November 23, 2002
Texas A&M struggled to get into a rhythm as the Aggies fell to Texas Tech, 30-28, 30-27, 19-30, 30-25, at the United Spirit Arena.
With the loss, A&M falls to 18-9 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12, while the Red Raiders improve to 13-14, 8-10.
The Aggies held an 18-17 edge in the opening game when the Red Raiders reeled off three consecutive points to take the lead. A&M could not match Tech's score as the Red Raiders went on to build their biggest lead at 25-21. They also held a four-point advantage and were serving for game point at 29-25 when Tara Pulaski put down a kill, setter Lexy Beers had a solo block and Laura Jones tallied a kill to put A&M within one. Tech's Kelly Johnson ended the rally and the game with a kill.
A&M held the lead three times in the second game but could never get more than two points ahead. The Red Raiders tied the score for the 12th time at 20-20 and then took their third lead of the game at 21-20 following an A&M ball handling error. Tech built its biggest lead of the game at 26-21, but the Aggies outscored the Red Raiders, 5-1, to get within 27-26. Tech went up by two on a kill, but Jones posted a solo block to keep the Aggies within a point before the Red Raiders closed out the game with a kill and an ace.
The score was knotted at 10 in the third game when Pulaski posted a kill and followed with an ace to give A&M a lead it would not lose. The Aggies scored consecutive points multiple times throughout the remainder of the game, include three three-point spurts as A&M raced to a 30-19 win as Melissa Munsch put down the game-winning kill.
Tech raced out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth game. A&M could not get closer than three points for the remainder of the game. Tech tied its biggest lead of the game at 27-20 when A&M rallied for three unanswered points to cut the lead to 27-23. The teams then exchanged point for point for the remainder of the game with Tech blocking an A&M attack to close out the match.
Official stats were not available at press time.
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).