Baylor
Texas A&M
Volleyball Falls to #21 Texas A&M, 3-1
11/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2003
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Senior outside hitters Stevie Nicholas and Tisha Schwartz each had 20 kills or more in the same match for the first time since last season, but Baylor couldn't hold off No. 21 Texas A&M in a 3-1 (30-24, 28-30, 30-28, 30-27) loss in Big 12 volleyball action Wednesday night at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Nicholas hit .359 with 26 kills, which ties the team's season high, while Schwartz hit .514 to record 20 kills, the 12th time this season she's reached the mark.
Schwartz recorded her 500th kill of the season, becoming only the fourth player in Baylor history to reach the milestone, joining Nicholas, Elisha Polk and Kia Young. She also led the Bears (12-19, 4-13 Big 12) with nine digs, while sophomore setter Emily Huston had 59 assists and eight digs. Freshman outside hitter Andrea Vakulya added 10 kills and eight digs. The Bears hit .299 as a team for the match and had 11 blocks.
Laura Jones led Texas A&M (20-7, 12-5) with 18 kills and 12 digs, while Melissa Munsch had 17 kills and 12 digs and Carol Price added 17 kills. Beth Skypala pitched in with 11 kills and nine digs. The Aggies hit .396 for the match and outdug the Bears, 66-41.
Game one was tight until Texas A&M scored three-striaght points on two occasions to take a 16-9 lead. The Aggies later scored five-straight to go up 21-12. Baylor fought back to within four at 22-18, but the Bears would get no closer as the Aggies closed out the game, 30-24. Schwartz hit .857 with six kills to lead Baylor, which hit .278, while Munsch had five kills for Texas A&M, which hit .375.
Texas A&M built a 17-10 lead in game two, but Baylor scored three-straight to halt the momentum and slowly climbed back in the game and got to within one at 22-21. After the Aggies went up 24-22, the Bears ripped off a five-point run to take a 27-24 lead and held on, 30-28. The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak for the Bears in College Station, dating back to 1999. Nicholas had eight kills for Baylor, which hit .348, while Munsch had four kills for Texas A&M, which hit .381.
The two teams battled until Texas A&M took a 16-14 lead, but Baylor responded with a four-point run to go up 18-16. The Bears led, 22-20, until the Aggies scored four-straight to regain the advantage. The Bears, who hit .244, fought back to tie the game at 26 and 27, but the Aggies, who hit .457, held on for a 30-28 win. Nicholas had nine kills to lead Baylor, while Price had six for Texas A&M.
Texas A&M grabbed the momentum early in game four to take a 19-12 lead, but Baylor went on a tear to cut the lead to 21-19. The Bears, which hit .325 in the game, would get no closer than 25-23 as the Aggies, which hit .375, closed out the match, 30-27.
Baylor returns to action when it hits the road to face No. 8 Nebraska on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Nebraska Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.
