Texas A&M
12-12, 6-8Big 12
Baylor
13-12, 6-8Big 12
A&M Falls to Baylor in Five Sets
Nov 06, 2010 | Volleyball
Nov. 6, 2010
WACO, Texas - Texas A&M had its three match-winning streak snapped as Baylor held off the Aggies, 25-22, 25-27, 25-20, 23-25, 15-8, tonight at the Ferrell Center.
Baylor (13-12, 6-8 Big 12) posts its second consecutive five-set win against A&M to sweep the season series. In addition, the Bears end a 10-match losing streak against the Aggies in Waco and move into a tie with A&M for six place in the Big 12 standings.
A&M's Kelsey Black led all players with 27 kills and also pitched in 16 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Lindsey Miller also reached double figures in kills with 11 and added a team-high seven blocks. Tori Mellinger led the Aggies with 20 digs, and Chelsea Ringel and Elise Hendrickson added 15 and 14 digs, respectively. Junior defensive specialist Sarah Grace, who played her freshman year at Baylor, contributed 10 digs, and freshman setter Allie Sawatzky had 46 assists along with eight kills and four blocks for 14.0 points.
Elizabeth Graham had a team-high 16 kills and nine blocks for Baylor, which outhit A&M, .155 to .113, and outblocked the Aggies, 13-12. Caitlyn Trice had 31 digs, the most by an A&M opponent this season, as the Bears, ranked No. 3 in the nation in digs, outdug A&M, 104-94.
A&M got off to a slow start in the opening set and quickly fell behind 14-7 after the Bears finished off a four-point run. The Aggies were trailing 15-8 when they ran off five unanswered points, including back-to-back aces by Sawatzky. A&M later used a three-point run courtesy of consecutive Baylor errors to get within 18-17 but was unable to take the lead. Baylor put down two kills to build a 20-17 margin, and the teams sided out for the reminder of the frame, with Ashlie Christenson and Ashley Byrd teaming for a block to record the set-clinching point for the Bears.
A&M outhit Baylor, .296 to .206, in the set, but the Bears led in kills, 15-10.
A&M used a 6-2 run to break away from a 9-9 tie and take a 15-11 lead in the second set. The Aggies later built their biggest lead at 23-18 after scoring three unanswered points and appeared in position to take the set leading 24-19. Baylor, however, fought off five set points as A&M committed four attack errors during the stretch. Miller got a kill to put A&M up 25-24, but Baylor countered with a kill to fight off the sixth set point. Minnerly then got a kill and followed with a block with Black to close out the set and even the match at a set apiece.
Baylor hit only .081 in the third set but the Aggies hit -.025 as the Bears took a 2-1 lead in the match. There were 10 ties early, the last tie coming at 13-all. The Bears then used a 5-1 run to begin to pull away. Baylor held a 19-15 lead when Miller teamed with Heather Reynolds for a block and followed with a block with Sawatzky to put A&M within 19-17, but Baylor reeled off three points to go up, 22-17. The Bears later led 23-18 when Black got back-to-back kills, but Christenson counter with consecutive kills to close out the set for the Bears.
A&M held a narrow 17-16 lead in the fourth set when Baylor scored five unanswered points, four on A&M attack errors. Consecutive kills by Miller put A&M within 21-19, but Baylor got a block on the next play to go up, 22-19. Black then took over, getting three consecutive kills to tie the score at 22-22. A service error put Baylor ahead, 23-22, but Black posted her seventh and eighth kills of the set to put A&M at set point. Sawatzky capped the set with one of her career-high four aces to force a fifth set.
Baylor led the entire fifth set as A&M hit negative (-.136) for the second time in the match. The Bears used a four-point rally to build a 7-2 advantage and were ahead, 7-4, when they went on a five-point run to build a 12-4 lead. A&M never got closer than six points before Briana Tolbert clinched the match with a kill.
It was the eighth five-set match for A&M, which falls to 2-6 in five-setters, 12-12 in all matches and 6-8 in Big 12 matches only.
A&M returns to Reed Arena on Wednesday for a rematch against the Kansas Jayhawks. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. A&M fell to Kansas, 3-2, in Lawrence, Kan., in the second match of the Big 12 season.
A&M will have only two home matches remaining after the contest against Kansas: Sunday, Nov. 21 vs. No. 12 Iowa State and the regular-season finale against No. 5 Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 27.
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