December 08, 2003
Texas A&M jumped seven spots to a season-high No. 17 in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, released Monday by the AVCA.
The ranking is the Aggies' highest since a No. 17 showing on Sept. 16, 2002.
The Aggies (23-9), who had been ranked No. 24 for the past two weeks, made the leap after sweeping both Nicholls State and Wisconsin in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
A&M, which is advancing to regional play for the sixth time in school history and the third time in five seasons, now faces defending national champion and No. 1-ranked USC Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. The Women of Troy (31-9) have held down the No. 1 spot for the entire season. Hawaii, Florida, Pepperdine and Stanford round out the top five.
In addition to Texas A&M, the Big 12 Conference is represented by No. 6 Kansas State and No. 9 Nebraska. Kansas and Missouri received points and are listed 28th and 37th, respectively.