September 07, 2004
No. 14 Texas A&M got off to a quick start and never let up as the Aggies cruised to a 30-14, 30-22, 30-13 victory over Texas State in front of 1,310 at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
A&M never trailed throughout the match, and all 14 players on the A&M roster contributed as the Aggies improved to 3-1.
"Going up against a team we are supposed to beat and still putting it all together was nice to see," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "It's always nice as a coach to be able to trust your team to be prepared to play."
The Aggies jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first game and were leading 10-5 when A&M's Laura Jones put down a kill that sparked a six-point scoring run. The Bobcats, who were outhit, .385 to -.133 and managed only six kills in the opening frame, could not cut the deficit to less than 10 for the remainder of the game.
A&M built another 10-point lead in the second game at 21-11 and 25-15 before Texas State finally put a run together. A kill by Kacee Rogers and a Stephanie Torregrosa ace sandwiched in between three A&M attack errors put the Bobcats within five, 25-20. Kendra Felder ended the rally with one of her seven kills on the night.
Texas State could not overcome the deficit, and freshman Meghan Kainz closed out the game with a kill to give A&M a 2-0 lead going into the intermission.
All 14 A&M players combined to hold the Bobcats to a -.185 hitting percentage in the third game as the Aggies jumped out to an 8-0 lead and quickly closed out the match. Melissa Munch posted six of her match-high 13 kills in the final game and had no errors to lead A&M to a .423 hitting percentage in the deciding game.
Munsch finished the match with a .526 hitting percentage and eight blocks as the Aggies outhit Texas State, .348 to -.100 for the match and posted a 13-3 advantage in blocks. Setter Kari Kelley, who was facing her first cousin, Bobcats starting setter Krystal Kolkhorst, tallied a match-high 18 assists while splitting time with Kainz.
Brittany Prewit led the Bobcats (2-2) with five kills but was held to a -.167 hitting efficiency. Kolkhorst finished with 12 assists.
The Aggies' upcoming schedule will be much more challenging as they make their first road trip of the season to participate in the Golden Bear Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. The Aggies face No. 13 UC Santa Barbara Thursday at 9 p.m. (CDT) at Haas Pavilion and then take on No. 8 California Saturday at 9 p.m. The tournament marks A&M's final tune-up before beginning Big 12 Conference play at Iowa State on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
Short Box Score (Match)
Texas State vs. #14 Texas A&M
Texas A&M def. TXST 30-14, 30-22, 30-13
Texas State (2-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Prewit, Brittany 5-0-0; Rogers, Kacee 4-0-2; St. Francis, Brandy 4-0-0; Nwoke, Elizabeth 2-0-0; Stark, Ashley 2-0-0; Kolkhorst, Krystal 2-0-1; Torregrosa, Stephanie 0-1-1; Hair, Kim 0-0-1; Ramirez, Amy 0-1-0; Jones, Kristy 0-1-0; Totals 19-3-3.0. (Assists) - Kolkhorst, Krystal 12. (Dig leaders) - Ramirez, Amy 9; Kolkhorst, Krystal 6
Texas A&M (3-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Munsch, Melissa 13-0-8; Jones, Laura 8-0-4; Felder, Kendra 7-5-3; Burton, Cristin 6-0-1; McCrocklin, Courtney 3-0-0; Moreira, Carrie 2-0-3; Kelley, Kari 2-2-1; Kainz, Meghan 1-3-1; Hahn, Christi 1-0-2; Stanton, Kelly 0-0-2; Totals 43-10-13.0. (Assists) - Kelley, Kari 18; Kainz, Meghan 14. (Dig leaders) - Jones, Laura 9; Munsch, Melissa 5
Site: College Station, TX (G. Rollie White Col.)
Date: Sep 07, 2004 Attend: 1310 Time: 1:20
Referees: Debbie Stanford, Eric Sanders
State Farm Player of the Match: Melissa Munsch