September 25, 2004
Sarah Pavan, 6-5 freshman outside hitter, pounded 23 kills and hit .500 to lead seventh-ranked Nebraska to a 30-20, 30-20, 30-27 victory over No. 11 Texas A&M in front of a sell-out crowd of 4,135 at Nebraska Coliseum.
"(Paven) is maybe one of the most influential freshmen I have ever played against," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "Nebraska goes to her in the front row, in the back row, on the bench. They are going to get the ball to her."
Nebraska hit .297 for the match, posting 60 kills to A&M's 32, and held the Aggies to a season-low .103 hitting percentage.
"Some of the things we normally execute, our bread and butter, weren't as good as they have been," Corbelli said. "(Melissa) Munsch had only 13 swings after Game 2. We have to get her more than that. We have to go to our strengths, and that was hard to do tonight. "
Nebraska led 11-9 in the first game before opening up the game with an 8-1 run. A&M cut the lead to 20-18 after Laura Jones and Kendra Felder ended lengthy rallies with back-to-back kills. The Aggies could get no closer, and with Nebraska leading 24-20, the Huskers scored six consecutive points to close out the game.
There were eight lead changes in the second game. A&M held its last lead at 10-9 when Nebraska went on a six point scoring run. A&M came back after a media timeout to score two straight points but could get no closer as the Huskers pulled away for the 30-20 win.
A&M tied the score six times in the third game but were unable to take a lead. The Huskers built their biggest lead at 15-8 when A&M went on a 6-1 run to cut the lead to 16-14. The Aggies tied the score at 19 on a solo block by Munsch. The teams continued to exchange points, and with the score tied at 24, Nebraska rallied for four unanswered points. A&M responded with three consecutive points to get within 28-27 when Pavan closed out the match with back-to-back kills.
Jones, who needed only one kill to reach 1,000 for her career, led the Aggies with 12 kills and a .250 hitting efficiency.
The Huskers improved to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12 as they won their sixth consecutive match with a sweep. The victory also marked Nebraska's 10th straight against the Aggies, and the Huskers remained undefeated against A&M in the 12 meetings in Lincoln.
A&M suffered its second consecutive loss and falls to 6-4, 2-2.
The Aggies return to College Station for a two-match home stand next week, hosting Baylor Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Texas Tech Friday at 6 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
State Farm Player of the Match: Laura Jones.