September 13, 2003
No. 1 USC remained undefeated on the season by downing Texas A&M, 30-27, 30-15, 30-22, in front of 2,846 at G. Rollie White Coliseum, the third largest home crowd in A&M volleyball history.
With the victory, the Women of Troy claimed the championship title at the McDonald's/Texas A&M Invitational and have yet to drop a single game as they improved to 9-0.
The Aggies (7-2) came close to ending USC's game-winning streak in the opening frame, building a game-high five-point lead at 10-5. The Women of Troy battled back to take the lead, 16-15, following a solo block by Keao Burdine, but A&M regained the lead following a kill by A&M's Kendra Felder (Corpus Christi, Texas) and a block by Felder and Carrie Moreira (Stockton, Calif.).
With the score tied at 18, the Aggies rallied for three consecutive kills to pull ahead, 21-18. A&M held a narrow 24-23 edge when USC scored five consecutive points to take the lead for good. The teams exchanged points and A&M could not get closer than two points for the remainder of the game as the Women of Troy held on to the 30-27 win.
A&M's service reception and passing broke down in Game 2, allowing USC to tally six aces in the game, including four by All-American April Ross. The Women of Troy took a commanding 15-5 lead behind the powerful jump serving of Ross, who recorded three consecutive aces during a five-point scoring run.
The Aggies, who posted a respectable .310 hitting percentage to USC's .356 hitting efficiency in the first game, hit only .057 in the second game as the Women of Troy cruised to a 30-15 win.
In the third game, A&M scored three consecutive points to tie the score at 6-6 before USC pounded six consecutive kills to pull away. The Aggies were never able to overcome the deficit, and with USC leading, 19-15, The Women of Troy went on a five-point scoring run to put the game out of reach.
All-tournament selection Laura Jones (Arlington, Texas) led the Aggies with 13 kills and nine digs. Melissa Munsch (Columbus, Texas) had 11 kills and all-tournament member Beth Skypala (Amarillo, Texas) added 10.
Katie Olsovsky had 16 kills and hit at a .714 clip for USC as the Women of Troy outhit A&M, .397 to .236, for the match. Keoa Burdine had 13 kills, and Emily Adams added 11. Ross, who finished with 10 kills and five aces, led USC in digs with 10.
The match was a final tune-up for the Aggies before beginning Big 12 Conference play Wednesday at No. 5 Nebraska. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Nebraska Coliseum.