Texas A&M
TEXAS
Aggies Advance to Sweet Sixteen With Victory Over Texas
Dec 01, 2001 | Volleyball
December 01, 2001
The 15th-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team defeated rival Texas, 30-24, 30-22, 30-27, in front of 1,325 at G. Rollie White Coliseum tonight to earn a berth into the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
"I can't think of a better way to finish here," senior outside hitter Michelle Cole said after playing in her final match at G. Rollie. "Standing there and sawing varsity's horns off for the last time in this gym was the way to do it."
Cole led the Aggies with 12 kills and a .478 hitting percentage as A&M improved to 3-0 against the Longhorns this season. Freshman middle blocker Melissa Munsch added 11 kills, and senior outside hitter Erin Lechler contributed 10. In addition, senior setter Jenna Moscovic tallied 38 assists to give her 5,001 for her career.
"This was a really tough match to prepare for since we had already played them twice, A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "There were a lot of emotions wrapped up in this game, and we had to bring out our best."
Texas was led by its outstanding freshman duo of Mira Topic and Bethany Howden, who posted 17 and 11 kills, respectively.
"I thought we played hard," Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. "We were in a position to battle for games. I like the way that our young kids compete."
A&M came back from a 9-5 deficit in the opening game to win 30-24. The Longhorns held an 11-9 lead when the Aggies scored three straight point to take their first lead of the game. Texas regained one-point leads at 13-12 and 14-13, but a service error by Bethany Howden tied the score. Brandi Mount then tooled the Texas block to give A&M a lead it would never lose.
A&M went on to outscore the Longhorns, 7-1, to pull away. After A&M built its biggest lead of the game at 27-19, Texas rallied to get back within five at 29-24 but the game ended when Howden's serve went long.
Texas held a 6-4 lead to start Game 2, but the Aggies tied the score at 7-7 on a Lechler kill and took the lead for good on a solo block by senior Brandi Mount. With A&M holding a 12-10 edge, the Aggies rallied for four consecutive points and eventually built their biggest lead at 20-12. The Longhorns got back within three points at 24-21 when A&M outscored Texas, 6-1, to end the game and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
There were nine ties in the final game, the last one occurring at 23-23. Back-to-back kills by Mount and Cole followed by an ace by Mount gave A&M a three-point cushion, but the Longhorns fought back and got within one point at 27-26 and 28-27. A kill by Lechler and an attack error by Topic gave A&M the victory.
"I am impressed with the way they dealt with all of the pressure that was placed upon A&M," Corbelli said. "Our pace was hard to keep up with, and that is the way you have to play. That is definitely what kept us in the match."
A&M out-hit Texas, .296 to .215, and posted 59 kills to the Longhorns' 46.
The Aggies improve to 25-5 and will now face No. 6 Wisconsin. The site and date is to be announced.
