November 10, 2004
No. 13 Texas A&M (16-5, 12-3 Big 12) and No. 9 Texas (20-2, 12-2 Big 12) are set to battle in the second round of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown when the rivals meet Thursday in Austin. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Gregory Gym.(A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletic.com.)
The match will be televised by College Sports Television (CSTV) on a tape-delay basis as part of its ?CSTV Sunday Night Spikes? series. Carter Blackburn and Heather Cox will be calling the match, which is scheduled to air Sunday at 5:30 p.m. (Check local listings for addition dates and times.)
The Aggies, who are only a half game behind the Longhorns for second place in the Big 12 standings after sweeping both Baylor and Colorado last week, enter the match riding an eight-match winning streak, their longest since winning nine straight in 1999. Included in the current streak is a 3-1 victory over then-undefeated and ninth-ranked Texas on Oct. 16 in College Station. The Longhorns, who were 16-0 before suffering back-to-back losses to A&M and No. 4 Nebraska, extended their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory at Colorado in their only match last week. The match is not only a battle for second place in the Big 12 and another half point in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown, but it also could have NCAA tournament seeding and hosting implications. The Aggies are in second place in the RichKern.com/AVCA Division I Central Region rankings released Monday, and Texas is third.
SERIES RECORD: Texas owns a lopsided 50-22 record against the Aggies since 1976, but A&M is 10-7 against the Horns since Big 12 play began in 1996. A&M, however, has won only two of eight matches in Austin since the formation of the Big 12 and has not won in the capital city since 2001. The teams split the season series the last two years with each team winning on its home court. In addition, the last two meetings in Austin have gone five games, including last year when Texas lost the first two games but rallied to win the next three. A&M has won the last seven matches against the Horns in College Station and is 9-1 against Texas in home matches since 1996, including a 3-0 victory over the Horns in the second round of the 2001 NCAA tournament.
TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS: The Aggies? eight-match winning streak is their longest since winning nine straight from Nov. 10 - Dec. 9, 1999. A&M closed out the ?99 Big 12 season winning its last six matches, coming within one win of earning a co-conference title with Nebraska, and then winning its first three NCAA matches to advance to the regional finals for the first time in school history.
A&M has outblocked its opponents in 18 of 21 matches and entered the week ranked eighth in the nation with 3.30 blocks per game. Nebraska leads the nation and the Big 12 with 3.91 blocks per game, and the Aggies are second to the Huskers with 3.23 blocks per game in conference matches only.
The Aggies are 10-1 in home matches and 6-3 in away matches. In Big 12 matches only, A&M is 7-0 at home and 5-3 on the road with losses at No. 4 Nebraska, No. 19 Kansas State and Missouri, which is A&M?s only loss to an unranked opponent.
A&M is 3-4 against ranked opponents. Wins were at No. 8 California and against No. 9 Texas and No. 24 Kansas. Losses were to No. 3 UCLA, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 13 UC Santa Barbara and No. 19 Kansas State.
A&M is outhitting its opponents, .246 to .173, for the full season. The Aggies, however, do not fare as well at away matches where they are being outhit, .228 to .227. A&M is outhitting its opponents, .275 to .119, in the homey confines of G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Texas A&M is listed No. 2 in the RichKern.com/AVCA Central Region rankings. Nebraska is ranked No. 1 in the region. Texas, Kansas State and Missouri round out the top 5.
Texas A&M team climbed another spot to No. 13 in this week?s USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Monday. The Aggies, who moved up one spot for the third consecutive week, made the ascent after sweeping both Baylor and Colorado last week. The No. 13 ranking is the highest since being listed No. 11 on Sept. 20.
A&M entered the week rank 10th in the nation in attendance, averaging 1,855 per match. The Aggies drew a season-high 3,150 in a 3-1 victory over previously undefeated and ninth-ranked Texas on Oct. 16. It ranks fourth in the A&M all-time home attendance records. A&M ranked eighth in the final 2003 national attendance records with a 1,801 average.
MUNSCH TIME: Senior All-American Melissa Munsch leads the Aggies in hitting percentage (.316), as well as digs (.323), blocks (1.76) and aces (.40) per game and is second on the team in kills (3.88) and points (5.27) per game.
Munsch is ranked fifth in the country and second in the Big 12 with 1.76 blocks per game. She has led or tied for team-high honors in blocks in 16 matches, including each of the last five, and her 119 block assists ranks ninth in the A&M season records.
Munsch continues to climb the A&M career charts. She ranks third with 137 aces and is listed fourth in block assists with 364. Munsch ranks sixth in kills with 1,396 and needs 22 more to move into fifth. Munsch also ranks sixth in total blocks (412) and seventh in digs (1,197).
Munsch has posted two triple-doubles this season and four in her career. The Columbus, Texas, native had 14 kills, 10 digs and 10 blocks in a four-game victory over No. 24 Kansas for her first triple-double of the season. She also tallied 19 kills, 18 digs and a season-high 11 blocks in a five-gave victory at Texas Tech on Oct. 23.
KEEPING UP WITH JONES: Junior outside hitter Laura Jones leads the Aggies and is ranked second in the Big 12 with 4.69 kills per game. She also leads A&M with 5.38 points per game and is second on the team with 2.84 digs per game.
Jones became the first player in A&M history to earn Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honors after leading the Aggies to victories over No. 9 Texas and Oklahoma during the week of Oct. 11-17. Jones hit .393 against Oklahoma with 14 kills, nine digs and three blocks in a sweep of the Sooners. Jones then paced the Aggies to their second win over a top 10 opponent this season, tying a school record with 32 points against the rival Longhorns. Jones tallied 27 kills while hitting .333 and also added two aces, one block solo, four block assists and 20 digs.
Jones garnered Big 12 Player of the Week honors (Nov. 1) for the second time this season and the third time in her career after leading A&M to 3-1 victories over both Missouri and Oklahoma. Jones hit a team-high .288 and also led the Aggies with 5.5 kills, 4.75 digs and 6.0 points per game after earning match-high honors in both kills and digs in each match. Jones tallied back-to-back 20-kill performances and also recorded double figures in digs in each contest. She recorded her second 20-20 performance of the season and the third of her career with 20 kills and 21 digs in a crucial 3-1 victory over Missouri. Jones, who hit .259 against the Tigers, followed with a .320 hitting percentage, 24 kills and 17 digs, along with two aces and two blocks in the 3-1 win at Oklahoma.
Jones had 12 kills at Nebraska on Sept. 25 to give her 1,011 for her career, and she became the 14th player in A&M history to surpass the 1,000-kill milestone. She is currently ranked eighth in the A&M records with 1,222 career kills.
OTHER NOTABLES: Junior setter Kari Kelley had 51 assists in the victory at Baylor. It marked the most assists by an A&M player in a three-game match this season. Kelley is averaging 11.90 assists per game for the full season and 12.09 in Big 12 games only. Kelley is ranked 10th in the A&M career records with 1,541 assists and needs 46 more to move into ninth.
Freshman setter Megan Kainz was raised in Austin and attended Westlake High School, one of the top high school volleyball programs in the state. Kainz played in A&M?s sweep against Colorado on Sunday, coming in when the Aggies held a 13-12 edge in Game 3. The freshman finished the game with two kills and a career-high four blocks in her brief stint and also capped the match with an ace.
Sophomore right-side hitter Christi Hahn is the sister of former Texas All-Big 12 middle blocker Kathy Hahn. Christi has become a regular in the starting lineup and is second on the team with a .302 hitting efficiency. Christi, who is third on the team with 1.02 blocks per game, Has reached double figures in kills in six matches and is hitting .340 when reaching double figures in kills.
TEXAS NOTES: Texas is in second place in the Big 12 standings, a half game ahead of the Aggies. The Longhorns extended their winning streak to four matches and improved to 20-2 overall and 12-2 in the Big 12 after defeating Colorado, 3-1, on Nov. 3.
Texas moved up one spot to No. 9 in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Poll. It equals the Longhorns? highest ranking of the season, as they also were ranked No. 9 when then-No. 20 A&M upset them, 3-1 in College Station on Oct. 16. The last time Texas was ranked higher was Oct. 4, 1999, when the Longhorns were No. 8.
Texas entered the week leading the Big 12 and ranked third in the nation with a .318 hitting efficiency. The Horns are ranked second in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation in both assists (15.74) and kills (17.25) per game.
Senior outside hitter Mira Topic leads the Big 12 and is ranked fifth in the country with 5.68 kills per game. She also is listed ninth in the conference with a .325 hitting percentage.
Sophomore middle blocker Brandy Magee is this week?s Big 12 Player of the Week after posting career highs of 24 kills and a .742 hitting percentage while leading Texas to a 3-1 victory over Colorado in the Longhorns? only match of the week.
The Longhorns began the season winning their first 16 matches before falling to the Aggies. It marks Texas? best start since going 26-0 in 1990 under legendary coach Mick Haley. In addition, Texas? 8-0 start to the 2004 Big 12 season is its best since 1997 when the Horns won 12 consecutive conference matches under the direction of Jim Moore and captured their only Big 12 title. A&M also ended that streak with a 15-13, 16-14, 15-6 victory in College Station.
Texas is 9-1 in home matches, with its only loss coming against No. 4 Nebraska in five games on Oct. 20. The Longhorns are 4-2 against ranked opponents. Included in the wins is a 3-1 victory at No. 5 Florida on Sept. 29.
Jerritt Elliott (Cal State Northridge ?91) is 75-39 in his fourth season at the helm of the Longhorns and 125-50 in the sixth year of his head coaching career. He is 2-6 against Texas A&M.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: A&M returns home Nov. 17 to host Iowa State at 7 p.m. A&M has won the last 18 meetings against the Cyclones, who are in last place in the Big 12 standings.