August 25, 2006
Five Texas A&M players posted double figures in kills to lead the Aggies to a season-opening 30-24, 27-30, 42-40, 30-26 victory against Colorado State in front of 3,159 at Moby Arena.
Sarah Ammerman, a freshman from Parker, Colo., led the Aggies with 18 kills. Senior Christi Hahn and freshman Mary Batis added 15 apiece, and sophomore Kelsey Bryant chipped in 13.
?This was my 21st season-opening match to coach, and this one may be the best quality of volleyball this early in the season I?â„¢ve ever seen in terms of precision, defense and ball control,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. ?This team is so much fun to coach.?
The Aggies played like a seasoned team in the opening frame, twice building a game-high 10-point lead at 14-4 and 25-15. CSU got within five points at 29-24, but following an A&M timeout, the Rams served into the net to give the Aggies the game.
?This was an opportunity for us to work on staying loose and executing, knowing that there is no pressure on us,? Corbelli said. ?I told the team I?â„¢ve never been more pleased with how resilient they were. CSU went right at our freshmen outsides. This is a tough place to play, and I was amazed how they held together, not only the freshmen, but the entire squad.?
The Rams tied the second game five times before taking their first lead of the match at 12-11 following a kill by setter Ashley Fornstrom. A service error on the following play tied the score, but CSU then went on a 9-2 run to take a 21-14 lead. The Rams equaled their biggest lead of the game at 26-19 before A&M began cutting away at the lead with a 6-2 run. CSU went up, 29-25, on a kill by Tonya Mokelki before Batis notched her fifth kill of the game and Ammerman and Stanton teamed for a block to put the Aggies within two. Jaime Strauss then clinched the game for the Rams and evened the match with her team-leading fifth kill of the game.
Both teams set records for most points scored in a thrilling third game, but A&M, which fought off seven game points, came out on top with a 42-40 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match. A&M held its biggest lead at 25-21, but CSU rallied to take its third lead of the game at 28-27. The teams exchanged points until a block by Stanton and Bryant put the Aggies ahead, 32-31. CSU answered with a kill and a block, but Ammerman kept the Aggies alive by killing a CSU overpass.
Hahn later won a joust at the net to put A&M serving for the game for the second time, but the Rams tied the score on a kill by Katherine Whitney. Hahn tipped in a kill to put A&M ahead, 36-35, but back-to-back kills by the Rams returned the lead to CSU. A&M answered with two points, but CSU countered with its own two points. Stanton then killed an overpass, and Bryant tipped in a kill to give the Aggies a record-setting 40 points. CSU fought off game point for the fourth time with a game-tying kill before Bryant posted consecutive kills to give A&M the win.
CSU jumped out to a 6-1 lead in Game 4 and held a 14-10 lead when A&M rallied for five unanswered points to take its first lead of the game. CSU quickly retook the lead at 16-15 and expanded the lead to three at 19-16 and 20-17. A&M tied the score at 20 and again at 21. A kill error put CSU up 22-21, but A&M then went on a seven-point spurt to take a commanding 28-22 lead. CSU got within three at 29-26 before Ammerman appropriately put down the match-winning kill.
The freshman duo of Ammerman and Batis led A&M in digs with 17 and 13, respectively. Setter Meghan Kainz, who tallied a career-high 60 assists, had a personal-best 12 digs, and libero Jen Moore tied her career high with 10.
Kelly Stanton led in blocks with seven.
Mekana Barnes had a match-high 19 kills for the Rams and also led the Rams in blocks with five. Whitney added 16 kills, along with a team-high 15 digs.
The Aggies return to the court Saturday, taking on Missouri State at 11 a.m. (CDT). They conclude the tournament against Morgan State at 6 p.m. Missouri State defeated Morgan State, 3-0, in the opening match of the tournament.