September 26, 2002
The 20th-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team returns home Friday to play host to the Iowa State Cyclones. Match time is 6 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
The first 250 fans will receive a coupon for a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich. In addition, Aggie Athletes Involved and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee will be collecting canned food items as part of their Aggies CAN food drive. The first 1,000 fans who donate will be eligible to win an autographed volleyball. All donations benefit the Brazos Food Bank.
The Aggies (9-3, 1-2 Big 12) will be looking to extend two streaks and end another when they face the Cyclones (9-5, 0-3). A&M has won 16 consecutive home matches and also has won 13 straight against the Cyclones but is currently in the midst of a two-match losing skid after dropping matches at both Colorado and Missouri.
Sophomore outside hitter Melissa Munsch leads the Aggies with 3.74 kills, 0.61 aces, 3.3 digs and 4.59 points per game. Freshman outside hitter Laura Jones leads the team with a .337 hitting percentage and is second on the squad with 3.61 kills per game. Junior middle blocker Tara Pulaski, who tied a career high with 11 blocks against the Tigers, is averaging a team-best 1.09 blocks per game, and sophomore setter Lexy Beers is averaging 12.04 assists per game.
As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .255 to .177, for the full season and .247 to .217 in conference matches only.
The Cyclones are winless in Big 12 play, having been swept by Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Kansas State. Senior outside hitter Mandi Harms leads the team with a .323 hitting percentage and 1.57 blocks per game, while sophomore outside hitter Brittany Dalager sports a team-best 3.57 kills per game.
As a team, Iowa State is hitting .183 and leads the Big 12 with 16.78 digs per game and is second in the league with 3.1 blocks per game.
Texas A&M holds a commanding 14-1 lead in the all-time series against Iowa State, including a 12-0 mark in Big 12 matches, as well as a 6-0 record in matches played at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Not only do the Aggies have an unblemished record against the Cyclones in Big 12 play, but A&M has not even dropped a game in those contests. Iowa State's lone victory against A&M was Sept. 15, 1989, at the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
Next week, the Aggies take on the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman on Wednesday and then return home to host No. 5 Nebraska Sunday at 2 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.