September 07, 2002
A.D. Achilefu posted a match-high 16 kills and Laura Jones added 13 to lead No. 17 Texas A&M to a 30-20, 30-19, 25-30, 30-28 victory over Illinois State at the Wisconsin InnTowner Invitational at the UW Field House.
With the victory, the Aggies improve to 5-0 on the season. Illinois State falls to 2-3.
A&M began the match by scoring the first six points of the opening game, three the result of consecutive service aces by Melissa Munsch. A&M maintained control of the game and took its third 10-point lead of the game at 24-14. Illinois State attempted a comeback with four consecutive points, but A&M answered with a kill by Munsch and consecutive aces by Achilefu.
A&M was up 28-20 when Munsch put down a kill and then aced her fourth serve, breaking her career high for aces in only the first game.
There were nine ties in the second game, the last occurring at 15-15. A&M then broke away by going on a 8-1 scoring run. Achilefu contributed five points during the rally with three kills and two blocks.
A&M was up 27-19 when Carol Price and Achilefu posted back-to-back kills to put the Aggies at game point. The Redbirds were then called for a lift to end the game.
A&M held a 21-17 lead in the third frame, when Illinois State went on a nine-point run to take its first lead of the game since an early 3-1 edge. Tara Pulaski ended the run with a kill, but the Redbirds responded with three more points to pull ahead, 29-22. The Aggies answered with three straight points, but Illinois State?â„¢s Ashley Grubb put down a kill for the game winner.
The Redbirds held a 5-3 advantage to start the fourth game when A&M scored six consecutive points. The Aggies built a 6-point lead at 12-6, but Illinois State fought back and got within one point five times before tying the score at 22. There were two more ties in the game, the last coming at 26. Jones posted a kill to regain the lead for A&M.
Following an Illinois State attack error, Munsch pounded an overpass by the Redbirds for a kill and put the Aggies at match point. Illinois State got within one point on a kill and an A&M error before Munsch ended the game with her 11th kill of the match.
Munsch finished the match with five aces, and Achilefu added four as the Aggies tallied a season-high 13 aces.
Achilefu led the Aggies with six blocks, and Price, drawing the first start of her career, and setter Lexy Beers each posted career-highs with four blocks each.
Libero Rebecca Wynalda led A&M with a career-high 15 digs, and Jones posted her first double-double of her career with 10 digs to go with her 13 kills.
Jenny Kabbes led the Redbirds with 12 kills, and Erin Jones added 11 but was held to a .000 hitting percentage as A&M outhit Illinois State, .235 to .099.
The Aggies conclude the tournament with a showdown against No. 16 Wisconsin for the tournament championship at 7 p.m. tonight. The contest against the Badgers will be a rematch of the 2001 NCAA Regional semifinal match in which the Aggies ousted then-No.6 Wisconsin, 3-0, to advance to the regional final.