September 28, 2004
No. 14 Texas A&M (6-4, 2-2 Big 12) begins a two-match home stand when the Aggies play host to the Baylor Bears (7-6, 1-3 Big 12) Wednesday. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum, and magnet schedules will be given to the first 1,000 fans.
A&M, which has won the last nine meetings against the Bears, will be attempting to break a two-match losing skid after falling, 3-0, at both No. 19 Kansas State and No. 7 Nebraska last week during the Aggies? most challenging back-to-back road trips of the season.
Following the losses, A&M dropped three spots to No. 14 in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Poll and is in a three-way tie with Colorado and Texas Tech for fourth place in the Big 12 standings.
Baylor went 1-1 last week, defeating last-place Oklahoma, 3-1, in Waco and falling to No. 25 Colorado, 3-0, in Boulder. The Bears are tied with Iowa State for ninth in the Big 12.
Laura Jones, who surpassed 1,000 career kills against Nebraska, has reached double figures in kills in eight of 10 matches and leads the Aggies with 4.25 kills and 5.06 points per game.
Melissa Munsch is ranked second in the nation with 1.84 blocks per game and also leads the Aggies with a .370 hitting percentage and 3.16 digs per game.
As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .238 to .169, for the full season, but is being outhit .237 to .195 in league matches only. The Aggies, who posted more blocks than their opponents in each of the first eight matches, are ranked 13th in the nation with 2.86 blocks per game.
Sophomore middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young leads the Bears and is ranked second in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation with a .422 hitting percentage. She also is averaging a team-leading 1.28 blocks per game and is second on the squad with 3.24 kills per game.
A&M is 49-7 in the all-time series against Baylor, including 21-1 in matches played in College Station. The Aggies have not lost a home match to the Bears since Nov. 11, 1992, Al Givens? last year as head coach at A&M. Baylor?s last victory over A&M was a 3-2 upset against the 14th-ranked Aggies in Waco on Oct. 6, 1999 .
A&M continues its home stand Friday as the Aggies play host to Texas Tech at 6 p.m. at G. Rollie. Aggie Athletes Involved will be hosting its ?Aggies Can? food drive. Anyone bringing a canned food item will receive free general admission to the match, and the first 1,000 fans will receive a free Big 12 volleyball shirt.