September 08, 2001
Logan Tom posted a match-high 21 kills along with 15 digs to lead the 9th-ranked Stanford Cardinal to a 30-18, 30-24, 24-30, 30-23 win over the 18th-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team in the finale of the Verizon Texas A&M Invitational before 1,773 fans at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
The Aggies (6-1) were held to a .157 hitting percentage for the match and were out-blocked 15 to three. Stanford (6-0) hit .367 on the night, but was out-dug by the Aggies 73 to 63.
Stanford used a dominating net presence and a .462 hitting percentage to take a 30-18 win in game one. Five Stanford blocks in the game helped hold the Aggies to an .057 hitting percentage. The Cardinal jumped out to a 5-0 lead before A&M's Erin Lechler earned her team its first point on a tip over the block. The Aggies cut the lead to four, 10-6, on a Jenna Moscovic kill, but Stanford proceeded to go on a 10-3 run to take control of the game. Tom's fifth kill of the game put the Cardinal up 20-9 and forced an Aggie timeout. The teams matched each other the rest of the way before Tom put down another kill to close out the scoring.
Stanford claimed a six-point victory in game two, a tight affair in which the Cardinal never relinquished the lead. Trailing by four points early, A&M climbed back to within one at 13-12 on a Michelle Cole kill. Momentum shifted back to Stanford, however, when the Aggies committed four attack errors and a service error and had to call a timeout down 18-13. Stanford bumped its lead to six before kills by Mount and Lechler along with a Melissa Munsch service ace made the score 23-20 and forced a Cardinal timeout. A&M would get no closer, as Stanford closed out the game at 30-24 on Aggie Tara Pulaski's attack error.
The Aggies came out of the locker room after the intermission and jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead and never trailed in a 30-24 win. A&M posted 15 kills and hit .652 in the game before committing its first attack error. Cole tallied one of her six kills in the game to make the score 18-9 and force a Cardinal timeout. Stanford proceeded to go on a 6-1 run and an Ogonna Nnamani kill cut the lead to four at 19-15. Following a point by Moscovic on a setter dump, Stanford's front line posted two consecutive blocks to cut the lead to three. The Aggies responded, however, as Munsch and Moscovic teamed up to block a Tom kill attempt and increase the lead to four. The Cardinal would get no closer, and a big kill by Munsch -- one of her eight in the game -- closed out the scoring.
Keeping the momentum from game three, Texas A&M jumped out to a 5-1 lead to start the fourth game before Stanford tied the game at 8-8 on an attack error by Cole. With the score knotted at 12-12, the Cardinal went on an 8-2 run to take a 20-14 lead. The Aggies battled back, however, and pulled within three on a kill by Lechler off the block to make the score 23-20. After trading points, Stanford got a pair of kills to go up by five and take control of the game at 26-21. Ashley Ivy and Jennifer Harvey teamed up for a block -- the Cardinal's 15th of the night -- to give Stanford a 30-23 win and the victory.
Four Aggies posted double figures in kills, led by Mount with 18. Munsch tallied 16, while Lechler had 12 and Cole 10. Mount and Lechler each posted 15 digs as well, while Moscovic notched 14 digs to go along with her 53 assists. Munsch hit .323 in the match while posting three blocks.
For the Cardinal, Ivy joined Tom in the double-double category with 11 kills and 20 digs while hitting .393. Nnamani added 13 kills against one error to hit .387 on the night. Harvey led the Stanford defense with seven blocks.
Mount and Moscovic were named to the Verizon Texas A&M Invitational All-Tournament Team. Nnamani was named Most Valuable Player, with Tom and Cardinal setter Robyn Lewis earning all-tournament accolades. Texas' Bethany Howden and Florida State's Norisha Campbell rounded out the all-tournament team.
The Aggies return to action on Wednesday when they open Big 12 play against the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. First serve at the OU Field House is set for 7 p.m.
VERIZON A&M INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Norisha Campbell, Florida State
Ogonna Nnamani, Stanford - MVP
Logan Tom, Stanford
Robyn Lewis, Stanford
Bethany Howden, Texas
Brandi Mount, Texas A&M
Jenna Moscovic, Texas A&M