AUSTIN, Texas - Texas A&M won its 10th
consecutive match with a 3-1 victory over North Carolina State in the NCAA
Division I Women's Volleyball Championship first round. The Aggies posted a
21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-20 decision over the Wolfpack at Gregory Gym.
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1 - 3 |
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Gregory Gym • Austin, Texas
NCAA Championship (First Round)
Boxscore: HTML | PDF
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
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| N.C. State (22-10) |
25 |
12 |
23 |
20 |
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| Texas A&M (25-5) |
21 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
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Stats at a Glance
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NCST |
A&M |
| Attack Pct. |
.222 |
.331 |
| Kills |
55 |
54 |
| Assists |
51 |
52 |
| Digs |
51 |
53 |
| Blocks |
4.5 |
8.0 |
| Aces |
0 |
5 |
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| NCST |
Leaders |
A&M |
| Wilson, 16 |
Kills |
Miller, 17 |
| Wilson, .448 |
Attk % |
Sullivan, .750 |
| Kearns, 20 |
Digs |
Pendergast, 14 |
| Cyr, 3 |
Blocks |
Miller, 7 |
| Cyr, 43 |
Assists |
Sawatzky, 40 |
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The Aggies, who improved to 25-5 on the year, return to
action on Friday at 7 p.m. when they will play either No. 3 Texas or Colgate at
Gregory Gym.
Lindsey Miller spearheaded the Aggies' attack on the
afternoon with 17 kills, a .469 hitting percentage and seven blocks. Miller's
seven blocks tied a season-high. Allie Sawatzky notched six kills, a .545
hitting percentage, 40 assists and five digs. Alisia Kastmo ended the match
with 12 kills, a .269 hitting percentage, six digs and three blocks.
Tori Mellinger registered seven kills and 12 digs. Her 12
digs boosted her career tally to 1,474 passing two-time All-American and
three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora (1,471 - 1995-98) for second place on
A&M's all-time list.
The Wolfpack won the opening set 25-21. The squads played
on an even keel through the first 30 points, tied 15-15 before NC State went on
a 4-1 run to take a 19-16 advantage. Texas A&M was eventually able to
whittle the lead down to 20-19, but the Aggies were unable to reclaim the lead
the remainder of the set. A&M's biggest lead of the set was two points on
four different occasions, including 11-9 on the latest occasion.
After getting out-hit .242-.368 in the opening set, the
Aggies responded to hold a .362-.170 edge in hitting percentage for the last
three sets.
The Aggies came swarming back in the second set, earning
the 25-12 decision. After going without a block in the first set, Texas A&M
tallied seven in the second, including a solo and five assists by Miller. The
set was tied at 4-4 before the Aggies created separation with a 9-2 run,
staking claim to a 13-6 edge. North Carolina State could draw no closer than
six points, and the Texas A&M lead first ballooned to 13 points at 22-9.
In the third set, Texas A&M gained the momentum
following a Wolfpack service error and three consecutive kills by Kastmo to
break a 4-4 tie and grab a 9-5 edge.
North Carolina State worked back into the third set to
tie it at 11-11 but couldn't wrestle the lead from the Aggies. Three kills
apiece by Miller and Shelby Sullivan sparked a 10-5 run for the Maroon and
White as they claimed a 21-16 lead. The Wolfpack would not go away quietly and
knotted the game at 22-22 with a block by Megan Cyr. Miller gave A&M the
edge with a kill, and an attack error by NC State's Brie Merriwether gave
A&M breathing room at 24-22. Dariyan Hopper cut the lead to one with a
kill, but Sullivan's attack found the floor for the set-clinching point and the
25-23 decision.
The fourth set was tightly contested through the first
two-thirds of action with the score tied 11 times, including the last time at
16-16. A kill by Mellinger, two kills by Kastmo and a service ace by Mellinger
gave A&M a 20-17 edge, and the Aggies would coast to the five-point
decision capped off by a service ace by Heather Reynolds for match point.
The loss ended North Carolina State's season with a 22-10
mark.
The Aggies improved to 24-19 all-time at the NCAA
Championship, including a 22-15 mark under head coach Laurie Corbelli.
