Two points.
That's all it would have taken for Texas A&M to assure itself a berth in the NCAA volleyball tournament.
Instead the Aggies are spending the first week of December on the outside looking in for the third consecutive season.
A 15-13 loss in Game 5 to then-No. 3 Nebraska kept the Aggies from gaining a signature victory that would have complemented a season-ending, six-match winning streak.
Two points and the Aggies would have been 17-13 overall, finished with seven straight victories and alone in fourth place in the Big 12.
Many on the A&M side thought those two points shouldn't have been a factor.
If pressed, I'd have to agree.
It was less than a week ago I told a colleague I'd hate to have to play the Aggies in the first round of the NCAAs. Maybe the most telling stat on how much the Aggies had improved was three of their final six victories were against teams they had lost to in the first half of the Big 12 season.
A&M had worked its way up to 32nd in the rankings after being four matches under .500 at one point. Unfortunately for A&M, the committee did not see things the way the coaches' poll did. The Aggies were the only team ranked or receiving votes that did not get selected for the tournament.
A&M finished with key road victories against Oklahoma, Missouri and Baylor. The Aggies also beat Iowa State, the team they tied for fourth in the Big 12 and one of the teams that gained an at-large berth.
That said, A&M put itself in position to be passed over by not winning early and not posting a single victory against teams that finished in the Top 25 (0-7). ISU had two wins over Top 25 teams.
The Aggies were 3-10 against teams that made the NCAA Tournament. Outside of the tournament they hosted, they were just 2-5 in nonconference play.
What's disappointing about the slow start is A&M got a jump on many teams by playing this summer in Europe.
Injuries played a key role in the early struggles. Losing senior middle blocker Jillian Phillips for nearly the entire season forced A&M coach Laurie Corbelli to tinker with her lineup. That was magnified when another senior, Kelsey Bryant, who was the player moved to fill the void left by Phillips, missed key matches with her own ailments.
Stephanie Wells performed admirably, but starting a walk-on freshman at middle blocker was not in Corbelli's original blueprint. Neither was playing without setter Kristen Schevikhoven for one-third of the Big 12 campaign.
What makes Sunday's NCAA announcement so difficult is that it was the second straight year the Aggies had been a bubble team and walked away from a selection show party disheartened.
The junior class that came in so highly acclaimed has yet to play in an NCAA Tournament game after the Aggies had advanced to at least the second round in each of the previous 13 seasons -- all under Corbelli.
The Aggies can commiserate over being left out of the tourney for two straight seasons, and there is no doubt they could spin the numbers to show why they should have been in -- this season especially -- but A&M should be a program that doesn't have to put its fate in the hands of the selection committee.
For a long time, catching up with or at least gaining on the Nebraskas and even lately the Texases was how the Aggies were being measured. That goal has definitely taken a back seat to trying to stay above the rest of the Big 12, which if achieved would be enough to make the tournament.
Corbelli said back in August she couldn't believe the juniors hadn't experienced the excitement of an NCAA Tournament match.
That must be extremely hard to fathom now.
Next season the Aggies will likely start four seniors who have been a big part of the program for at least the past two years. Perhaps more importantly, the way they finished this season -- winning their last six matches just to qualify for NCAA consideration -- could help them finally get in.
Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.
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