September 03, 2002
No. 17 Texas A&M improved its record to 4-0 and won its 10th consecutive match against Southwest Texas as the Aggies defeated the Bobcats, 30-22, 30-24, 30-26, tonight at Strahan Coliseum.
A.D. Achilefu, who was celebrating her 22nd birthday, led the Aggies with a match-high14 kills and three blocks. Melissa Munsch was the team leader in digs with 12, and setter Lexy Beers recorded 35 assists.
As a team, A&M outhit the Bobcats .189 to .127, posting 50 kills to SWT's 38.
A&M held a 4-2 lead early in the opening game when the Bobcats scored five consecutive points. SWT held a 9-7 edge when Laura Jones put down a kill and hen Tara Pulaski and Jones made SWT pay errant passes that hung at the net for back-to-back kills, giving A&M a lead it would never lose.
A&M took its biggest lead at 27-19 on a SWT attack error. With A&M up 28-22, a Bobcat attack sailed wide, and Julia Rex finished the game with an ace.
A&M held a narrow 9-8 edge in the second game when SWT scored seven consecutive points. The Aggies eventually evened the score at 16 and regained the lead on a block by Pulaski and Melissa Munsch. Pulaski then registered a kill on another Bobcat pass that was left hanging over the net, but SWT followed with a kill to tie the score for the sixth and final time.
The Aggies held a 22-20 lead when the Aggies reeled off four unanswered points. SWT could not get any closer than four points for the remainder of the game, the last coming at 28-24. Beth Skypala put down a kill to put A&M at game point, and then an error was called on the SWT libero for setting a ball in front of the 10-foot line to give A&M the win and a 2-0 lead heading into the intermission.
In the third game, A&M was ahead, 11-9, when the Aggies outscored SWT 9-2 to build a 20-11 lead. A&M built its largest lead of the game at 23-13 when SWT went on a 9-2 run, cutting the lead to 25-22. The Bobcats could not get any closer. A&M led 29-24, but SWT fought off two match points before a Bobcat service error ended the game.
A&M returns to action on Friday as the Aggies face Montreal at 4:30 p.m. on the opening day of the Wisconsin InnTowner Invitational in Madison, Wis. On Saturday, A&M is slated to meet Illinois State at 10 a.m. and then concludes the tournament at 7 p.m. against No. 16 Wisconsin, who the Aggies upset in the NCAA regional semifinals last year.