August 26, 2005
No. 16 Texas A&M set a school record for fewest points allowed in a match by defeating Prairie View A&M, 30-12, 30-8, 30-22, in the opening round of the Fazoli's FunFest at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
"It feels great to have this win," said Laurie Corbelli, who is entering her 13th year as head coach at Texas A&M. "Even though the win was expected, it is just nice to have. We've had a super two-a-days and no injuries or issues have come up, so it's fitting that tonight was just a great night for Aggie volleyball as far as what they produced on the court."
The boisterous crowd of 2,090 got to see all 14 Aggie players contribute in the season-opening victory as Corbelli made it a point to clear the bench.
"We wanted to get a lot of girls in," she said. "We had made a plan for each game if things went the way we thought they might, and they did, so we were lucky to get all of our players in. We got our new freshmen in for a whole game, so what a treat it is for coaches to be able to see that so early in front of a great crowd. And the composure, that impressed me most. It was such an awesome crowd, and I didn't know how it was going to affect them. They handled it beautifully."
Texas A&M held an 8-4 lead in the opening game when sophomore Kelly Stanton served the Aggies to a 15-4 lead. Then with the Aggies holding a 21-11 lead, Stanton returned to the service line, and Texas A&M went on another seven-point scoring run. The Aggies were ahead, 29-12, when Cristin Burton put down a kill to end the game.
Texas A&M hit a blistering .656 in the second game while holding the Panthers, who hit a paltry -.303 in the opening frame, to a -.154 hitting percentage in the second game. In addition, Prairie View's eight points equals the fewest points allowed by an Aggie team in a single game.
By the end of the third game, all four Aggie freshmen had seen the first action of their brand new careers and helped Texas A&M complete the sweep.
"Tonight we just focused on our side," Corbelli said. "What I saw was relaxed. We were executing. The game looked the way we wanted it to look. It is the first match, so there were first game jitters. But considering that, I was really impressed with the poise and the composure of the team."
Senior All-American Laura Jones led the Aggies with 15 kills, and senior libero Holly Clay had a match-high 12 digs.
"Laura was amazing as usual," Corbelli said. "I am amazed sometimes at some of the things that she can put down. Her range is so great on offense that if the set is a little bit off, it doesn't affect her. It is just such a treat to have a player like that.
"Holly Clay also played an amazing match. She was incredibly focused. Everything she touched was golden, right to the target, and she really balanced out the backcourt really well. She just did a super job, a really nice focused, intense job."
The Fazoli's FunFest continues Saturday as Prairie View A&M takes on Texas-Arlington at noon and concludes at 6:30 with Texas A&M facing UTA. Schedule posters will be handed out and an autograph session with the A&M players will be held at the conclusion of the tournament.