October 14, 2000
Kansas State won a tight battle for second place in the Big 12 Conference, posting a dramatic 9-15, 15-12, 15-11, 11-15, 15-10 victory over the 22nd-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team Saturday before 1,423 fans at Ahearn Field House.
The Wildcats (13-4, 7-2 Big 12) remained a perfect 8-0 at home on the season and has won its last 11 in Manhattan dating back to last year. A&M (11-5, 6-3), which reached five games for the first time this season, saw its three-match winning streak come to an end.
The teams battled back and forth in the fifth game, which uses the rally-scoring format, with the Aggies pulling within one at 10-9 on a kill by senior middle blocker Heather Marshall. A&M could not hold the momentum, however, as a critical service error gave KSU a two-point lead. The teams exchanged points around a timeout before a kill and a block assist by Lauren Goehring had the Wildcats serving for the match. Goehring then won the match for K-State, putting down a kill for the 15-10 game-five victory.
"At critical times tonight we lost our focus, and therefore lost our momentum," A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We served passively for the most part and hardly ever took them out of their system, which puts a lot of pressure on us. We did a lot of things really well, though, and our blocking is getting where it needs to be."
The match opened up as a tight contest, with the teams battling in game one to a 9-9 tie. A&M took a four-point lead on consecutive serves, and earned game point on a block by Michelle Cole and Heather Marshall. Cole notched a big solo block on a KSU attack attempt to put the Aggies up 1-0 in the match with the 15-9 victory. A&M's game-one win marked the first time all season that Kansas State had lost a game at Ahearn Field House and snapped the Wildcats' 23-game home winning streak.
K-State broke open a close game two to take a six-point lead at 12-6. The Aggies came roaring back, scoring the next six points without a rotation to tie the score. After the teams traded several sideouts, KSU took a one-point lead when A&M was called for four hits. A Cole attack error put the Wildcats up by two, and a Lisa Mimick kill gave Kansas State the 15-12 win and evened the match at one.
The Wildcats carried the momentum through the intermission, as KSU's strong passing and great defense staked them to a 14-5 lead. A&M fought off five game points, however, cutting the lead to just three before Jenny Pollard put down a kill to end the comeback and give Kansas State the 15-11 win.
Texas A&M forced the first game-five situation in the history of the series by posting a 15-11 win in game four. The Aggies opened up a 10-5 lead before the Wildcats rallied and cut the lead to one on a block by Mimick and Kelle Branting. Erin Gibson regained serve for A&M with a big kill, and Michelle Cole put a ball down to go up by two at 13-11. A Branting attack went into the net, putting the Aggies within one of the win, and Cole put another attempt through the Wildcat block for the victory.
Sophomore outside hitter A.D. Achilefu turned in a phenomenal performance with a career-high 20 kills while tying a career best with six blocks. Achilefu hit .500 for the evening. Gibson tied for the team lead in kills with 20 and equaled that amount in digs.
"A.D. was a great answer for the team," Corbelli said. "We need her speed, spirit and her fight, and she has to be on the court. Erin was phenomenal all the way around. I was proud of the effort the team made to win game four and the way we battled in game five."
The Wildcats were led by junior outside hitter Liz Wegner who put down 29 kills. Two other 'Cats notched double-doubles on the night.
For the match, A&M out-hit K-State .250 to .242. The Aggies also set a season best in out-blocking the Wildcats 18 to 14.
The Aggies will return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 18 when they travel to Austin to take on the rival Texas Longhorns. First serve at Gregory Gymnasium on the UT campus is set for 7 p.m. A&M then looks to extend its school-record 26-match home winning streak when they host No. 24 Missouri at G. Rollie White Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.