November 22, 2002
The Texas A&M volleyball team (18-8, 10-7 Big 12) aims to get back into the win column when the Aggies face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-14, 7-10 Big 12) Saturday in Lubbock. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena.
The Aggies, who have not played since Sunday when they had their five-match winning streak snapped by No. 20 Kansas State, are in fifth place in the Big 12 standings with three matches remaining in the regular season. The Red Raiders, who have won four of their last five matches, climbed into a tie with Colorado for seventh place in the league after racing past the Buffaloes, 3-0, in Boulder on Wednesday.
Big 12 Conference Preseason Freshman of the Year Laura Jones leads the Aggies with 3.84 kills, 0.43 aces and 4.53 points per game. Junior middle blocker Tara Pulaski is hitting a team-best .315 and also leads A&M with 1.06 blocks per game. Sophomore outside hitter Melissa Munsch, who is second on the team in kills (3.58), aces (0.39) and points (4.22) per game, leads the Aggies with 3.5 digs per game, and sophomore setter Lexy Beers is ranked third in the Big 12 and leads the Aggies with 12.67 assists per game.
As a team, A&M is hitting .243 and averaging 15.93 kills, 16.53 digs and 2.35 blocks per game for the full season. Opponents are hitting .187 and are averaging 13.9 kills, 15.0 digs and 1.84 blocks per game.
Sophomore outside hitter Kelly Johnson leads the Big 12 and the Red Raiders with 4.89 kills per game. Senior middle blocker Stacey Poole is hitting a team-high .294 and also leads the squad with 0.77 blocks per game.
As a team, the Red Raiders are out-hitting their opponents, .224 to .203, for the full season but are being out-hit, .220 to .216, in Big 12 matches only. They are averaging 15.99 kills, 14.9 digs and 1.86 blocks per game for the full season, while opponents are averaging 13.94 kills, 14.34 digs and 2.37 blocks per game.
Texas A&M is 39-22 all-time against Texas Tech, including a 14-10 mark in matches played in Lubbock. The Aggies ran their winning streak against the Red Raiders to three earlier this season when A&M defeated Tech in a thrilling 30-22, 30-27, 28-30, 20-30, 15-12 victory at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station. The Aggies, who were led by Melissa Munsch's 20 kills, overcame an 11-7 deficit in the final game to secure the win. The Aggies out-hit Tech, who was led by Kelly Johnson's 20 kills, .247 to .191, and out-dug the Red Raiders 68 to 59. In addition, A&M posted 10 blocks to Tech's seven.
The Aggies conclude the regular season next week with a pair of matches. A&M hosts rival Texas in the Aggies' home finale on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Aggie seniors A.D. Achilefu and Julia Rex will be honored prior to the match.
A&M closes out the regular season at Iowa State Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Aggies will then await the NCAA's announcement of the 64-team NCAA Volleyball Championship field which will be announced Sunday, Dec. 1 on ESPNEWS at approximately 8 p.m. (CST).