November 07, 2002
Texas A&M (16-7, 8-6 Big 12) hosts No. 20 Missouri (20-5, 9-4 Big 12) Friday at 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The match is critical for both teams as they try to better their position in the Big 12 race...The Aggies, who are 6-0 in home matches against Missouri, are tied for fifth in the Big 12 and are riding a three-match winning streak after sweeping Baylor in Waco on Wednesday. The Tigers, who defeated A&M in four games in Columbia earlier this season, are coming off a 3-0 home loss to No. 25 Kansas State, which snapped Missouri's three-match winning streak. The Tigers are third in the conference standings, a half game ahead of Texas...Promotions for the match include church night - anyone identifying themselves as a church member can purchase a general admission ticket for $2 - and $3.50 Meal Deal - get a hot dog, popcorn and a soda for only $3.50...Live scoring of the match will be available on the official Texas A&M athletic Web site at www.AggieAthletics.com.
TEXAS A&M NOTES
- The Aggies are entering one of the most challenging stretches of their second-half schedule as four of their next five opponents are tied or ahead of A&M in the Big 12 standings. Three of those teams - Missouri, Kansas State and Texas - downed the Aggies on the road earlier this season...The only teams to ever sweep A&M in a season conference series are Nebraska (1996-97, 2000-02) and Texas (1998).
- The Aggies' victory at Baylor on Wednesday extended A&M's conference winning streak to a season-high three matches...A&M, who had a season-high five-match wining streak against non-conference opponents to open the season, began the current Big 12 streak by defeating Oklahoma and Colorado at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
- A&M, which is 12-1 in home matches and 3-6 on the road, is outhitting its opponents, .259 to .158 at G. Rollie White Coliseum but is being outhit .222 to .218 when playing on the road...The Aggies are outhitting their opponents, .243 to .180, for the full season and .233 to .191 in conference matches only.
- As a team, A&M is averaging 16.03 kills, 1.75 aces, 16.36 digs and 2.29 blocks per game for the full season. Opponents are averaging 13.59 kills, 1.10 aces, 14.84 digs and 1.82 blocks per game...In Big 12 matches only, A&M is averaging 16.29 kills, 1.31 aces, 16.29 digs and 2.32 blocks per game.
- A&M is paced by the one-two punch of outside hitters Laura Jones and Melissa Munsch. Jones, the Big 12 Conference Preseason Freshman of the Year, leads the team with 3.68 kills, 0.48 aces and 4.40 points per game for the full season. Munsch is right behind Jones with 3.64 kills, 0.42 aces and 4.29 points per game. In addition, the sophomore leads the Aggies with 3.47 digs per game...In conference matches only, Jones leads the team with 3.80 kills, 0.36 aces and 4.42 points per game, while Munsch is averaging 3.73 kills, 0.27 aces and 4.23 points, in addition to a team-leading 3.52 digs per game.
- Munsch has reached double figures in kills - including a career-high 25 kills at Colorado - in 19 of 23 matches and also leads the team with 14 double-double performances.
- Setter Lexy Beers recorded a career-high and a team season-high 73 assists in the five-game victory over Colorado on Saturday, ranking ninth in the A&M all-time single match records. She also set a three-game match season high with 49 assists against Oklahoma last Wednesday to average 15.25 assists per game for the week...The sophomore is ranked third in the Big 12 for both assist average for the full season (12.59) and in Big 12 matches only (13.02)... With Beers directing the A&M attack, the Aggies are ranked second to Nebraska in the conference for fewest blocks allowed by an opponent for the full season (1.82) and in conference matches only (1.98).
- Junior middle blocker Tara Pulaski, who hit at a .363 pace during the month of October, leads the Aggies and is ranked third in the Big 12 with a .352 hitting percentage in league matches. She is ninth in the conference with a .337 hitting percentage for the full season...The California native also leads the Aggies with 1.01 blocks per game for the full season and has twice reached double figures in blocks this season. Her 11 blocks at Missouri still ranks as the most by a Big 12 player in league competition this season.
- All seven of A&M's losses have been against teams that have been ranked in the Top 25 for at least one week during the regular season. No. 20 Missouri jumped into the poll at No. 21 on Sept. 30 after posting back-to-back victories over No. 24 Texas and No. 20 Texas A&M. The Tigers, who are 3-2 against ranked opponents, were ranked a season-high 19 on Oct. 21 ...The Aggies are 0-3 against teams that were ranked at the time the match was played.
- Texas A&M's historic streak of 111 consecutive appearances in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll came to an end on Oct. 14 as the Aggies fell out of the Top 25 for the first time since breaking in at No. 24 on Sept. 26, 1995. A&M, which held onto a No. 25 ranking on Oct. 7, toppled to No. 34 after dropping a five-game match to then-unranked Texas in Austin on Oct. 9...During the Aggies' seven-year stay in the Top 25, A&M reached an all-time high No. 9 ranking in the 1999 final poll after defeating No. 3 Hawaii to reach the NCAA regional finals for the first time in school history. The Aggies first broke the top-10 milestone in 1996, spending four consecutive weeks at No. 10 (Oct. 15-Nov. 5). A&M reached its second-highest final ranking following the 2001 season, coming it at No. 11 after reaching the Elite Eight for the second time. The Aggies began the 2002 season listed No. 17 in the preseason poll and moved up to a season-high No. 16 on Sept. 9 despite losing five starters from last year's 26-6 team.
- 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 school's best record and equal A&M's highest finish. A&M has never finished lower than fourth place (1997, 1998) in the final Big 12 standings and has never lost more than seven matches in league competition (1998).
MISSOURI NOTES
The Tigers, ranked 20th in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll, are 20-5 overall and in third place in the Big 12 race with a 9-4 mark. Missouri, which marked its third consecutive 20-win season on Saturday, is coming off a 3-0 loss to No. 25 Kansas State Wednesday in Columbia, ending the Tigers' three-match winning streak. Missouri was held to a season-low .026 hitting percentage, had a season-high 40 attack errors, and was outblocked, 14-8, in the loss that ended the Tigers' three-match winning streak and also marked Missouri first home loss of the season. Senior middle blocker Christi Myers posted a match-high 15 kills and hit .278. Sophomore middle blocker Jenny Duitsman and redshirt freshman outside hitter Shen Danru also reached double digits in kills with 11 and 10, respectively, although Danru, the Big 12 Conference Preseason Newcomer of the Year, was held to a -.073 hitting efficiency...Freshman setter Lindsey Hunter, who entered the week ranked second in the nation in assists, is averaging 14.15 assists per game. Danru is averaging a team-leading 4.09 kills and 3.10 digs per game, and Myers leads the Tigers with a .360 hitting percentage and 1.21 blocks per game for the full season...As a team, Missouri is outhitting its opponents, .263 to .195 for the full season and .222 to .209 in conference matches only...Missouri is 3-2 in matches against Top 25 opponents and 7-4 in away matches...Coach Susan Kreklow (Southwest Missouri State '84) is 64-23 in her third season at the helm of the Tigers.
SERIES RECORD
The Aggies lead the all-time series against Missouri, 13-3, including a 6-0 mark in matches played at G. Rollie White Coliseum and an 11-2 record against the Tigers since Big 12 play began in 1996. Missouri, however, won the most recent meeting, coming from behind to down then-No. 20 A&M in four games in Columbia. Tara Pulaski tied her career high with 11 blocks as the Aggies posted a season-high 17.5 blocks, while Missouri tallied eight. That was the only category A&M led as Missouri outhit the Aggies, .244 to .194, and posted 71 kills to A&M's 53. Laura Jones led the Aggies with 12 kills, and Pulaski and Melissa Munsch added 11 apiece. Four Tigers posted double figures in kills, led by junior outside hitter Mary Lauren Smith, who had a match-high 20 kills and hit .394. Lisa Morris, who is out for the remainder of the season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in the following match at Colorado, and Christi Meyers posted 16 kills each and hit .316 and .433, respectively...A&M swept the two-match series against the Tigers last season.
UPCOMING
A&M hits the road to face the Kansas Jayhawks, Wednesday, Nov. 13. First serve is at 7 p.m. at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence, Kan...The Jayhawks, who are idle until the meeting against A&M, enter the weekend tied with the Aggies for fifth place in the Big 12 race with an 8-6 league mark... A&M is 14-0 all-time against the Kansas, including a 3-0 sweep against the Jayhawks in the 2002 Big 12 opener in College Station. However, the Jayhawks have pulled off victories against Colorado and Texas, who have both knocked off the Aggies.