Texas A&M
16-5, 5-3
Iowa State
16-3, 7-1
A&M Comeback Falls Short Against No. 15 ISU
Oct 23, 2011 | Volleyball
"We came up against maybe the best team that's been in Reed Arena this season and went neck and neck with them," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "Obviously we are disappointed, but I'm really proud of the way my team performed. It wasn't our best performance, but I saw things in the team that we've been striving to see consistently and they were there."
Iowa State (16-3, 7-1 Big 12), which extends its winning streak to four and remains tied with No. 8 Texas for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference standings, never trailed in the first set as the Aggies spotted the Cyclones a 7-3 lead to start the match. A&M came back to tie the score at 7, 8 and 9 before ISU went on an 8-3 run to build its largest lead at 17-12. The teams then began to trade points until Lindsey Miller and Allie Sawatzky posted back-to-back kills to put A&M within 23-20. An A&M service error put the Cyclones serving for the set, but Tori Mellinger kept the Aggies alive with a kill. ISU, which outhit the Aggies, .300 to .179 in the frame, then got a kill from Kelsey Peterson to close out the set.
ISU jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set and went on to build a 10-5 advantage before A&M rallied. The Aggies got within a point at 10-9 following a 4-0 surge, but the Cyclones countered with their own four-point run. ISU went on to build its largest lead at 17-11, but the Aggies came back once again. Elise Hendrickson tipped a ball in for a kill and Miller followed with a kill to cap a long rally and put the Aggies within 17-13. ISU's Tenisha Matlock got a kill down the block, but the Cyclones served wide on the next play and then had an attack sail wide to put A&M within 18-15. A&M continued to chip away at the lead as Alisia Kastmo followed with a kill and ISU hit into the net to put the Aggies within 18-17.
ISU called a timeout and came back with a kill and a block to keep the lead. The Cyclones would later build a 23-19 advantage, but the Aggies mounted another comeback. Mellinger posted a kill, and ISU committed back-to-back attack errors to get the Aggies within a point for the forth time in the set. Jamie Straube ended the run with a kill off the block to put the Cyclones at set point. Mellinger's next attack went long, but the Aggies were awarded the point as a Cyclone blocker was whistled for being in the net. ISU, which outhit A&M, .114 to .045 in the set, then got a kill from Carly Jenson to secure the set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Aggies, who entered the match having won three consecutive five-set matches, including two matches in which they came back from 2-0 deficits, refused to concede. There were 11 ties and five lead changes in the third set as the Aggie offense began to click. ISU scored the first two points, but A&M went on a 6-1 run to take its first lead of the match. ISU countered with a 4-0 run to regain the lead. The teams would continue to swap leads until Kelsey Black, who had only one kill after the first two sets, got a kill and teamed with Miller for a block to put A&M ahead, 17-16. ISU tied the score at 17 and 18 before the Aggies, who outhit ISU, .316 to .250 in the set, got a block and consecutive kills by Miller and Sawatzky to build a 21-18 cushion. The teams then traded point for point for the remainder of the match, with Black putting down the set winner.
ISU equaled its biggest lead of the fourth set at 19-13, forcing A&M to call its final timeout. Black got a kill coming out of the timeout, and back-to-back ISU errors put the Aggies within 19-16. Straube ended the run with a kill, but an ISU service error and an ace by Sawatzky put the Aggies within 20-18. A&M got within a point on the ensuing play as ISU hit long. The teams traded sideouts and ISU led 21-20 before getting a kill and an ace to go up, 23-20. The Cyclones then committed three consecutive errors - a service error and back-to-back attack errors - to knot the score at 23-23. The Cyclones regained the lead on a controversial call as a hard driven ball by Jenson appeared to be dug by Mellinger, who surpassed 1,000 career digs in the match. The lead official, however, ruled that the ball hit the floor before the dig, giving Jenson the kill and putting the Cyclones at match point. A&M was whistled for a ball handling error on the ensuing play, dashing the Aggies' hopes of another heroic comeback.
Mellinger finished with 14 kills and Kastmo added 11 to lead A&M, which drops to 16-5 overall, 5-3 in Big 12 matches and 7-1 at Reed Arena. Megan Pendergast led the Aggies in digs with 17, and Mellinger had 13 digs to complete her fourth double-double of the season. Black also had 13 digs, and Sawatzky finished with 10 digs and 42 assists to record her 11th double-double. Miller took team-high honors in blocks with five.
ISU, which outhit A&M, .206 to .165, was led by Jenson's 17 kills. Matlock had a match-high seven blocks to give the Cyclones a 9-8 edge in team blocks. Libero Kristen Hahn, who leads the Big 12 in dig average, finished with a match-high 19 digs as ISU outdug the Aggies, 75-50.
A&M led in kills 55-53. The Aggies entered the match 15-0 when leading in kills.
A&M has a bye on Wednesday, Oct. 26 and then begins the second half of Big 12 play on Sunday, Oct. 30 at home against Kansas. First serve against the Jayhawks is slated for 2 p.m. at Reed Arena. It will be A&M's Breast Cancer Awareness match, and fans are encouraged to wear pink.
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