September 21, 2004
No. 11 Texas A&M (6-2, 2-0 Big 12) begins the most challenging portion of its conference road schedule this week as the Aggies take on 19th-ranked and defending-league champion Kansas State (6-4, 0-1 Big 12) Wednesday in Manhattan and six-time Big 12 champion and seventh-ranked Nebraska Saturday in Lincoln.
Match time at Kansas State is at 7 p.m. at Ahearn Field House. .
The match against the Huskers also is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will be televised live by CSTV from Nebraska Coliseum.
The Aggies, who are a combined 0-19 all-time at KSU and Nebraska, opened Big 12 play by defeating Iowa State, 3-1, in Ames and then-No. 24 Kansas, 3-1, in College Station.
KSU opened league play with a 3-0 loss at Colorado on Wednesday and then returned home to sweep North Dakota State in a non-conference match.
Nebraska enters the week 7-1, including 2-0 in the Big 12, after sweeping Missouri in Lincoln and Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Huskers are at No. 25 Colorado Wednesday before returning home to host the Aggies.
TEXAS A&M NOTES
AGGIES CLIMB TO NO. 11 - Texas A&M climbed one spot to No. 11 in this week?s USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Poll, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Monday. The Aggies made the move after defeating both Iowa State and then-24th-ranked Kansas to begin Big 12 Conference play last week. The No. 11 ranking is the highest the Aggies have received since being ranked No. 11 in the 2001 final poll.
A&M is approaching the school?s highest AVCA regular-season ranking of No. 10 held from Oct. 15 Nov. 5, 1996, and the Aggies? all-time highest ranking set in 1999 when A&M was ranked No. 9 in the final poll.
NEARING 1,000 - Laura Jones, a junior outside hitter, needs seven kills to reach 1,000 for her career and become the 14th player in A&M history to reach the milestone. The Arlington, Texas, native has led A&M in kill average in each of her first two seasons and currently leads this year?s team with 4.54 kills per game for the full season and a 4.75 average in Big 12 games only.
TRIPLE THREAT - Senior Melissa Munsch recorded the third triple-double performance of her career and the Aggies? first of the season with 14 kills, 10 digs and 10 blocks (2 solo) in a 3-1 victory over No. 24 Kansas. It was the first time the Columbus, Texas, native accomplished the feat in four games, as her other two triple doubles were five-game victories against Southwest Missouri State and at Texas Tech.
OFF TO A GOOD START - Sophomore Christi Hahn made the first start of her career against the 24th-ranked Jayhawks in place of an injured Kendra Felder and responded with career highs of 13 kills and a .455 hitting efficiency. Hahn, who had been training on the right side this season, made a quick switch to the middle when Felder, a starting middle blocker, went down with an ankle injury in the first game at Iowa State. Hahn finished the match against the Cyclones with nine kills, a .350 hitting percentage and a career-high five blocks. Hahn has appeared in seven matches and 17 games this season and is hitting .408 while averaging 2.18 kills and 0.94 blocks per game.
BLOCKING MACHINES - The Aggies have outblocked their opponent in every match this season, including a season-high 15 blocks when A&M took on No. 24 Kansas. The Jayhawks entered the match leading the Big 12 in blocks per game but were held to nine against A&M.
Senior middle blocker Melissa Munsch led the nation in blocks per game for the first two weeks and enters the third week leading the Big 12 with a 2.08 average for the full season. (Updated national stats were not available at press time.)
As a team, A&M is averaging 3.54 blocks per game while holding opponents to 2.0 blocks per game.
AGAINST THE TOP 25 - A&M improved to 2-2 against ranked opponents with its win over No. 24 Kansas on Friday. The Aggies? other Top 25 victory was a sweep at No. 8 California on Sept. 11. It was A&M?s first win over a top 10 team since the Aggies upset No. 6 Wisconsin in the regional semifinals of the 2001 NCAA tournament.
Losses were against No. 3 UCLA, Sept. 4, in College Station and to No. 13 UC Santa Barbara at the Golden Bear Invitational on Sept. 9.
The match at No. 7 Nebraska will mark A&M?s third consecutive ranked opponent and its sixth ranked opponent in eight matches.
CHART CHASER - Melissa Munsch, who became the seventh player in A&M history to surpass both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career when she tallied 11 digs against UCSB, is quickly moving up the A&M career records lists. The four-year starter had 14 kills against No. 24 Kansas to move into seventh in the A&M career records with 1,209. She needs five block assists to move into fifth in the career records with 299, and she needs four total blocks to move into the top 10 in that category. In addition, Munsch became the first A&M player in seven years to crack the top 10 in service aces. Munsch, who is currently tied for ninth with 113, is the first player to move into the top 10 for aces since Kristie Smedsrud (1994-97), who finished her career ranked third with 131.
ALL-TOURNAMENT, AGAIN - Laura Jones was named to her sixth straight regular-season all-tournament team dating back to her freshman year when she was named to the Golden Bear Invitational all-tournament team earlier this month. Melissa Munsch made her second consecutive appearance on an all-tournament team, receiving the honor at both the McDonald?s/Texas A&M Invitational and the Golden Bear Invitational. Junior middle blocker Kendra Felder also was named to the all-tournament team at the Golden Bear Invitational, marking the first time in her career to be named to an all-tournament team.
KANSAS STATE NOTES
For only the third time since Big 12 play began, KSU dropped its league opener, falling to Colorado in Boulder in three games. It was the Wildcats? first loss to an unranked opponent this season, and it marked the second time this season KSU was swept.
KSU has won 24 consecutive regular-season home matches. The Wildcats? last regular-season home loss was Sept. 28, 2002, when they fell to Texas in three games.
The Wildcats are led by All-American senior setter Gabby Guerre, who is averaging 10.97 assists. Senior outside hitter Vali Hejjas, an all-Big 12 selection in 2003, leads KSU with 3.44 kills per game, and senior middle blocker Lisa Martin is averaging a team-high 1.57 blocks per game. Freshman libero/defensive specialist Angie Lastra sports a team-leading 4.41 digs per game.
As a team, the Wildcats are hitting .237 and averaging 14.49 kills, 13.97 digs and 3.26 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .186 and averaging 15.05 kills, 15.38 digs and 2.3 blocks per game.
NEBRASKA NOTES
The seventh-ranked Cornhuskers enter their match at No. 25 Colorado riding a four-match winning streak, and all have been in three-game sweeps. They opened Big 12 play by sweeping both Missouri and Texas Tech.
Nebraska began the season ranked No. 2 but fell to unranked Florida A&M in Lincoln on Sept. 10. It was NU?s first home loss to an unranked non-conference opponent since 1986 and its first loss, home or away, to an unranked non-conference opponent since 1996.
NU leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.103), assists (15.81), blocks (3.74) and digs (18.15) for the full season. In Big 12 matches, the Huskers are hitting a league-leading .305, while holding opponents to a .068 hitting efficiency.
Freshman 6-5 outside hitter Sarah Pavan has led NU in kills in seven of eight matches and is second in the Big 12 with 4.70 kills per game.
SERIES RECORDS
Texas A&M trails in the series against both Kansas State and Nebraska and is a combined 0-19 when playing those teams on the road. KSU holds a 10-7 lead in the all-time series against the Aggies, including an 8-0 mark in matches played in Manhattan. In addition, the Wildcats have won the last five meetings.
A&M is 6-19 all-time against Nebraska, including 0-11 in matches played at Nebraska Coliseum. A&M nearly upset No. 8 Nebraska for the first time in Lincoln last year as the Aggies battled the Huskers for five games in both teams? Big 12 opener. It was the first time an A&M match in Lincoln was decided in five games since 1982.
The Huskers, who are 14-2 against A&M since Big 12 play began in 1996, have won the last nine meetings. A&M?s last victory over Nebraska was a five-game match on Oct. 2, 1999, in College Station. It was the Aggies? second consecutive home victory over the Huskers as A&M had upset No. 3 Nebraska also in five games in 1998.
RECENT RESULTS
Melissa Munsch had 20 kills and 19 digs to lead A&M to a 3-1 victory at Iowa State in both teams? league opener Wednesday. A&M dropped the first game, 30-24, but came back to win the next three to extend its winning streak to 18 against the Cyclones. Laura Jones (18 kills 11 digs) and Carrie Moreira (11 kills, career-high 17 digs) also recorded double-doubles, and setter Kari Kelley posted a career-high 55 assists.
Munsch posted her first triple-double of the season in A&M?s conference home opener against No. 24 Kansas on Saturday. Munsch had 14 kills, 10 digs and 10 blocks, and Jones recorded her second 20-kill performance of the season to lead the No. 12 Aggies to a 30-18, 25-30, 30-21, 30-26 over the Jayhawks. Sophomore Christi Hahn, making the first start of her career, added a career-high 13 kills while hitting .455.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Aggies return to College Station for a two-match home stand. A&M hosts Baylor, Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. and the Texas Tech Red Raiders Friday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.