COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Sophomore setter Allie Sawatzky had a career-high 13 kills and also dished out 47 assists to lead Texas A&M to a 25-21, 25-20, 24-26, 25-20 victory over Kansas today to begin the second half of Big 12 Conference play.
With the win, the Aggies sweep the season series against the Jayhawks and improve to 17-5 overall — including 8-1 at Reed Arena — and move into a tie with Oklahoma for third place in the Big 12 standings with a 6-3 mark.
“Win No. 17 feels really good,” A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. “Being in the top half of the Big 12 is a great feeling. It has been a battle; every match has been a battle. This one was no different.”
Sawatzky was one of four A&M players to post double figures in kills. Kelsey Black took match-high honors with 17 kills, and Tori Mellinger and Lindsey Miller pitched in 12 and 10, respectively.
“That’s definitely when our team is at our best, when we have all of our attackers doing well,” Mellinger said. “Allie had the second highest number of kills and she’s our setter. I think us being so multi-dimensional is what helps us a lot. They were focused on blocking Lindsey, and she still got 10 kills because she’s a multidimensional player.”
Defensively, libero Megan Pendergast had a career-high 22 digs, and Mellinger and Black completed double doubles with 13 and 12 digs, respectively. Sarah Grace also posted double figures in digs with 10. Miller led A&M in blocks with five.
The Aggies used a 4-0 run to build a 19-15 lead in the opening set, but the Jayhawks stormed back with five consecutive points as the lead changed hands for the third time. Black and Miller ended the rally with a block, which tied the score for the ninth time and also marked the start of another 4-0 surge by the Aggies. Mellinger regained the lead for A&M at 21-20 with a kill off the block, and Miller got another block, teaming with Sawatzky to put the Aggies up, 22-20. Black then got an ace as her serve hit the top of the net, rolled over and fell to the floor on the Kansas side. Caroline Jarmoc ended the run with a kill but Sawatzky answered with her fifth kill of the set to put the Aggies at set point. Kansas, which was outhit, .316 to .161 in the frame, followed with an attack error to end the set.
A&M used a 7-1 run to pull away from a 7-7 tie and build its largest lead of the second set at 14-8. The Jayhawks were unable to get closer than two points for the remainder of the set and trailed 23-20 when a kill by Mellinger put the Aggies serving for the set. Kansas, which was outhit, .306 to .150, was called for a ball handling error on the ensuing play to end the set and give A&M a 2-0 lead in the match.
A&M built its biggest lead of the third set at 19-15 before the Jayhawks rallied, scoring six unanswered points to take a 21-19 advantage. A&M retook the lead, scoring four consecutive points to go up 23-22. Kansas then got a kill, but Black countered with her fifth kill of the set to put the Aggies at set point. The Jayhawks, who had match point in the third set but lost to the Aggies in five sets when the teams met earlier this season, rallied and closed out the set with four straight points, including a set-ending block. It was the fifth block in the frame for the Jayhawks, who hit .270 in the set while holding A&M to .222 hitting percentage.
Kansas jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the fourth set, but the Aggies would take their first lead since scoring the first point of the stanza at 9-8 as Alisia Kastmo and Elise Hendrickson blocked an attack by Allison Mayfield, one of the top hitters in the Big 12. A Jayhawk kill tied the score at 9-9, but it would be the final tie as Kastmo got a kill and teamed with Miller for a block to put the Aggies ahead, 11-9. A&M would use a 5-0 run, which included back-to-back aces by Kastmo, to build its largest lead at 16-10.
Kansas quickly closed the gap, pulling within 17-15 but could get no closer. Miller directed a ball into the wide-open deep corner of the Jayhawks’ court for a kill, and Kansas hit wide on the next play. Mellinger and Hendrickson then easily posted consecutive kills courtesy of back-to-back Kansas overpasses as A&M went up by six to equal its biggest lead.
Kansas got within 22-18 before the teams traded sideouts for the remainder of the set, with Miller getting the match-winning kill.
A&M outhit the Jayhawks, .317 to .297 in the final set and .287 to .221 for the match. The Aggies led Kansas in kills, 68-50 for the match, and also led in digs, 71-56.
“We know that Kansas is a really good team and their record doesn’t show the type of team they are,” Black said. “From playing them there, we knew it was important to attack them and not let them get comfortable in our gym. It was just the attacking to focus on and staying on the attack throughout the game.”
Mayfield led the Jayhawks with 15 kills, and Sara McClinton added 14 kills. Tayler Tolefree had five blocks, including two solos, to lead the Jayhawks to an 11-7 advantage in blocks.
Kansas falls to 13-10 overall and 1-9 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks, who got their first-ever win in College Station last year, fall to 1-16 all-time in matches played at A&M.
Texas A&M concludes a three-match home stand Wednesday Nov. 2 as the Aggies play host to Texas Tech. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.
It will be “Local Heroes Night” and all members of the Bryan/College Station fire and police departments as well as the Texas A&M campus police and security get in free, and their family members can purchase a specially discounted $3 ticket by using the link provided in an email that will be sent to the departments.