August 26, 2006
Christi Hahn was named the MVP of the CSU Hilton Classic after leading Texas A&M to the tournament title. The Aggies finished the two-day tournament with a 3-0 record, including a 30-26, 23-30, 30-14, 30-13 victory against Morgan State this evening at Moby Arena.
Hahn hit .522 for the tournament and averaged 3.73 kills and 1.09 blocks per game.
?Hahn is more dynamic than I have ever seen her,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said about her senior middle blocker. ?She is so incredibly physical and athletic and showed great leadership. Her error percentage was so low, and her confidence was high, and all that made for a lot of fun. She certainly is the most valuable player.?
Aggie freshmen Sarah Ammerman, who averaged 3.91 kills and 3.07 digs, and Mary Batis, who averaged 3.64 kills and 3.64 digs, also were recognized for their outstanding play by being named to the all-tournament team.
?It?â„¢s pretty exciting to have two freshmen who are pretty complete,? Corbelli said. ?They are major ball handlers, major passers and major attackers, and to have them for four seasons starting now makes big smiles on our faces.?
All 15 A&M players saw action as the Aggies outhit Morgan State, .333 to .144, and outblocked the Bears, 11.5 to 6.0. Batis led the team with 18 kills and 14 digs. Hahn added 15 kills while hitting at a .565 clip, and Ammerman added 12 kills and 11 digs. Jen Moore also reached double figure in digs with 10.
Setter Meghan Kainz dished out 45 assists and posted five kills and no errors in seven attempts. Freshman Jola Kelner appeared in three games and contributed 17 assists.
The Aggies took the lead at 3-2 in Game 1 and never let the Bears regain the lead. A&M equaled its biggest lead at 27-21 before MSU ran off four unanswered points. A kill by Lindsey Yon ended the rally, and Hahn and Kelner teamed for a block to put the Aggies serving for the game. Following an A&M attack into the net, Batis hammered her fifth kill of the game to give A&M a 1-0 advantage.
All 15 A&M players saw action in Game 2, and there were several rotations in which four of the Aggies?â„¢ eight freshmen were simultaneously on the court. Morgan State never trailed in the game and increased its lead to nine at 21-12. The Aggies cut the lead to 26-21 following consecutive kills by Ammerman and Batis, but they could get no closer before the Bears closed out the frame with a 30-23 win to even the match at a game apiece.
?Morgan State was coming at us really efficiently,? Corbelli said. ?They were passing well, and they are very athletic. When we didn?â„¢t come through in Game 2, the team was not happy about it and decided they wanted to make sure they got sharp right away and use their resiliency to come back strong, and I was really proud of that.?
The Aggies strung together multiple points numerous times throughout the final two games to easy pull away and clinch the victory and the tournament trophy.
?We are thrilled to have won the championship and to start our season 3-0,? Corbelli said. ?We got a lot of things accomplished this weekend, much better than we could have in just practice gyms. We also got an opportunity to play a lot of young players.
?Competition is always very different from training, and the team needed these three matches to test their resiliency and test their chemistry.?
The Aggies head to St. Louis next weekend for the SLU Billiken Invitational. A&M faces LSU Friday at 5 p.m. The Aggies also take on No. 22 Minnesota and Saint Louis on Saturday.
Short Box Score
Texas A&M def. Morgan State 30-26,23-30,30-14,30-13
Morgan State (0-3) (Kills-aces-blocks) - MORAN,Jeniqua 19-1-1; BUSH,Ivanti 14-1-1; RICHARDSON,Mandisa 5-0-3; ELLEGOOD,Vashaye 4-0-3; COLEMAN,Camille 3-0-3; ARMSTEAD,Alexandra 2-0-0; WILLIAMS,Nicole 1-0-0; JOHNSON,Esther 0-1-0; PRESTON,Ashley 0-1-0; Totals 48-4-6.0. (Assists) - WILLIAMS,Nicole 38. (Dig leaders) - PRESTON,Ashley 20; JOHNSON,Esther 9; WILLIAMS,Nicole 8
Texas A&M (3-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Batis, Mary 18-0-1; Hahn, Christi 15-2-4; Ammerman, Sarah 12-0-1; Stanton, Kelly 5-0-4; Kainz, Meghan 5-0-2; Bryant, Kelsey 5-0-3; Yon, Lindsey 4-0-0; Quayle, Cara 4-2-2; Phillips, Jillian 3-1-1; Banse, Jenny 2-0-0; Kelner, Jola 0-0-2; Totals 73-5-11.5. (Assists) - Kainz, Meghan 45; Kelner, Jola 17. (Dig leaders) - Batis, Mary 14; Ammerman, Sarah 11; Moore, Jen 10; Castillo, Zanny 9.
Site: Fort Collins, Colo. (Moby Arena)
Date: Aug 26, 2006 Attend: Time: 1:56
Referees: Tom Pingel, Donna Wigton