September 16, 2002
Although the Texas A&M volleyball team went 3-0 last week, the Aggies fell one spot to No. 17 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll, released Monday.
The Aggies (8-1) won the McDonald's Texas A&M Invitational II but needed four games to defeat Sam Houston State and five games to down Louisiana-Lafayette. A&M concluded the tournament by defeating BYU in four games to claim the championship trophy.
USC took over the No. 1 national ranking as defending national champion and former No. 1 Stanford fell to No. 4 after getting swept by Florida. Hawaii remained at No. 2, and the Gators climbed three spots to No. 3. Nebraska, the top-ranked team from the Big 12 Conference, slipped a spot to No. 5.
The Big 12 is represented by three teams, including No. 5 Nebraska and No. 17 Texas A&M. Texas moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 24 after upsetting then-No. 9 Ohio State over the weekend. Kansas State, ranked 24th in last week's poll, dropped out of the Top 25 after going 0-3 over the weekend. Colorado, Missouri and Kansas State all received points in the poll and are listed 31st, 35th and 36th, respectively.
The Aggies, who have been ranked in every regular-season AVCA Top 25 Poll since Sept. 26, 1995, when A&M broke in at No. 24, open conference play at home against Kansas on Wednesday. First serve is at 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The 17th-ranked Aggies are riding a 15-match home winning streak and are 13-0 all-time against the Jayhawks.
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