April 08, 2005
Texas A&M volleyball team continues its spring schedule Saturday as the Aggies participate in the Texas Spring Tournament at Gregory Gym on the University of Texas campus in Austin.
"We will be playing top quality teams, including Texas, LSU and New Mexico State," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "Not only will it be great competition for us, it also will be great for us to be in Gregory Gym just for familiarity sake."
The Aggies begin the one-day tournament against the Aggies of New Mexico State at 10 a.m. NMSU, which went 30-3, including 15-0 in the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, is coming off back-to-back conference titles and two straight trips to the NCAA tournament.
A&M battles the host Longhorns at 11 a.m. Texas placed second in the Big 12 and was ranked 11th in the final national rankings after advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and finishing the season with a 26-5 record.
The Aggies take on former Southwest Conference-foe Houston at 1 p.m. and conclude the tournament at 2 p.m. against LSU, a team A&M will face at the UTSA Tournament on Sept. 10 in San Antonio.
Matches will be two games to 30 points and a third game to 15 if time allows.
A&M is 3-0-1 in spring matches after participating at the Florida State Tournament last weekend in Tallahassee.
"We got off to a slow start," Corbelli said about the Aggies' spring season opening tournament. "But as we went through the day, we had great concentration, which more than made up for the slow start. We found ways to get ahead early against some NCAA teams and continued with very few letdowns. In six 30-point games, we got ahead early and stayed in front. That mental part of the game and the momentum we were able to continue to keep no matter what happened was really important. And those will be some things we will try to build on this weekend."
Corbelli returns 10 letterwinners, including five starters, from the fall season in which the Aggies went 19-9. A&M was ranked No. 20 in the final national poll after making its 12th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and advancing to the second round.
"We do have an older team, and they are showing their experience, their drive and their desire to improve the program to a top 10 team."
A&M concludes its spring schedule at the Rice Tournament on Saturday, April 16 at Autry Court in Houston.
Spring Schedule
Date Tournament Location Time/Results
April 1 Fri. Florida State Tournament Tallahassee, Fla.
Jacksonville State Tie, 30-24, 22-30
North Florida W, 30-15, 30-21
Florida A&M W, 30-15, 30-21
Florida State W, 30-24, 30-17
April 9 Sat. at University of Texas Tournament Austin, Texas
vs. New Mexico State 10 a.m.
vs. Texas 11 a.m.
vs. Houston 1 p.m.
vs. LSU 2 p.m.
April 16 Sat. at Rice Tournament Houston, Texas TBA