October 29, 2002
The Texas A&M volleyball team returns to G. Rollie White Coliseum for a two-match home stand beginning Wednesday against the Oklahoma Sooners. First serve is 7 p.m., but fans are encouraged to arrive early to participate in the Halloween festivities that will be held in the foyer from 5:30 p.m. until match time.
The Aggies are 13-7 overall and tied with Colorado for sixth in the Big 12 race with a 5-6 league mark after falling to No. 4 Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday. The Sooners, 8-13 overall and riding a seven-match losing skid, are tied with Baylor for ninth place in the conference with a 2-9 record. The Sooners are 0-7 at away matches and also have lost their last seven matches overall, including a close five-game home loss to Kansas in their last outing.
A&M has won 19 consecutive matches against OU and is 21-1 in the all-time series against the Sooners since 1976. OU's only win against A&M was a 15-13, 15-11 victory at the North Texas State Tournament in Denton, Texas, on Sept. 15, 1979, nearly a year before A&M's eldest current player, A.D. Achilefu, was born. A&M also is 13-0 against OU in Big 12 matches and has not dropped a game to the Sooners in the last 12 meetings, including a 30-18, 30-21, 30-24 sweep against the Sooners on Oct. 2 in Norman.
A&M outhit the Sooners, .383 to .157, and posted 10 blocks to OU's three in the most recent meeting. Melissa Munsch hit .429 and led the Aggies with 17 kills. Carol Price led A&M in blocks with five, and setter Lexy Beers posted 38 assists in the victory. OU was led by Christina Barlow, who posted a team-high nine kills.
Junior middle blocker Tara Pulaski leads A&M with a .329 hitting percentage and 1.0 blocks per game for the full season. Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year Laura Jones is the team leader in kills (3.75), aces (0.48) and points (4.48) per game, while Munsch leads the team with 3.33 digs per game. Beers leads the Aggies and is ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 12.29 assists per game.
As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .238 to .181, for the full season and .221 to .195 in Big 12 matches only.
Oklahoma is led by senior Megan O'Connell, who is hitting .242 and averaging 3.25 kills per game. Sophomore Gretchen French, who hails from Bryan and played at Allen Academy, is not expected to play because of an injury.
The Sooners are hitting .167 for the full season and .177 in Big 12 matches only, while opponents are hitting .237 overall and .265 in league play.
A&M, who is 10-1 in home matches, concludes its home stand Saturday against Colorado. Match time is 2 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.