KU Looks To Extend Win Streak At Texas A&M
Nov. 15, 2005
College Station, Texas –
The Jayhawks look to keep their win streak alive Wednesday night and pick up their first-ever victory in College Station, Texas, when they face Texas A&M (12-12, 5-10 Big 12) at G. Rollie White Coliseum. KU is 15-11 overall and 7-10 in league action and has won its last three matches with two of the victories on the road. The Aggies are coming off a 3-2 victory over Kansas State Saturday and are 7-5 at home this season.
Gametracker and post-match results will be available on Kansas Athletics’ official website, kuathletics.com.
KU PREVIEW
The Jayhawks return nine letterwinners including four starters in 2005. KU is led by senior middle blocker Josi Lima, a three-time All-Big 12 First Team selection who was named Sports Imports/AVCA National and Big 12 Player of the Week on Sept. 19. Postseason award candidates Paula Caten (senior) and Emily Brown (sophomore) are also in the starting six.
Lima averages 3.43 kills (.228 hitting efficiency) and a team-high 1.09 blocks per game. Freshman Savannah Noyes, at 6-3, adds 1.66 kills and 0.76 blocks per game in the other middle blocker spot.
Caten, a 6-3 outside hitter, contributes 3.18 kills and 2.23 digs per game and Brown, a 6-2 right side hitter, chips in 3.14 kills, 2.30 digs and 0.43 aces per game. Junior Megan Hill has started seven matches this season at outside hitter and adds 1.38 kills per game.
Junior libero Jamie Mathewson paces the defense and ranks ninth in the league with 3.39 digs per game while junior defensive specialist Dani Wittman (1.42 dpg) has recently made three starts for KU.
The Jayhawks are without junior outside hitter Jana Correa, who suffered a season-ending injury against then-ranked #20 Kansas State on Oct. 5. Before the injury, Correa averaged a team-best 3.60 kills to go with 2.29 digs per game in 16 starts.
The Jayhawks have defeated their last three opponents — Texas Tech (Saturday), Oklahoma (Nov. 9) and then-ranked #24 Kansas State (Nov. 5).
THE KU/TEXAS A&M SERIES
The Aggies hold a 17-3 advantage in the all-time series against the Jayhawks. All three of KU’s wins have come in Lawrence over the past three seasons — Sept. 14, 2005 (3-0), Nov. 22, 2004 (3-0) and Nov. 20, 2003 (3-0). Texas A&M was ranked in the Top 25 in each of its losses at KU.
AGGIE PREVIEW
Texas A&M (12-12, 5-10 Big 12) was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 this season and is coming off a 3-2 win over visiting Kansas State Saturday. The Aggies have won three of their last four matches and are led by senior outside hitter Laura Jones, who tied a school-record with 35 kills in the win over the Wildcats.
An All-American in 2004, Jones leads the Big 12 with 5.95 kills per game and adds 3.06 digs and 0.64 blocks per game for the Aggies. Senior setter Kari Kelley runs the A&M offense with 10.75 assists per game while senior libero Holly Clay paces the defensive effort with 4.18 digs per game (second in the Big 12).
TAMU returns five starters and five other letterwinners from the 2004 squad that went 19-9 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
LAST MEETING — KANSAS 3, TEXAS A&M 0
Josi Lima led all players with 19 kills as KU swept 15th-ranked Texas A&M, 30-26, 30-27 and 30-19, Sept. 14 at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Lima’s 19 kills came on a match-best .467 attack percentage to go with her 11 digs and four blocks. Jana Correa had 14 kills on a .333 clip and six digs, while Emily Brown added 10 kills and six digs.
Andi Rozum (three solo blocks) dished 47 assists to a KU offense that hit .314 on the night. Jamie Mathewson had a match-high 12 digs for a defense that totaled 11 blocks. KU hit well in games one and three, posting .471 and .412 attack percentages, respectively. The highlight of the match came on the final game, when the Jayhawks posted 11 unanswered points en route to a 30-19 victory.
All-American Laura Jones paced the Aggies with 17 kills but was held to just a .109 attack percentage (12 errors, 46 attempts). As a squad, A&M hit just .142 on the night, including a .000 percentage in game three (9 kills, 9 errors, 40 attempts).
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