her career-high in kills, Gibson also led the Aggies on defense with a career-high 21 digs. Cole added 15, and Heather Marshall, who posted 12 kills and a career-high .478 hitting percentage, chipped in 14 digs.
As a team, A&M outhit Iowa .323 to .263 and outdug the Hawkeyes, 80-61, but got outblocked, 9-3.
"I was pleased with our offense," Corbelli said. "We were not making a lot of errors, and our passing was solid. All of our basics were solid except for the blocking. We didn't make adjustments on our block, but I attribute that to the lack of competition experience.