September 21, 2003
Melissa Munsch had 19 kills and Kendra Felder added a career-high 14 kills to lead Texas A&M to a 30-27, 30-26, 20-30, 30-26 non-conference victory over Houston in front of 817 at Hofheinz Pavilion.
The Aggies improve to 8-3, while the Cougars fall to 3-9.
The match opened with a tight-knit first game as neither team could build more than a three-point lead. The Aggies didn't take their first lead until an ace by Munsch put A&M ahead, 17-16. Houston tied the score four times before regaining the lead at 25-24. A&M answered with a kill by Munsch and overtook the lead when a Cougar attack sailed wide. Houston knotted the score at 26 and 27 before A&M scored three consecutive points, the game-winner on Munsch's sixth kill of the game.
The Aggies trailed by as many as four points throughout much of the first half of the second frame. Other than a 1-0 advantage, A&M did not hold another lead until a kill by Beth Skypala gave the Aggies an 18-17 edge. Houston retook the lead at 19-18, but the Aggies reeled off three consecutive kills. The Cougars fought back and tied the score three more times - the last at 26 - before A&M scored four unanswered points to win the game and take a 2-0 lead.
A&M came from behind in Game 3 to tie the score at 15 when Houston went on a 10-2 scoring run to take a 25-17 lead. The Aggies, who hit only .068 in the game, were unable to get any closer than seven points for the remainder of the game as the Cougars took advantage of four A&M errors down the stretch to win 30-20.
The Aggies had to come from behind again in the fourth and final game. Other than a 1-0 lead to begin the game, A&M trailed by as many as six points until taking the lead at 23-22 on a Skypala kill. Kari Kelley and Munsch teamed for a block to take a two-point lead, but Houston tied the score at 24. It was the last tie of the game as Munsch and Kelley posted another block to give A&M the lead for good. A kill by Laura Jones gave the Aggies their largest lead of the game at 29-25. An A&M service error made the score 29-26 before Houston's game-ending attack attempt went wide to give A&M the match.
In addition to Munsch and Felder, Jones, Carol Price and Skypala all posted double figures in kills for the Aggies with 14, 13 and 10 respectively. Skypala also led a group of four Aggies who reached double digits in digs with a match-high 19. Munsch led A&M with seven blocks as the Aggies outblocked Houston, 13-9.
Felder also recorded a career-high .440 hitting percentage to lead the Aggies to a .270 hitting efficiency.
Kelly McAnelly's 24 kills led the Cougars, who hit .209 for the match. Loure Dews added 14 kills and a team-high seven blocks. Rachel Harrell and Cinthia Piva led the team in digs with 16 apiece.
A&M returns home Wednesday to take on Colorado. The match, which represents A&M's Big 12 Conference home opener, begins at 8 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum and will be televised live by College Sports Television.