Texas A&M
14-7, 7-6
Kansas State
9-14, 3-10
A&M Falls to K-State in Five Sets
Nov 04, 2009 | Volleyball
Nov. 4, 2009
MANHATTAN, Kan. - No. 23 Texas A&M got a match-high 22 kills from Sarah Ammerman and a career-high 19 kills from Jennifer Banse, but the Aggies came up short in a 25-20, 25-27, 25-22, 21-25, 16-14 loss to Kansas State tonight at Ahearn Field House.
"It was too little, too late," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We didn't start attacking at the beginning, and it was like we were waiting to see what the other team was doing. It was very frustrating. Our serve receive never got into rhythm, and we had very little to no middle attack. That put so much pressure on our outsides, and you can't survive like that."
A&M, which has won only once in 14 all-time trips to Manhattan, drops to 14-7 overall and 7-6 in Big 12 matches. K-State snaps a three-match losing skid and improves to 9-14, 3-10 Big 12.
A&M used a three-point run to take a 9-7 lead in the opening set. K-State would later tie the score three times, the last at 15-15 as the Wildcats began a three-point run. Banse, who had five kills and zero errors in the set, ended the run with a kill, but K-State would continue to pull away. The Wildcats, who outhit A&M, .267 to .163 in the frame, outscored A&M, 6-2, to build their biggest lead at 23-18. The teams then traded points for the remainder of the set, with Vanessa Murray putting down her fifth kill for the winning point.
The Aggies fought off a set point and scored three unanswered points to take the second set. Earlier in the frame, A&M had used a four-point run to build its biggest lead at 10-6 and would keep a three-point lead at 19-16 when K-State began a comeback. The Wildcats tied the score at 20-20 on an A&M attack error. The teams traded sideouts, as the score was also knotted at 21 and 22-all before A&M got a kill from Ammerman and a block by Mary Batis to put he Aggies at set point. KSU, however, would reel off three consecutive kills to take a 25-24 lead. Black tied the score with a kill, and Banse put down her 10th kill of the match to put the Aggies serving for the set. K-State's JuliAnne Chisholm hit wide to give A&M the winning point and even the match at a set apiece.
Although A&M was outhit, .213 to .175 in the set, the Aggies tallied four aces, including a season-high three aces by Ammerman.
KSU held a 10-6 lead in the third set when A&M outscored the Wildcats 7-2 to take its first lead at 13-12. The Wildcats answered with a four-point run to go up 16-13. A&M managed to tie the score at 18-18 on a block by Ammerman and Lindsey Miller, but the Aggies were unable to take the lead despite outhitting the Wildcats, .344 to .275 in the set. KSU outscored A&M 6-2 after the tie to take a 24-20 lead. Ammerman and Batis kept A&M in the set with back-to-back kills before Chipman clinched the set with a kill.
A&M got in sync and never trailed in the fourth set as Banse and Ammerman led the way with six kills apiece. The Aggies, who hit .406 in the set, built their largest lead at 21-12, but the Wildcats rallied for four straight points to get within 21-16. KSU would cut the margin to 24-21, fighting off two set points before a serve into the net ended the set and forced the teams to play a fifth set for the third straight year in Manhattan.
A&M used a five-point run to break away from a 5-5 tie in the fifth and held a 12-7 lead when the Wildcats went on a 6-1 run to tie the score at 13. A&M was at match point after an attack by Caitlyn Donahue sailed long, but Donahue put down a kill on the next play to even the score at 14-14. K-State then got back-to-back match-winning kills by Chisholm, who finished the night with 20 kills.
Batis led the Aggies with 18 digs, and Ammerman and Banse added 17 and 15, respectively. Black tied her career-high with five blocks, and setter Kristen Schevikhoven finished with 46 assists.
K-State, which got its first home win against a ranked opponent since 2005, outhit A&M .255 to .242 in the match. Chipman finished with 18 kills, and libero Lauren Mathewson posted a school record 41 digs, the most by an A&M opponent this season.
The Aggies return to Reed Arena Saturday to play host to No. 20 Baylor. First serve against the Bears is 6:30 p.m. It will be Class of 2013 Appreciation Night at the match. In addition, the team will hold an autograph session immediately following the match. Autograph sheets and pens will be provided for fans.
The match against the Bears will be the first of three consecutive Top 25 contests for the Aggies, who host No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 11 and are at No. 10 Nebraska on Nov. 13.
