Nov. 22, 2006
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Missouri volleyball team (16-12, 10-9) found another bump in the road along the Big 12 highway Wednesday night, falling to Texas A&M (12-16, 5-15) in a sweep, 30-24, 30-20, 30-27, in a Thanksgiving-eve meeting that just was not gravy. On a bright note, junior libero Tatum Ailes (Bellevue, Neb.) snagged 18 digs on the night to tie Shen Danru on the all-time leaderboard with 1,372 digs.
Senior Nicole Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) led Mizzou with 13 kills, committing only one error on 27 attempts, hitting at a .444 clip. Wilson added two blocks and six digs. Senior Jessica Vander Kooi (Hinton, Iowa) was next in the kills category with 10, adding 12 digs as part of a double-double night.
Texas A&M was led by freshman Mary Batis with 15 kills, adding 14 digs and an ace. Senior Christi Hahn, playing in the last match of her career scored 14 kills, committing only one error, adding four blocks and an ace.
Mizzou was outblocked 11 to 4.5, outhit .259 to .151 and outaced 5 to 1.
Mizzou was down as much as 23-11 in game 1 before fighting back to make the final margin 30-24. In game two, A&M scored on 20 kills, employing an unstoppable .354 hitting percentage. In a scrappy game three, the teams tied 20 times on the way to a 30-27 final.
The Tigers will complete the regular season on FRIDAY with a 6:30 p.m., tilt versus Texas Tech. Everyone is encouraged to come early for Senior Night recognitions. In addition, a free kids' carnival will be held featuring inflatable games, face painting, balloon animals, and more.
On Sunday, the NCAA Volleyball Committee will announce the field of 64 that earned bids into the NCAA Tournament. ESPNews will cover the announcement live at 2 p.m.
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