A Winning Tradition

Tra di tion tre-'dish-en n 1: The handing down of beliefs and customs by word of mouth or by example without written instruction; also: a belief or custom thus handed down 2 : an inherited pattern of thought or action

The 12th Man, Midnight Yell Practice, Bonfire, Muster and Silver Taps are among the revered traditions at Texas A&M University. In fact, the institution is so rich in tradition that some have reasoned that if something happens more than once in Aggieland, it becomes a tradition.

Last year the Texas A&M volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time, and that is a "tradition" Aggie coach Laurie Corbelli would like to continue.

"It is what we are striving for," Corbelli said. "We have had some fantastic volleyball players come through A&M, and in order to build upon that tradition of advancing to the Elite Eight and putting ourselves in position to reach the Final Four, we have to continue to recruit fantastic athletes who work to become top collegiate volleyball players and who are bigger and can play higher. That is what is necessary to win at this level, and it has become common knowledge that is what this program is striving for."

Upholding the Elite-Eight tradition is a lofty goal for 2002 considering Corbelli loses five starters, including first-team All-American setter Jenna Moscovic, from last year's squad that advanced to the region finals for the second time in three years and ranked 11th in the final Top 25 Poll.

"Sweet Sixteen will be a huge goal for this team," Corbelli said. "It might not be the ultimate goal, but we definitely want to get that deep into the tournament, if not deeper. This group is an overachieving bunch, and because of their experience of going deep into the tournament, they already expect to reach the third round. Deep in their minds and hearts, they want to go further, but realistically, just looking at our talent along with our lack of experience, a big goal for us will be Sweet Sixteen."

Although Corbelli has lost one of the program's most successful senior-laden groups, it appears the winningest coach in A&M history has met her objective of bringing in tall and talented athletes. Newcomers like freshman Laura Jones, a 6-2 high school All-American and former USA Youth National Team member , have the potential to help carry on the tradition.

"It is a great year to have this strong group of newcomers because we did lose so many," Corbelli said. "I am really encouraged, because I feel like we have reloaded in a large sense of the word. I don't want to wait on these freshmen to have them contribute."

The four freshmen, along with a junior transfer, will be competing with a somewhat unproven group of veterans as the Aggies return only two starters along with eight other letterwinners who trained against last year's team that went 26-6 and placed second in the Big 12 with a 16-4 mark.

"When you return a group that is somewhat unknown, not in terms of the people but in terms of what the team can do, that presents an exciting new challenge," Corbelli said. "We will have a lot of versatility and depth, so the big question for me is determining the lineup we will use; where they are going to be most effective and where they will work best with their teammates."

One obvious choice for the lineup is Melissa Munsch, a 6-2 sophomore who led the Aggies with 1.03 blocks per game as a starting middle blocker. However, the versatile Munsch is expected to move to the left side in the front row to help fill the void left by graduating seniors Michelle Cole, an all-Central Region selection who led the Big 12 and ranked 11th in the nation in digs per game, and Erin Lechler, who led the Aggies in kills and points.

Fifth-year senior A.D. Achilefu, whose lethal jump serve led to an A&M individual record for ace average last season, is another key returner primed to lead the Aggies. The most explosive and one of the most versatile members of the team, the 5-9 Achilefu has spent her career playing a variety of invaluable roles as a part-time starter. Like Munsch, the physically powerful and athletic Achilefu is expected to vie for a starting position on the left side after spending most of her career in the middle.

"Both Munsch and Achilefu are going to figure heavily in our lineup and will be very important to the success of the team," Corbelli said. "They possess more power, and they are always out there to beat the ball. They have that killer instinct. And because they have been middle blockers, they will offer a little more blocking on the left side."

Another area where Munsch and Achilefu will play a significant role and add another dimension is in the back row. Not only will they be expected to serve as primary passers, but they also will be concentrating on attacking out of the back row.

"They are so good back there," Corbelli said. "They can come out of the back row and attack down the middle of the court, and we need to use that a lot. They provide a core of versatility within our system to where we will be able to successfully get the ball to either one of them."

Junior outside hitter Beth Skypala, who was voted the team's most improved player last season, honed her defensive skills during the spring season while held out of hitting duties following surgery on her right shoulder to repair a torn labrum in her right shoulder. But the power attacker is expected to be at full strength by the start of the season and will offer another quality option.

"With Skypala on the left, we have no drop in our power at all," Corbelli said. "She may even add power and speed. In addition to being one of our best blockers on the left side, she also has played in the middle and would be a great right side, so I expect her to vie for a position and be beating the ball from somewhere. And because of her surgery, she had no choice but to focus on her ball control and passing, so her defense has become one of her strong points."

Jones, one of the most talented freshmen A&M has signed, also adds tremendous versatility and talent and immediately will contend for a starting role at several positions.

"Jones will make an impact very early because she is a very complete player all the way around," Corbelli said. "She can play wherever, and so much will be determined by what positions the others players get to play.

"She hits the ball to the ground faster than most college players. And being 6-3 with long arms and a very good jump, she is going to be able to contend with big blocks much easier than we have in the past. In addition, she could turn out to be one of the best defensive players we have, and, because of her great overhand ball control, we are going to train her to attack out of the back row as well as jump serve."

Other options on the left side are junior Rebecca Wynalda and freshman Cristin Burton. Wynalda, at 6-2, is a high-percentage attacker, and she also can play the back row where she recorded the one of the team's highest passing scores during the spring season.

The energetic Burton adds pure athleticism to the left and is expected to immediately contend for playing time.

Returners Julia Rex, a 6-0 left-hander, and Carrie Moreira, a 5-11 sophomore, are in contention with Jones for the right-side position. Another alternative is Carol Price, a physical 6-2 middle blocker who has seen action on the right to utilize her slide attack behind the setter.

"We start out with more shear power than we have ever had, " Corbelli said. "Every hitter that we have hits with more speed and more power around the entire court. And although we lost finesse players who knew what to do when and didn't need to rely on power, this group is already relying heavily on its power. That is a great start for a young group, because then we can teach and integrate the learning of shots and what to do when.

"And while the power of our outside hitters is one of our biggest strengths, the other strength is our experience in the middle."

Tara Pulaski, a 6-2 junior, is once again expected to anchor the middle blockers. The two-year starter provides physical strength and size, as well as experience to the only position that did not lose any players to graduation.

"The middle blockers are going to be the cornerstone of our defense, and I'm really pleased with that," Corbelli said. "Our middles are great blockers, and I expect this team to block bigger this year. We will be bigger and more powerful at the net and over the net, and that will eventually translate into more success from a blocking standpoint."

Price, a junior, and Kendra Felder, a 6-1 sophomore who Corbelli describes as a natural blocker, return to battle for the second middle blocking position.

"Price and Felder had great springs and only got better and better each week," Corbelli said. "Although Felder missed the last part of the spring because of shoulder surgery, the development and the way that she grew this spring was a true bright spot for our middles."

Freshman Jayna Baker also could figure into the mix in the middle. Although she is only 5-10, Baker is similar to Achilefu in that she has great speed and the ability to put up a deceptively big block. In addition, Baker is effective in the back row because of her quick pursuit and her ability to attack behind the 3-meter line.

"Although we are going to be younger on the outsides of the court," Corbelli said, "we will be more experienced at the middle, which is really a benefit because of the deception the middles provide and how difficult that is to defend. And when the middles get into their rhythm, then you always have the outsides who are ready to put the ball away."

Sophomore Lexy Beers will be responsible for getting the ball to the attackers. She takes over the setting duties after spending a season under the tutelage of Moscovic, the most decorated setter in A&M history.

"The biggest plusses Beers brings to the floor are her smarts and her accuracy," Corbelli said. "She is maybe the biggest risk-taker I've had at the setting position, and I love that about her. She constantly wants to go to the attacker who the opponent thinks is least likely to get the ball.

"She also is very accurate, so even if our passing or our digs are off a little bit, she is so accurate and has such a great sense for where she is on the court and where she needs to deliver the ball. So if our attackers continue to grow in their range and versatility, even if we don't measure up defensively where we have been, we can still produce some great attacks."

Although Beers and freshman setter/outside hitter Kari Kelley lack experience, setting is not a major concern for Corbelli.

"We do have a very young setting corps," Corbelli said, "but it is not one of my major question marks. I pretty much know what I am getting. I am very pleased with how Lexy has done, her court presence, her leadership, her accuracy. Given that she keeps that up, I have no worries. And if she gets hurt, I know Kari will work her tail off to compete and be able to help the team wherever possible."

Newcomer Kelly Smalley is expected to take on the responsibility of getting the ball to the setter as the defensive specialist, a vacancy created by the graduation of two-year starter Beth Weynand. Smalley, a junior transfer from Sam Houston State, joined the team in the spring and trained in both the middle and left back positions.

"It is a great year to put a junior transfer into that position because of the experience she brings," Corbelli said. "She brings a lot of maturity to a position that we needed to fill, and she is one of our better passers."

Corbelli's primary concern is one that most teams wish they had. With the abundance of talented versatility and depth, it is Corbelli's challenge to determine who should be on the court. That is something she didn't need to give much thought to in previous seasons.

"In the past, it was pretty clear who needed to be out on the floor and where," Corbelli said. "Now it is not going to be as clear for each position, and that is a great problem to have.

"I expect that this season also will be a little different from the past in that when we do have to make a change to the lineup, it will not be as drastic in terms of the level of play. I want to get to the point when changes and substitutions won't be a big deal; they will be expected. Some players may play better against certain styles, and I might want a different match-up against a certain team. So just the versatility is such a luxury for us as coaches."

The Aggies begin pursuit of their 10th consecutive NCAA appearance when they host Alcorn State, LSU and Texas-San Antonio in the Texas A&M Volleyball Invitational Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.

Following a road match at Southwest Texas State on Sept. 3, A&M travels to Madison, Wis., to participate in the Wisconsin/InnTowner Invitational, Sept. 6-7. There the Aggies face Montreal, Illinois State and revenge-minded Wisconsin, which was ousted by the underdog Aggies in the 2001 NCAA regional semifinals.

A&M then returns home to host Sam Houston State, Louisiana-Lafayette and perennial power BYU on Sept. 13-14 in the Aggies' second home tournament. The tournament represents A&M's final tune-up before beginning Big 12 Conference action.

"Our pre-conference schedule is exactly the type of schedule we need to play," Corbelli said. "We will see some middle-ranked teams and some upper-ranked teams, such as Wisconsin and BYU, who will give us a full plate and allow us to see all the different levels that we need to see. It is the perfect preparation for our team for Big 12 competition."

The Aggies, who have finished second in the challenging Big 12 for three consecutive years, begin league play at home against Kansas on Sept. 18 and conclude the regular season at Iowa State on Nov. 30.

"We have the best Big 12 schedule we have ever had in terms of the distribution of the strength of teams," Corbelli said. "But every year the Big 12 seems to get more competitive, and it is a constant challenge. So finishing in the top third is something to really shoot for.

"In order to do that, our defense and ball handling have to measure up to what they have been. We've taken care of getting hitters who are dominant, powerful and big, and I expect our serving to be tougher than ever and our blocking to continue to progress. So as our passing and defense improve, our entire game will improve."

The Big 12 had the largest representation in the 2001 NCAA tournament as eight of the 11 teams advanced to post-season play. Corbelli expects that number to grow to nine this season.

"The biggest plus for our conference strength is that the challenge of being competitive every night definitely prepares you in the most complete way for the postseason play." Corbelli said. "We don't have to worry about if we have seen the top-caliber teams that we will see in the NCAA tournament."

Overall, A&M is scheduled to play 30 matches -- 16 at home and 14 on the road -- during the regular season, including 14 against teams who participated in the 2001 NCAA tournament. In addition, eight of the contests are against opponents who were ranked in the final USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll.

"This is a year in which the schedule fits our team very well and will allow us to see a lot of success," Corbelli said. "As the year goes on, we will continue to improve, build confidence and chemistry and develop more consistency within our system. This schedule allows us to work with that growth."

With the combination of a competitive schedule along with a talented group of newcomers and a strong nucleus of confident returners who expect nothing less than a Sweet Sixteen berth, the 2002 Aggies could make a strong argument for A&M's newest tradition.