November 25, 2005
The Texas A&M volleyball team wraps up the regular season when the Aggies take on the 10th-ranked Missouri Tigers Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Hearnes Center in Columbia.
The Aggies, who will be playing their fourth match in eight days, are winners of seven of their last eight matches and enter the contest against the Tigers riding a five-match winning streak. A&M (16-12 overall, 9-10 Big 12) is coming off a 3-1 victory against Iowa State on Wednesday and is in sixth place in the Big 12.
Missouri is 21-4 overall and in third place in the Big 12 standings with a school-record 15 wins and only four losses. The Tigers are riding a two-match winning streak -- including a sweep against then-No. 10 Texas on Saturday -- and have won five of their last six. Missouri, which is coming off a 3-1 victory at Kansas on Wednesday, entered the week ranked second in the nation in assists per game (16.16), third in kills per game (17.22), and ninth in hitting percentage (.298)
A&M holds a 17-5 lead in the all-time series against the Tigers, including a 6-3 record in matches played in Columbia. Missouri, however, has won two of the last three meetings, including a first-ever victory in College Station when the teams met earlier this season at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Freshman Lindsey Yon was a bright spot in the Aggies?â„¢ 3-1 loss to the Tigers on September 16, coming off the bench midway through the third game and finishing the match with a then career-high 10 kills while hitting at a .412 hitting efficiency. Laura Jones posted her first 20-20 of the season with 22 kills and 23 digs, and Christi Hahn added 12 kills. Holly Clay led the Aggies in digs with 24, and Kari Kelley recorded a career-high 19 digs.
Missouri, which outhit A&M, .242 to .219, had five players reach double figures in kills, including Na Yang, who posted a team-leading 19 kills. Jessica Vander Kooi had 18 kills, and Shen Danru and Nicole Wilson added 12 each, while Lisa Boyd pitched in with 10 kills. Libero Ailes Tatum led in digs with 24, and Wilson had a match-high eight blocks, although A&M outblocked the Tigers, 11.5 to 10.5.
A&M?â„¢s postseason status will be revealed when the 64-team NCAA tournament field is announced Sunday at 1:30-2 p.m. (CST) on ESPNews. First and second rounds will be played Dec. 1-4.
A&M, which has made 12 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, will serve as host of an NCAA Regional, Dec. 9-10 at G. Rollie. Tickets are available by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-888-99-Aggie.
The winner of the regional advances to the Final Four, to be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Dec. 15 and 17.