Texas A&M
9-6, 3-2Big 12
Kansas State
9-7, 3-2Big 12
A&M Falls to K-State
Oct 02, 2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 2, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M got off to a slow start against Kansas State and never fully recovered as the Aggies suffered a disappointing 25-19, 25-19, 29-27 loss to the Wildcats in front of 1,330 tonight at Reed Arena.
K-State outhit the Aggies, .220 to .126, and also led in every other positive statistical category, including kills (42-35), assists (42-31), aces (7-3), digs (57-54) and blocks (6.0 to 5.5) to improve to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12.
A&M, which entered the match having won six of its last seven matches, drops to 9-6, including 3-2 in Big 12 matches only.
"We had a very slow start, had some players start at half speed, and that made it really difficult for us to get any momentum," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "I thought Kansas State was really sharp with their attack, their direction, and the pace they were in really tore up our blocking.
"We didn't have our `A' game tonight, and in the Big 12 you either have to have your `A' game or battle. You have to scratch and claw your way to a win somehow, and we weren't able to do that tonight."
A&M had tied the score five times in the opening set, the last coming at 11-11 before K-State used a four-point run, which included two kills by Kaitlynn Pelger and two aces by Kathleen Ludwig. Back-to-back kills by Aggie freshman setter Ally Sawatzky and junior outside hitter Chelsea Ringel put A&M within 15-13, but the Wildcats then went on a 6-1 spurt to build their biggest lead at 21-14.
A&M got within four points at 22-18, but a free ball by Ludwig fell in for a kill and then Ludwig teamed with Alex Muff for a block to put the Wildcats serving for the set. Kelsey Black fought off a set point with her fifth kill of the frame, but Ludwig answered with a kill to end the set.
A&M built an early 4-1 lead to start the second set before the Wildcats erupted for seven consecutive points. Stephanie Minnerly ended the run with a kill, but K-State continued to pull away, using a 7-2 spurt to build a 15-7 advantage. K-State equaled its largest lead at 23-13, but a kill by Ringel, as well as a block by Ringel and Lindsey Miller, put A&M within 23-15. A&M, which was held to a -.031 hitting efficiency in the stanza, then hit into the net on the next play to put the Wildcats at set point. A&M fought off four set points until Pelger ended the set with a kill.
A&M held a 7-4 lead in the third set, and Kansas State called an early timeout. The Wildcats came out of the timeout and outscored A&M, 6-2, to take their first lead at 10-9. The teams traded sideouts until Aggie freshman Heather Reynolds, who had subbed in for Black, posted her first career ace to regain the lead for A&M, 13-12. The Aggies built their biggest lead at 15-13 before K-State went on a 4-1 rally to retake the lead at 17-16.
A kill by Miller knotted the score, but K-State answered with back-to-back kills to go up, 19-17. Black then got a kill and teamed with Minnerly for a block to tie the score at 19. The Aggies then took the lead as K-State's attack sailed long.
The Wildcats would tie the score two times before taking the lead at 22-21 on an ace. The teams traded sideouts, and Ludwig got a kill to put K-State serving for the match at 24-23. The Wildcats then committed four hits on the ensuing play to tie the score at 24-all.
A&M got a block from Sawatzky and Miller to give A&M the lead and put the Aggies serving for the set, but a serve into the net and a kill by Pelger put the Wildcats back in the lead and at match point, 26-25. Ringel kept the Aggies alive with her seventh kill of the match, but K-State ended a long rally that included numerous athletic saves on both sides with a block, putting the Wildcats up, 27-26.
A&M fought off match point for the third time and tied the set for the 19th time as Sawatzky dinked the ball over for a kill. Pelger, however, countered with her match-leading 12th kill, and A&M then hit into the net to end the match.
"Our game was just a little bit off tonight," Corbelli said. "It manifests with more nets, manifests with the ball dropping between two players, and players on half speed or cruise control. It was an off night and it is too bad, because I felt like we really could have given that team a lot better game. I don't know what the result would have been but we would have given them a battle."
Black led A&M with 10 kills but also committed 10 attack errors. Ringel added seven kills and tied her career high with 18 digs. Tori Mellinger pitched in 12 digs, and Sarah Grace also reached double figures with 10.
The Aggies conclude a two-match home stand Wednesday as the A&M plays host to Baylor. First serve against the Bears is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Reed. It will be Junior Aggie Club Night, and all JAC members will be able to participate in games and get their picture taken with the Aggie soccer players from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Also free snacks will be available to JAC members.
A&M Virtual Guide: http://guides.aggieathletics.com/volleyball/
