November 03, 2004
No. 14 Texas A&M extended its winning streak to seven with a 30-14, 30-26, 30-27 victory over Baylor in front of 547 at the Ferrell Center.
The Aggies hit .344 for the match, their second highest hitting percentage in a Big 12 Conference match this season. Four players reached double figures in kills, each hitting above .300 as they hit a combined .391 for the match. Melissa Munsch and Laura Jones led the charge with 17 kills apiece. Christi Hahn added 11, and Kendra Felder, who was celebrating her 22nd birthday, put down 10.
A&M, which notched its 11th straight victory against the Bears, improves to 15-5 overall and 11-3 in the Big 12. Baylor falls to 11-14, 3-11.
The Aggies got off to a strong start and used an 11-1 scoring spurt to take a commanding 16-5 lead in Game 1. The closest the Bears could get was at 16-7. A&M used a four-point scoring run and two three-point rallies to build a 29-12 lead. Baylor got back-to-back kills from Adeline Meira, but she followed with a serve into the net to end the game. The 14 points was the lowest scored by an A&M conference opponent this season.
The Aggies, who had four aces in the game, hit.405 as Munsch, Hahn, Felder and Kari Kelley tallied a combined 12 of A&M's 19 kills without committing an error.
"We have been working hard to start a match with our best game and be good from the beginning," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We came out determined, and it was good to get that game under our belt."
The Bears overcame a five-point deficit early in Game 2 and took their first lead at 16-15 when Munsch hit into a Baylor block for her first attack error of the match. Baylor built an 18-16 advantage when the Aggies scored five unanswered points to regain the lead. The Bears could get no closer than two points before Jones ended the game with a tip kill.
Baylor took its first lead of the third game at 6-5 on an ace and maintained a 9-8 advantage when Jones posted back-to-back kills to give A&M the lead. The Bears knotted the score at 10 and again at 18 before A&M rallied for four straight points. The Bears got within a point at 27-26 following a three-point rally, but Felder ended the threat with a kill. Baylor's Desiree Guilliard-Young then sailed an attack past the back line to put the Aggies at match point. She came back with her team-leading 11th kill before Munsch ended the match with a kill.
"When we got challenged, we didn't get rattled and we got right back into system," Corbelli said. "Offensively, it was one of our better nights."
The Aggies return home Sunday to host Colorado. First serve is at 1:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
State Farm Player of the Match: Melissa Munsch