Texas A&M
14-6, 7-5Big 12
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Kansas
12-10, 4-8Big 12
No. 25 Aggies Down Kansas, 3-1
Oct 31, 2009 | Volleyball
Oct. 31, 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Sarah Ammerman had a season-high 21 kills to lead No. 25 Texas A&M to a 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-15 victory over Kansas tonight at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
The Aggies improve to 14-6 overall and 7-5 in Big 12 matches after posting their seventh consecutive win against the Jayhawks and sweeping the season series for the third straight season.
Kansas falls to 12-10, including 4-8 in the Big 12.
"I thought tonight was just a great total team effort," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "There was great distribution of our sets, and we had four or five hitters hit double-digit attacks. That is always nice to see across the board that you are going to all of your different attackers."
Kansas gave A&M a scare in the opening set, outhitting the Aggies, .277 to .176, and taking a 1-0 lead in the match. A&M errors early in the frame proved costly, allowing the Jayhawks to build their biggest lead at 17-11. Setter Jola Kelner then came off the bench and sparked the Aggies to a 21-21 tie. A&M also tied the score at 22 and 23 before Karina Garlington got back-to-back kills to clinch the set for the Jayhawks.
Ammerman had five kills in the set to give her 1,332 for her career and move her into eighth place in the A&M career records.
The second set was tied at 3-3 when A&M reeled off three unanswered points. The Aggies would keep the lead for the remainder of the set, outhitting the Jayhawks, .324 to .243. A&M held its largest lead at 23-17 when Kansas scored three consecutive points to cut the gap to 23-20. Ammerman then posted her sixth kill of the stanza to put the Aggies serving for the set. Allison Mayfield countered with her eighth kill of the set to keep the Jayhawks alive, and an A&M attack error put KU within 24-22. The Jayhawks then hit long to end the set and even the match at a set apiece.
There were 11 ties and six lead changes in the third set. The Jayhawks held a 17-16 lead when A&M got back-to-back blocks and a kill to take a 19-17 lead. A&M held a 20-19 margin when Mary Batis and Kristen Schevikhoven posted consecutive kills, and a KU attack error put the Aggies up 23-19. The Jayhawks came back with two kills to get within 23-21 but hit long on the ensuing play to put A&M at set point. A&M served into the net, but Ammerman came back with her sixth kill of the frame to clinch the set and give the Aggies a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was all A&M, as the Aggies outhit the Jayhawks, .379 to .200 and posted five aces. Leading 3-1, the Aggies reeled off five consecutive points, getting kills from four different players, as well as a block during the stretch. A&M continued to widen the margin and built its first 10-point lead at 16-6 on an ace by Jennifer Banse.
Trailing 19-9, the Jayhawks made another three-point run, but A&M again answered with its own three-point rally, which included two aces by Batis. With A&M leading, 22-12, the teams then traded point for point, with Ammerman getting the match-clinching kill.
Ammerman hit .391 for the match as the Aggies outhit Kansas, .269 to .233. Batis added 12 kills, and Banse had 10 kills and a team-leading 15 digs. Black, a 5-11 sophomore who has now played every position except setter, drew her first career start at middle blocker and posted a career-high five blocks. Lindsey Miller tied Black for team-high honors in blocks to help lead A&M to a 10.5-5 block advantage over the Jayhawks.
Mayfield led Kansas with 20 kills, and libero Melissa Grieb had a match-high 20 digs.
"I thought Ammerman hitting 39 percent on Halloween was scary good," Corbelli said. "She was really unstoppable tonight. It was so fun to watch her. And I think too, our serving and our blocking, especially our blocking, are really improving, and it just takes a lot of pressure off of our defense when we are serving that tough and that smart. So it was overall a great effort, and we're absolutely thrilled to get back into the win column."
A&M returns to the Sunflower State on Wednesday to face the Kansas State Wildcats in a match that will be televised by FSN-Kansas City. The match begins at 7 p.m. at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan.
