September 03, 2000
With the exception of a sluggish start, the 19th-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team put up a fight against top-ranked UCLA before falling, 15-2, 10-15, 15-11, 15-8, in the Aggies' final match of the Hawaiian Airlines Volleyball Classic.
"The slow start didn't surprise me," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "It was our third straight night to play. We were a little worn out, and it was a big match. UCLA caught us a little off guard with their tremendous offensive power, but once we settled down and saw what we needed to do, we regrouped and were better able to handle their power with some great defensive play."
A&M fell behind early as the Bruins jumped out to a 6-0 lead and cruised to a 15-2 win in the opening game. But the Aggies regrouped in Game 2 and took a 4-0 lead to begin the game. A&M eventually built a 12-3 advantage and held on to a seven-point lead at 14-7 when the Bruins rallied for three points to cut the lead to 14-10. A&M regained serve on a Bruin kill error, and freshman middle blocker Tara Pulaski put down one of her nine kills to give the Aggies the win and tie the match at one game apiece.
A&M started out strong in Game 3, scoring six points before UCLA got on the scoreboard. The Aggies held a 10-5 lead when UCLA scored four points without a sideout . Heather Marshall temporarily ended the Bruin rally with one of her 12 kills, and Erin Gibson followed with a kill to give the Aggies an 11-9 lead.
The Bruins tied the score at 11 and then scored four consecutive points, all on A&M kill errors to take Game 3, 15-11.
A&M took a 4-0 lead in the final game and held on to a 7-4 advantage before the Bruins scored seven unanswered points. Gibson posted one of her 15 kills to make the score 13-8 , but UCLA closed out the match with a monster kill by All-American Kristee Porter and an A&M attack error.
Brandi Mount led A&M with 17 kills and a .389 hitting percentage, both career highs.
Porter led the Bruins with 33 kills with only five errors in 58 attempts for a .483 hitting percentage.
"Brandi was superb," Corbelli said. "She was powerful, consistent and smart, and they couldn't stop her attack. She did a super job for us and helped keep our offense balanced by taking pressure off our middle attack."
UCLA improves to 3-1 and faces undefeated and fifth-ranked Hawaii Monday to determine the winner of the tournament. A&M finishes the weekend at 1-2, while Iowa placed fourth with an 0-3 record.
"For the purposes of what we get out of an early season tournament like this, we couldn't have learned more," Corbelli said. "We didn't beat the No. 1 and No. 5 teams, but we are not that far away and that is very encouraging."
A&M makes its home debut Wednesday, Sept. 6 against the Houston Cougars. Match time is 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.