November 22, 2003
Kansas downed Texas A&M for the first time and posted its record-11th Big 12 Conference win of the season with a 30-21, 32-30, 30-21 upset over the 21st-ranked Aggies in front of 931 at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
Kansas, which had never defeated A&M in 16 previous meetings, outhit A&M, .338 to .228, to improve to 19-10 overall and 11-7 in the Big 12. A&M falls to 20-8, 12-6.
The Jayhawks trailed only once in the opening game when Laura Jones' kill gave the Aggies a 7-6 lead. Kansas regained the lead at 9-8 following a kill by Lindsey Morris. A&M tied the score two more times, the last coming at 11-11, before Kansas went on a 3-0 run to take the lead for good. The Jayhawks outhit A&M, .295 to .147, en route to the 30-21 win.
The Aggies held a 20-15 lead in the second game when the Jayhawks scored five unanswered points to tie the score for the sixth time in the game and the first since the score was knotted at 7-7. Carol Price ended the rally with a kill.
A&M held a 25-23 edge, but Kansas nailed two kills and an ace to take its first lead since a 2-1 advantage. Melissa Munsch pounded a kill to tie the score at 26-26, but Kansas answered with a kill. The teams continued to exchange point for point until, with the score tied at 30, the Jayhawks blocked an A&M attack and got a game-ending kill by Sarah Rome, who posted seven kills in the game.
Christi Hahn teamed with Beth Skypala and Munsch for back-to-back blocks to give A&M its only lead of Game 3 at 5-4. The Aggies maintained the lead at 7-6 when Kansas went on a four-point run. The Jayhawks went on to open a nine-point lead at 21-12. A&M closed within six points at 23-17 following a three-point rally but could get no closer before Ashley Michaels finished off the match with a kill.
The Jayhawks, who posted 69 kills to A&M's 40, had four players reach double figures in kills. Josi Lima led Kansas with 14 kills and 17 digs, and Rome and Ashley Michaels added 13 kills apiece. Jordan Garrison contributed 11 kills.
Price and Munsch led the Aggies with 10 kills apiece, while Munsch and Jones tied for the team lead in digs with 13 each.
A&M concludes the road portion of its regular-season schedule Wednesday when the Aggies face league-leading and fifth-ranked Kansas State in Manhattan. First serve is at 7 p.m. at the Ahearn Field House.