September 11, 2004
No. 14 Texas A&M swept No. 8 California, fighting from behind in the first two games and carrying the momentum into the third game to take a 30-27, 30-24, 30-20 victory at the Golden Bear Invitational at Haas Pavilion.
All-tournament selection Laura Jones led the Aggies, posting 22 kills and a .444 hitting percentage as A&M outhit the Bears, .341 to .191. Melissa Munsch and Kendra Felder also were named to the all-tournament team, posting 12 kills apiece and leading A&M to a 9-7 edge in blocks against Cal.
"Jones' performance was the one of the best performances she has had in terms of number of kills and so few errors," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "They couldn't stop her.
"Munsch and Felder were doing the things we have been working on in the middle and were the cornerstone of our offense. Our passers in the back court were very good too, especially against a great serving team like Cal."
Carrie Moreira had a career-high 14 digs, and Kari Kelley added 12 as no Cal players reached double figures in kills.
A&M overcame a seven-point deficit to take the first game. Cal built its biggest lead at 20-13 and was ahead, 24-18, when A&M scored five unanswered points; three courtesy of Cal kill errors. The Aggies tied the score at 25 on a block by Munsch and Cristin Burton. A&M then took the lead, 27-26, when a Cal attack sailed long, but the Bears tied the score with a kill. A back-row attack by Moreira narrowly clip Cal's back line to put the Aggies up, 28-27. A Cal shot into the net and a block by Felder and Kelley clinched the come-from-behind 30-27 win.
The Aggies refused to give up in the second game as well, overcoming a five-point deficit. A four-point scoring run helped the Bears build an 11-6 lead. The Aggies got within one point three times but were unable to tie the score until, with the Bears up, 19-15, A&M went on a 10-1 run to force a Cal time out. The Bears came out of the timeout and posted back-to-back kills, but two kills by Jones and one by Felder gave A&M a 28-22 lead. The teams exchanged kills until Jones ended the game with her ninth kill of the game.
The score was tied six times in the third game before A&M took the lead for good on a kill by Munsch that put the Aggies ahead, 10-9. The go-ahead point marked the start of a 10-2 scoring run, as A&M took a commanding 19-11 lead. The Bears got no closer than six points and trailed, 27-20, when the Aggies scored the final three points with the clinching point coming after a Cal attack went wide.
The victory is A&M's first over a top-10 opponent since upsetting No. 6 Wisconsin in the regional semifinals of the 2001 NCAA tournament. Cal (4-2) suffered its second consecutive loss, having also been swept by tournament champion and 13th-ranked UC Santa Barbara on Friday.
"We made a strong effort to prepare for this match," Corbelli said. "Not having to play Friday gave us a great opportunity to study films and see what we were doing on our side of the court and see what changes needed to be made. We made the adjustments, and it was really exciting for me to coach this match. It was one of the most fun matches in terms of total teamwork."
Camille Leffall led the Bears with nine kills, and libero Jillian Davis had a match-high 22 digs.
The tournament represented A&M's final tune-up for Big 12 Conference play, as the Aggies (4-2) begin quest of the league title Wednesday at Iowa State.
"This was a pretty good way to finish our pre-conference season," Corbelli said. "Just having this experience and having the total team effort with the focus being on how A&M the team, not individuals, can beat Cal. It gives us a great feel of what will be needed to win the Big 12."
Texas A&M State Farm Player of the Match: Laura Jones