November 04, 2003
No. 21 Texas A&M (17-5, 9-3 Big 12) puts its seven-match winning streak on the line Wednesday as the Aggies play host to 10th-ranked and five-time defending Big 12 champion Nebraska (20-3, 11-2 Big 12). The match, which is being billed as "Maroon Out Big Red Night," is slated for 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum...Both teams are coming off crucial victories as A&M knocked off No. 24 Missouri in five games in Columbia on Saturday, and the Cornhuskers extended their winning streak to five matches by sweeping No. 12 Northern Iowa on Sunday...The Huskers, who held off A&M in five games in Lincoln earlier this season, are in second place in the Big 12 race, one match behind league-leading and fifth-ranked Kansas State...A&M jumped into third place in the standings with its victory over Missouri and is a 1 1/2 matches behind Nebraska...Live stats and audio of the match will be available at www.AggieAthletics.com. Also live video will be available to Aggie Ultimate Access subscribers...Slovacek Sausage will be available for a special price of 50 cents at the concession stand.
TEXAS A&M NEWS AND NOTES
- Texas A&M extended its winning streak to a season-high seven matches with its five-game victory over No. 24 Missouri Saturday. The winning streak is the longest since 1999 when the Aggies won nine straight before falling to No. 6 Long Beach State in the NCAA regional finals in Hawaii.
- Texas A&M remained at No. 21 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll for the third consecutive week. The ranking equals the Aggies' highest ranking since a No. 20 showing on Sept. 23, 2002.
- The Aggies are 2-3 against Top 25 opponents. A&M defeated No. 16 Louisville in four games at the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge on Sept. 5 and No. 24 Missouri in five games on Nov. 1 in Columbia, Mo. A&M fell to No. 1 USC, 3-0, on Sept. 13 in College Station, No. 8 Nebraska, 3-2 on Sept. 17 in Lincoln, and No. 12 Kansas State, 3-1, on Oct. 4 in College Station.
- The Aggies are ranked 15th in the nation and lead the Big 12 with 16.51 kills per game. They also are ranked 17th in the country and first in the league with 15.10 assists per game.
- Texas A&M continues to lead the Big 12 in digs for both the full season (17.17) and in conference matches only (17.54)... In addition to digs, the Aggies lead the league in kills (16.51) and assists (15.10) per game for the full season...Individually, junior middle blocker Kendra Felder leads the league with a .368 hitting efficiency in Big 12 matches only.
- The Aggies had a season-high 108 digs at Missouri. Melissa Munsch led a contingent of five Aggies to reach double figures in digs with a team-high 21. It was the second time for the Columbus, Texas, native to post 20 or more digs this season and the sixth time by an A&M player...Setter Kari Kelley had a career-high 15 digs against the Tigers, and Rebecca Wynalda was one shy of tying her season high with 16. Jones also had 16 digs, as she and Munsch remained tied for the team lead with 11 double-doubles. Setter Lexy Beers added 13 digs.
- A&M is outhitting its opponents, .267 to .183, during its seven-match winning streak. In addition, the Aggies are averaging 16.63 kills, 18.89 digs and 2.85 blocks per game while holding opponents to 13.93 kills, 15.33 digs and 1.50 blocks per game during the streak.
- Five of A&M's 12 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 3-2 in Big 12 five-game matches this season...In their only non-conference 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 126-21 (.857) 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...A&M is 7-2 in home matches this season. Losses were to No. 1 USC and No. 12 Kansas State.
- The Aggies are ranked eighth in the nation with a 1,840 home attendance average...An all-time record 3,778 watched A&M sweep Texas at G. Rollie White Coliseum on Oct. 24.
- Junior outside hitter/middle blocker Melissa Munsch is nearing the 1,000 career kill mark, needing 40 to become the 13th 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 17 matches this season and has led the team in kills in seven matches.
- Junior setter Lexy Beers is ranked seventh in the A&M career records with 2,223 assists. She needs 87 assists to move into sixth place and surpass current A&M assistant coach Genny Wood-Volpe, who tallied 2,309 assists during her four-year (1990-93) A&M playing career.
- Jump server Melissa Munsch tied the school record and her career high with six aces in the three-game victory over Texas. Munsch had all six aces by the end of the second game with five of the aces coming in a single rotation at the service line while serving A&M to nine unanswered points...It was the second time this season and the third time in her career that Munsch has posted six aces in a game, having also accomplished the feat in a five-game victory over Colorado earlier this season and in a three-game sweep at Southwest Texas last year. She leads the Aggies with 0.38 aces per game for the full season and a 0.43 average in Big 12 matches only.
- Tara Pulaski is ranked eighth in the A&M career records with 284 block assists. She needs two block assists to tie Kristie Smedsrud (1994-97) for seventh place with 286 and a total of seven more to tie Page White (1993-96) for sixth place with 287...In addition, Pulaski is currently ranked fourth in the career books with a .309 career hitting percentage.
- Junior outside hitter Carrie Moreira has started the last three matches in place of senior Beth Skypala, who suffered a shoulder injury in practice prior to the Baylor match on Oct. 22. Moreira, who has made seven starts in her career, is averaging 2.17 kills and 2.25 digs over the last three matches...Skypala remains questionable for the Nebraska match.
NEBRASKA NOTES
Nebraska (20-3, 11-2 Big 12) went 3-0 last week to extend its winning streak to five matches...The Huskers, who are 8-0 in road matches, improved to 3-2 against Top 25 opponents after defeating No. 12 Northern Iowa on Sunday...Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua led Nebraska with 18 kills and a .500 hitting percentage in the victory over the Panthers...A&M is the second of four ranked opponents the Huskers will face in a five-match stretch. They play at No. 25 Missouri on Saturday, and then after hosting Texas, Nebraska plays at No. 5 Kansas State. The Huskers, who had not lost a Big 12 match since 1999, fell to the Wildcats and Missouri in back-to-back matches in Lincoln earlier this season...A&M is the first ranked opponent the Huskers have faced on the road this season...Nebraska is 4-3 against opponents who are ranked in this week's Top 25 poll with all seven matches being played in Lincoln...Nebraska leads the league in six statistical categories for the full season: blocks (3.09), opponent hitting percentage (.126), kills by opponents (12.40), assists by opponents (11.47), aces by opponents (0.86) and blocks by opponents (1.51)...In conference matches only, the Huskers lead in nine categories: kills (16.15), assists (14.70), aces (2.21), blocks (3.11), opponent hitting percentage (.138), kills by opponents (12.38), assists by opponents (11.34), aces by opponents (0.89) and blocks by opponents (1.38)...Individually, sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer leads the league with a 1.59 block average for the full season...In Big 12 matches only, Elmer leads the league with 1.60 blocks per game, and Saleaumua averages a Big 12-best 4.15 digs per game...In the national stats, the Huskers are ranked 10th in blocks and 12th with a .870 winning percentage. Individually, Elmer is listed fifth in the nation in blocking.
SERIES RECORD
Nebraska holds an 18-6 lead in the all-time series against Texas A&M, including a 13-2 mark since Big 12 play began in 1996...The Cornhuskers, who have won the last eight meetings against A&M, improved to 11-0 against the Aggies in matches played at Nebraska Coliseum with a 30-28, 26-30, 26-30, 30-26, 15-9 victory over the Aggies in both teams' conference opener on Sept. 17, 2003...Nebraska is 6-2 in matches played at G. Rollie White Coliseum...In 1998, A&M broke a 10-match losing skid against the Huskers and handed Nebraska its only conference loss of the season as the Aggies stunned No. 3 Nebraska in five games in College Station. Nebraska lost its second consecutive match against the Aggies in 1999 as A&M once again took advantage of playing on its home court to defeat the No. 8 Huskers in another five-game battle.
UPCOMING
A&M concludes its two-match home stand as the Aggies play host to the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday, Nov. 8...First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum...It will be "Scout Night" at the Holler House, and all scouts and scout leaders in uniform will be admitted free. In addition, there will be a special performance by the Aggie Dance Team...A&M swept Oklahoma in Norman on Oct. 17 to extend its winning streak to 21 against the Sooners.