September 26, 2003
No. 25 Texas A&M played one of its most consistent and balanced matches of the season to defeat Missouri, 30-21, 30-25, 25-30, 30-22, in front of 1,670 at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
"This was one of the cleanest matches we have played," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "The lack of consecutive errors was refreshing."
Five Aggies posted double figures in kills. Melissa Munsch led A&M's balanced attack with 19 kills. Beth Skypala and Laura Jones added 15 apiece, and Carol Price and Kendra Felder contributed 12 kills each. In addition, four of the five hit at a .333 clip or better with Felder leading the way with a .417 hitting percentage as the Aggies outhit Missouri, .297 to .203.
"It is absolutely necessary that we spread out our offense," Corbelli said. "We have been concentrating on our passing and first touches, and all of our hitters were ready to go tonight, making quick approaches and taking big swings. When we get going with some pace, we have attackers on the front line who no one wants to face when we are in system."
A&M never trailed in the first two games and were outhitting Missouri, .262 to .132, going into the intermission with a 2-0 lead.
Missouri came back strong after the break and never trailed. With the score tied at 13, the Tigers went on a 5-1 run lead to pull away. The Aggies closed the gap to 24-23 when Missouri scored four unanswered points on three kills and an ace. The teams exchanged points before Mary Lauren Smith put down a kill to end the game.
The trend of the team to score the first point never trailed in the game continued into the fourth game. A&M regained its form and scored the first point on a kill by Price. The Aggies closed out the match by hitting .378 in the final frame while holding Missouri to a .179 hitting efficiency.
Shen Danru led the Tigers with a match-high 20 kills, and Smith added 19 kills.
Missouri (10-3, 3-1 Big 12) saw its five-match winning streak come to an end while suffering its first Big 12 loss of the season. In addition, the Tigers remained winless in eight visits to College Station.
The Aggies, who improved to 10-3 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, return to action Wednesday, Oct. 1 when they travel to Austin to take on the rival Texas Longhorns. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Gregory Gym.