September 18, 2002
| The Texas A&M volleyball team opened up the 2002 Big 12 Conference season with a win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Wednesday, and at the same time opened its arms in welcome to the latest addition to the Aggie Volleyball atmosphere, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Volleyball Band. Thirty members strong, the Aggie Band made an impressive debut at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The band was positioned in the northwest corner of the student section during the entire match. The enthusiasm of the band could be felt by the crowd and players as they brought the Aggies onto the court to the Aggie War Hymn six minutes prior to the match.
A band at a women's volleyball game is a growing trend in many collegiate arenas across the country. Volleyball bands were first seen at the NCAA Championships 10 years ago. A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli was excited to have the Aggie Band at the Big 12 opener. "The band brings an exciting atmosphere and gives the stamp of approval that validates the importance of the sporting event," Corbelli said. "The band will help boost team play due to their presence, and they are a great distraction to the opponent and a benefit to the 12th man." Coach Corbelli relayed her and the team's appreciation for the band before the match, thanking them for their support during pre-match warmups. Paul Sikes, the new Director of Volleyball and Basketball Bands, met with Coach Corbelli and other members of the Athletics Department over the summer to discuss plans for the band to be present at volleyball games this fall. The Athletics Department stepped in to provide the band with needed music stands and official volleyball band shirts to wear at the games. "The entire Athletics Department has been very supportive of the volleyball band since the beginning," Sikes said. Over the course of the season the band will be present at six home games, due to the heavy schedule its members carry on campus. The volleyball band is the same band that will play Aggie Basketball games, and is split into three groups of approximately thirty or more members. "There is a real excitement for the new band. I was hoping for 60 volunteers, in the end we had 129," Sikes said. Live music echoed throughout G. Rollie on numerous occasions Wednesday. The Aggie Band played from their usual repertoire of the National Anthem and the War Hymn, again after halftime and following the Aggies' victory. During timeouts, the band energized the crowd with such upbeat selections as "Gimme Some Lovin", "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", and "Disco Inferno." |
