November 10, 2000
The 24th-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team heads north to take on Iowa State Saturday in Ames. First serve against the Cyclones is set for 7 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum.
The Aggies are 15-7 overall and in third place in the Big 12 Conference with a 10-5 mark following a four-game loss to No. 1 Nebraska on Wednesday.
As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents .264 to .205. Freshman middle blocker Tara Pulaski leads the starters with a .329 hitting efficiency, while junior outside hitter Erin Gibson leads the Aggies with 4.33 kills and 4.51 digs per game. Senior middle blocker Heather Marshall is the leader in blocks with a 1.41 average.
Iowa State is 2-23 overall and in last place in the Big 12 with a 0-16 league mark after getting swept 3-0 at Colorado on Wednesday. The Cyclones are led by senior 6-3 middle blocker Stacy Nicks, who is hitting .233 and averaging 2.59 kills and 1.10 blocks per game.
Iowa State has won only three games in 16 Big 12 matches and is being outhit .305 to .094 in league play.
A&M holds an 11-1 all-time record against the Cyclones since the teams first met in 1981 and a 9-0 mark since Big 12 play began in 1996. In addition, the Aggies have won the last 10 meetings, all in three games.
Earlier this season, A&M defeated Iowa State, 15-5, 15-1, 15-9, in College Station. Fourteen Aggies saw action as A&M posted 51 kills and 14 errors in 95 attempts for an A&M Big 12 season-high .389 hitting percentage. Gibson led the Aggies with eight kills, while Nicks led the Cyclones with 10 kills as Iowa State was held to 27 kills and a .205 hitting percentage.
The victory marked A&M's 25th consecutive win at G. Rollie White Coliseum, breaking the record for consecutive home victories set in 1982.
The Aggies return to G. Rollie, Wednesday, Nov. 15 to play host to the Baylor Bears. Match time is slated for a rare 6 p.m. start.