October 22, 2003
No. 21 Texas A&M (16-5, 6-3 Big 12) concludes the first half of Big 12 Conference play Wednesday as the Aggies travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears (11-11, 3-6). First serve is at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center*The Aggies, who are alone in fourth place in the league standings, will be looking to extend their winning streak to a season-high five matches after defeating both Kansas and Oklahoma last week*The Bears are in eighth place after downing last-place Texas Tech in five games in Lubbock and getting swept by then-No. 8 Nebraska in Waco last week*The Aggies begin the second half of league play Friday when they play host to rival Texas. Match time is 6 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The Longhorns, who overcame a two-game deficit to down the Aggies in Austin earlier this month, are 10-8 overall and 5-4 in conference play entering a match at Kansas on Wednesday...Live stats and audio of both A&M matches will be available at AggieAthletics.com, and live video streaming of the A&M-Texas match will be available for Aggie Ultimate Access subscribers.
TEXAS A&M NEWS AND NOTES
- Texas A&M (14-5, 6-3) climbed one spot to No. 21 in this week's USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll after defeating both Kansas and Oklahoma last week. The ranking is the Aggies' highest since a No. 20 showing on Sept. 23, 2002.
- The Aggies, who were picked to finish tied with Missouri for fourth place in the Big 12 according to a preseason poll of the league coaches, are in sole possession of fourth place, one match behind third-place Missouri and one match ahead of Colorado, Kansas and Texas, who are all tied for fifth.
- A&M equaled its longest winning streak of the season last week, picking up its fourth consecutive win in the match against Oklahoma. The Aggies opened the season with four straight victories before falling to Michigan in Ann Arbor...A win against Baylor would give the Aggies a season-high five-match winning streak equaling the longest winning streak of the 2002 season.
- A&M is outhitting its opponents, .255 to .149, over the last four matches. In addition, the Aggies are averaging 16.73 kills, 19.07 digs and 3.00 blocks while holding opponents to 13.27 kills, 14.0 digs and 1.63 blocks per game during the streak. The Aggies held Texas Tech to a .102 hitting efficiency and the Cyclones to a .093 hitting percentage, the two lowest hitting percentages by a Big 12 opponent this season and the lowest overall since Marquette's .071 performance in the season opener.
- Junior middle blocker Kendra Felder leads the Aggies and the Big 12 with a .359 hitting percentage in Big 12 matches. She also leads A&M with a .302 hitting percentage for the full season.
- Texas A&M continues to lead the Big 12 in digs for both the full season (16.93) and in conference matches only (17.18)...Individually, senior outside hitter Beth Skypala leads the Aggies and the league with a 4.12 dig average in conference games and is ranked second in the Big 12 with a 3.78 dig average for the full season.
- A&M's Beth Skypala and Baylor's Tisha Schwartz were teammates on Amarillo High School's 1998 Texas state championship team.
- Junior outside hitter/middle blocker Melissa Munsch is nearing the 1,000 career kill mark, needing 79 to become the 12th player in A&M history to reach the milestone. The Columbus, Texas, native ranks second on the team with 3.70 kills per game for the full season and leads the team in conference matches only with 3.63 kills per game ...Munsch, who after making 74 consecutive starts did not play at Oklahoma after suffering a slight concussion against Kansas, has reached double figures in kills in 10 consecutive matches and in 15 of 18 matches overall this season and has led the team in kills in six of her last seven appearances.
- The Aggies are 4-3 in away matches, including a 2-2 mark in Big 12 road matches only...A&M is 6-2 in home matches, including a 4-1 record in league contests.
- Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli earned her 250th A&M career victory and the 350th victory of her head coaching career with the win against Oklahoma.
- Senior middle blocker Tara Pulaski posted a season-high five block assists against Oklahoma to move her into 10th in the A&M career records with 274. She needs four block assists to move into ninth, and six more will move her into eighth place.
- The Aggies' sweep against Oklahoma was only their second Big 12 match to go the minimum three games. Four of A&M's nine conference matches have gone five games...Last year A&M had a record five five-game matches for the entire Big 12 season. The Aggies, who were 3-2 in conference five-game matches last year, are 2-2 in Big 12 five-game matches this season. In their only other five-game match this season, the Aggies came back after dropping the first two games to defeat Southwest Missouri State in the opening night of the McDonald's/Texas A&M Invitational.
- The Aggies are 125-21 (.856) at G. Rollie White Coliseum since Laurie Corbelli became head coach of the Aggies in 1993. Eighteen of the home losses have been to ranked opponents. Colorado and Texas Tech, who has won twice at G. Rollie, are the only unranked teams to win in College Station during Corbelli's tenure.
BAYLOR NOTES
Baylor (11-11, 3-6), is in eighth place in the Big 12 following a 3-0 loss to then-No. 8 Nebraska on Saturday*The Bears, who are 5-5 at the Ferrell Center, are 1-2 against ranked opponents. Their one win against a Top 25 team was a four-game victory over then-No. 9 Kansas State in Waco, marking the biggest win in the history of the program*Senior outside hitter Tisha Schwartz, who had 15 kills and 13 digs against the Huskers, leads the Bears and is ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 4.29 kills per game*Senior Stevie Nicholas, formerly a fearsome outside hitter who led the Big 12 in kill average in 2001 and 2002, is playing libero this season after suffering a severe knee injury last season. She leads Baylor with 3.12 digs per game*Freshman Desiree Guilliard-Young is the team leader in hitting percentage (.336), and her team-leading 1.25 blocks per game ranks second in the conference.
TEXAS NOTES
Texas, which was picked to finish second in the Big 12 according to a preseason poll of the conference coaches, is 10-8 overall and in a three-way tie with Colorado and Kansas with a 5-4 Big 12 mark entering a match at Kansas on Wednesday...After narrowly falling at No. 8 Kansas State after dropping the fifth game, 16-14, last Wednesday, the Horns ended a two-match losing slide by sweeping Texas Tech in Austin on Saturday... Freshman setter Jenny Andrew had 10 kills, 11 digs and 51 assists against the Wildcats to record the Horns' first triple-double since 1999...Junior outside hitter Mira Topic, who leads Texas and is ranked second in the Big 12 with 4.43 kills per game, was named this week's Big 12 Player of the Week...Junior outside hitter Bethany Howden is second on the team and third in the league with 4.30 kills per game for the full season...Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott recorded his 100th career win and his 50th at Texas with the team's 3-0 win against Texas Tech.
SERIES RECORDS
Texas A&M has won the last 10 meetings against Baylor and owns a 47-7 record against the Bears since the teams first met in 1976. In addition, the Aggies are 20-1 against the Bears in matches played at G. Rollie White Coliseum and own an 11-3 mark against Baylor since Big 12 play began in 1996...All three of A&M's Big 12 losses were at the Ferrell Center in Waco...A&M has swept the last five meetings.
Although Texas owns a lopsided 50-20 record against the Aggies since 1976, A&M holds a 9-7 advantage since Big 12 play began in 1996, including a 3-0 second-round victory in the 2001 NCAA tournament...The teams split the season series last year with each team winning on its home floor...Earlier this season, Texas overcame a two-game deficit to upend the 22nd-ranked Aggies in five games in Austin...Mira Topic led the Horns with 22 kills and Bethany Howden added 20. Setter Jenny Andrew had a match-high nine blocks as Texas outblocked A&M, 15-4...Five Aggies reached double figures in kills, including Melissa Munsch who had a team-high 18...A&M has won five straight home matches against the Horns, who have not won in College Station since a five-game victory on Sept. 30, 1998.
UPCOMING
A&M hits the road next week as the Aggies face No. 24 Missouri, Wednesday, Nov. 1, in Columbia, Mo...The Aggies then return home to play host to defending Big 12 champion and 11th-ranked Nebraska Wednesday, Nov. 5 at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Match time for both matches is 7 p.m.