October 18, 2005
Texas A&M (9-8, 2-6 Big 12) will attempt to extend an 11-match winning streak against Baylor (10-10, 2-7 Big 12) and stay ahead of the Bears in the Big 12 Conference standings when Baylor visits G. Rollie White Coliseum Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.(A complete release in pdf format is attached.)
Live video and audio of the match will be available at AggieAthletics.com. Fans attending the match can bring their radio and listen to the broadcast inside G. Rollie White Coliseum on 89.9 FM.
Both A&M and Baylor are looking to regroup after letting two-game leads slip away in their most recent outings.
The Aggies are ninth in the Big 12 standings after suffering a heartbreaking 5-game home loss to Colorado on Sunday. The Buffaloes won for only the second time at G. Rollie after coming back from a 2-game deficit to defeat the Aggies and snap A&M's two-match winning streak. It was the Buffaloes' second consecutive upset over a ranked opponent.
Baylor is in 10th place in the conference race, a half-game behind the Aggies, after falling to No. 20 Kansas State in five games Saturday in Waco. Junior outside hitter Nicole LeBlanc leads the Bears with 3.72 kills per game. Junior middle Desiree Guilliard-Young has returned to the line-up and sports a team-leading 1.52 blocks per game.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Texas A&M has won the last 11 matches against Baylor and leads the all-time series, 51-7, since 1976. The Aggies are 19-4 all-time in matches played against the Bears at G. Rollie White Coliseum, including a perfect 9-0 since Big 12 play began in 1996.
A&M coach Laurie Corbelli is 21-3 against Baylor since taking over the Aggie coaching reins in 1993, including 15-3 in Big 12 matches.
Baylor's most recent victory over A&M was a 3-2 upset against the 14th-ranked Aggies in Waco on Oct. 6, 1999. The loss kept A&M from tying Nebraska for the Big 12 title. The Bears' last win in College Station was in 1992, prior to the Corbelli era.
TEXAS A&M NOTES
Jones leads nation in kill average --- A&M's Laura Jones is the national leader in kills per game with a 5.77 average. This is the second consecutive week the Arlington, Texas, native has led the country in kill average. Rachel VanMeter of Illinois is second with a 5.73 average.
Jones, who also leads the Big 12 with a 5.71 average in conference matches only, has reached double figures in kills in 16 of 17 matches overall, including an A&M record-tying 35-kill performance against LSU on Sept. 10. In addition, Jones has tallied 30 kills in two of the last three matches and is on pace to break the school season record of 4.94 kills per game, which she set last year.
Jones closing in on kill record --- Having already set the A&M all-time career records for attack attempts and points, Aggie senior outside hitter Laura Jones is rapidly approaching the school record for career kills. After a 30-kill performance against Colorado on Sunday, Jones upped her career total to 1,716 and now needs only 62 more kills to break the record of 1,777 held by Kristie Smedsrud (1994-97).
Hahn Solo -- Junior middle blocker Christi Hahn tied an A&M Big 12 record with four solo blocks in the five-game loss to Colorado on Sunday. In addition, she and Kelly Stanton tied the A&M Big 12 record with 11 total blocks apiece against the Buffaloes.
Hahn also has come on strong on offense, reaching double figures in kills in each of the last four matches, including a career-high 18 kills at Iowa State. In addition, Hahn, who leads the A&M starters with a .313 hitting efficiency and is second on the team with 2.8 kills per game, is hitting at a .346 clip and averaging 3.05 kills and 1.26 blocks per game during the four-match stretch.
More block talk --- The Aggies broke the A&M record for block assists in a five-game match with 34 against Colorado. In addition, their 22 total blocks is the most by an A&M team in a Big 12 conference match. Four players set career highs in blocks against the Buffaloes: Christi Hahn set career highs in solo blocks (4), block assists (7), and total blocks (11). Kelly Stanton, set career highs for block assists (10) and total blocks (11), while Laura Jones and Meghan Kainz each set personal bests in block assists with eight and six, respectively.
Jones smashes second A&M career record - Laura Jones took 67 swings in the five-game match against Colorado, giving her a record-breaking 4,206 attempts in her career. She surpassed the previous record of 4,181 set by Kristie Smedsrud (1994-97).
It marks the second career record Jones has set this season. She posted 25.5 points in the loss to Texas to give her 1,874 points for her career, breaking the previous record of 1,870 points set by A&M two-time All-American Melissa Munsch (2001-04) in 431 games. Jones now has 1,966 points in 393 games. Points have been calculated only since rally scoring went into effect in 2001.
Aggies drop out of Top 25 --- Texas A&M dropped out of the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 for the first time since breaking in at No. 25 on Sept. 22, 2003, marking a span of 32 consecutive weekly regular-season Top 25 polls, as well as two final polls. The Aggies were ranked 24th last week but are now listed 28th following the loss to unranked Colorado.
No. 1 Nebraska remained No. 1, receiving 55 of 60 first-place votes. Washington received the other five first-place votes and stayed at No. 2, followed by Penn State, Florida and Stanford.
Nebraska is one of four Big 12 teams listed in the Top 25. Missouri is No. 10 followed by No. 16 Texas and No. 23 Kansas State. Colorado and A&M received points and are listed 27th and 28th, respectively.
A&M-Tech match rescheduled - Texas A&M's volleyball match against Texas Tech in College Station has been rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The match was originally slated for Sunday, Sept. 25, but the match was postponed because of the threat of Hurricane Rita.
A&M NCAA Regional tickets on sale - Tickets to the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Regional to be held at G. Rollie White Coliseum are on sale at the Texas A&M Athletic Ticket Office. Regional semifinal and final matches will be held Dec. 8-9, 9-10 or 10-11. Exact dates and potential participants will not be known until the NCAA announces the complete 64-team bracket on Sunday, Nov. 27.
Tickets will be sold only as all-session packages prior to the start of the event. An all-session ticket includes admission to both regional semifinal matches and the regional final match. Prices are $25 for reserved seats, $15 for adult general admission and $10 for youth general admission.
All-session tickets also may be purchased by calling the ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or ordering online at AggieAthletics.com/NCAAvolleyball. Online purchases will incur a $3 per ticket online fee, and all orders will be charged a $5 processing fee.
The regional winner advances to the Final Four to be hosted by the University of Texas-San Antonio at the Alamodome, December 15 and 17.
Upcoming -- Texas A&M concludes the first half of the Big 12 Conference schedule Saturday as the Aggies return to the road to take on Texas Tech in Lubbock. First serve is at 7 p.m. at United Spirit Arena. Live scoring of the match will be available at texastech.com.