September 20, 2006
Texas A&M came up short against Kansas, falling to the Jayhawks, 28-30, 30-26, 30-28, 29-31, 17-15, in front of 1,182 at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
Both teams were looking for their first Big 12 victory of the season, but it was Kansas that avoided the 0-3 start and improved to 8-4 overall. The Aggies, who took a match to five games for the second straight outing, drop to 7-4, 0-3.
?I am not disappointed in our performance or where we are headed or what we are learning,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. ?This group has great volleyball IQ, great talent, and we just have to be patient. The losses are hard to take, but we see the big picture, so we are excited.?
The Aggies, who at times had five freshmen on the court, came within a point of taking their first Big 12 win of the season and ending a three-match losing streak in Lawrence, but the Jayhawks fought off two match points in the decisive fifth game to take the win. The Aggies tied the score for the fifth time at 13-all on a kill by Christi Hahn. Emily Brown, who tied for match-high honors with 24 kills, had an attack sail long to put the Aggies at 14-13. Brown came back with a tip kill on the ensuing play to tie the score. A Mary Batis kill put the Aggies serving for the match for the second time, but Jana Correa put down back-to-back kills to regain the lead for KU. A&M?â„¢s next attack landed out, giving the Jayhawks the hard-fought win.
A&M trailed for most of the first game and was outhit .293 to .135 but still managed a late push to take the game, 30-28. The Aggies scored the first point of the match on a Kansas attack error, but the Jayhawks then went on a five-point run to take the lead. The Aggies, who trailed by as many as six points, chipped away at the lead and tied the score at 21 following three consecutive kills by Batis. A&M tied the score six more times before taking the lead at 28-27 after KU setter Katie Martincich was whistled for being in the net. An ace by Christi Hahn put the Aggies at 29-27, but Correa kept the Jayhawks alive with a kill. Sarah Ammerman then posted a kill from the back row to clinch the game for the Aggies, who had been swept in each of their last three visits to Lawrence.
It was the Jayhawks who came from behind in Game 2 to even the match. A&M used a four-point run to jump out to an 8-2 lead and went on to build its biggest lead at 15-8. The Aggies held a 19-13 advantage before Kansas stormed back with a 10-1 run. A&M got within 24-23, but back-to-back kills by the Jayhawks put Kansas ahead, 26-23. The Aggies, who were outhit, .261 to .120 in the game, could get no closer than two points, and an Aggie attack into the net ended the game.
A&M was unable to take advantage of a 17-10 lead in Game 3, and the Jayhawks came back once again to take the game and a 2-1 lead in the match. Kansas went on a 7-2 run later in the stanza to tie the game at 23. The teams traded sideouts until Kansas scored two consecutive points to take the lead. A service error tied the score for the 11th time in the game, but the Jayhawks got back-to-back kills by Williams and Brown to win the game and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
A&M scored four unanswered points to begin the fourth game. It would be the Aggies?â„¢ biggest lead of the game, as the Jayhawks came back and built their biggest lead at 16-13. A&M came back to take its first lead since 7-6 at 23-22. In a game that saw 16 ties and eight lead changes, the Jayhawks were in position to put away the match at 29-28. Back-to-back kill errors by Kansas gave the Aggies their fourth lead of the game, and a block by Hahn and Kelsey Bryant gave A&M the win to force the fifth game.
Hahn led the Aggies with 20 kills while hitting .447 in the match. Batis and Ammerman, both freshmen, combined for 34 kills but were held to a .079 hitting percentage. Ammerman and Batis also chipped in 18 and 16 digs, respectively, and freshman libero Zanny Castillo added 12 digs.
Freshman setter Courtnee Rhodes earned her first start, replacing junior Meghan Kainz who was unable to make the trip because of an illness. Rhodes finished with career highs of 57 assists and 10 digs.
?I am so proud of their effort,? Corbelli said. ?Their composure was great. We are still learning how to make the right plays and the right time. We will get there. It is right there, right at the edge of our seats.?
In addition to Correa and Brown?â„¢s 24 kills apiece, Savannah Noyes added 22 for the Jayhawks, who outhit A&M, .233 to .154 for the match.
The Aggies return home Friday to play host to the Kansas State Wildcats. Match time is at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum, and anyone wearing their Aggie ring will be admitted free.