September 17, 2002
No. 17 Texas A&M (8-1) begins Big 12 Conference play Wednesday as the Aggies host the Kansas Jayhawks (8-0). First serve is at 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Free volleyball T-Shirts will be handed out to the first 1,000 fans in attendance...Both teams won tournament titles last weekend. The Aggies improved to 6-0 at home after defeating Sam Houston State, Louisiana-Lafayette and BYU to claim the championship trophy at the McDonald's Texas A&M Invitational II...Kansas remained undefeated for the season by sweeping Southeast Missouri State, Marquette and Purdue to win the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan...Both teams are 3-3 all-time in Big 12 openers; however, A&M has never lost its first conference home match of the season since the league began in 1996.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
The Aggies, who are 6-0 at home this year and riding a 15-match home winning streak dating to last season, slipped one spot to No. 17 in this week's USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll despite going 3-0 last week...Three starters are hitting above .300, led by senior middle blocker A.D. Achilefu, who is hitting at a .370 clip...Freshman outside hitter Laura Jones, who was named MVP at the McDonald's Texas Invitational II last weekend is hitting .354 and is tied with sophomore outside hitter Melissa Munsch with a team-best 3.50 kills per game. Jones also leads the team with 0.66 aces per game...Junior middle blocker Tara Pulaski is hitting .317 and sports a team-high 0.94 blocks per game...Sophomore setter Lexy Beers is averaging 11.94 assists per game while directing an offense that is hitting .257 and averaging 15.66 kills per game...The Aggies also are averaging 16.46 digs, 2.26 blocks and 2.4 aces per game...Opponents are hitting .164 and averaging 15.74 digs, 1.57 blocks and 0.89 aces per game...A&M, picked to finish second in the league according to a preseason poll of the conference coaches, placed second with a 16-4 mark last year to tie the 1999 Aggies for the best record and equal A&M's highest finish.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Kansas (8-0) enters Big 12 play undefeated for the third consecutive season. The Jayhawks have not dropped a game in their last three matches, and other than a 3-1 victory at Wichita State on Sept. 10, Kansas has swept every opponent this season...With a win against the Aggies, the Jayhawks would tie for the second-best start in school history and would be one victory away from equaling their all-time best start...The match against the Aggies marks Kansas' first match against a Top 25 opponent this season...Kansas leads the Big 12 with a .323 hitting percentage, and sophomore middle blocker Ashley Michaels is the league's individual leader with a .500 hitting percentage. She also leads the Jayhawks with 1.21 blocks per game...Freshman middle blocker Josiane Lima, who has been named the MVP in the last two tournaments, is hitting .368 and averaging a team-high 3.96 kills per game. She is second on the squad with 1.13 blocks per game...As a team, Kansas is averaging 17.24 kills, 15.52 assists, 2.4 aces, 16.6 digs and 2.5 blocks per game...Opponents are hitting .138 and averaging 12.36 kills, 10.84 assists, 1.48 aces, 13.84 digs and 1.8 blocks per game...Kansas, who placed ninth in the Big 12 last year with a 6-14 record, is picked to place ninth again this season according to a preseason poll of the league coaches...Head coach Ray Bechard (Fort Hays State '80) is 69-60 in his fifth year at the helm of the Jayhawks.
SERIES RECORD
The Aggies are 13-0 all-time against Kansas, including 7-0 in matches played at G. Rollie White Coliseum...Last year, both matches went four games before the Aggies prevailed. A&M outhit Kansas, .318 to .194, in Lawrence, Kan., as senior Michelle Cole led the Aggies with 17 kills and a .429 hitting percentage and All-American setter Jenna Moscovic notched her fourth triple-double of the season. The Jayhawks were led by Sarah Romes' 20 kills...Erin Lechler and Melissa Munsch posted double-doubles to lead the 13th-ranked Aggies to a four-game victory in College Station. Molly Scavuzzo led the Kansas attack with 14 kills.
Texas A&M's all-time results vs. Kansas:
(H: 7-0, A: 6-0, N: 0-0) Oct. 12, 1990 H W 15-7, 10-15, 15-7, 11-15, 15-0 Oct. 27, 1996 H W 15-10, 19-17, 15-0 Nov. 22, 1996 A W 15-13, 15-6, 15-8 Oct. 25, 1997 A W 6-15, 15-4, 15-3, 15-7 Nov. 21, 1997 H W 15-9, 15-1, 9-15, 15-8 Oct. 9, 1998 H W 15-0, 15-6, 15-13 Nov. 14, 1998 A W 15-2, 15-2, 15-9 Oct. 15, 1999 A W 15-7, 15-11, 15-7 Nov. 19, 1999 H W 15-4, 15-7, 15-8 Sept. 15, 2000 H W 15-8, 15-13, 15-9 Oct. 25, 2000 A W 15-10, 15-13, 15-12 Oct. 17, 2001 A W 30-27, 26-30, 30-25, 30-21 Nov. 14, 2001 H W 30-18, 30-20, 25-30, 30-19
NOTES AND TIDBITS
- The Aggies have won 15 consecutive matches played at G. Rollie White Coliseum dating to last season. Texas A&M, which is 6-0 in home contests this season, has not dropped a home contest since No. 2 Nebraska downed the Aggies, 3-1, on Oct. 14, 2001.
- A&M has led its opponent in aces in every match this season and is on a record-setting pace. The Aggies, who have posted a total of 110 aces to opponents' 31, are averaging 2.4 aces per game. The school season record is 2.13 aces per game set in 1984, and the record for total aces is 328 set in 1983.
- The Aggies are 111-17 (.867) in home matches since Laurie Corbelli became head coach in 1993. A&M is 93-3 (.969) against unranked opponents and 18-14 (.563) against Top 25 opponents at home during that span. The only unranked teams A&M has lost to at home since Corbelli took over are Texas Tech in 1997 and 1998 and Colorado last year.
- Sophomore outside hitter Melissa Munsch has posted double figures in kills in five consecutive matches and in all but two matches for the season. In addition, she has reached double digits in digs in seven of nine matches and has recorded a team-best five double-doubles. Munsch is tied for the team lead with 3.5 kills per game and leads the Aggies with 3.38 digs per game.
UPCOMING
The Aggies travel to face the Colorado Buffaloes Saturday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. Match time is 7 p.m. (MDT). A&M and Colorado split the two-match series last year with each team winning on the road.