September 02, 2006
Momentum shifts were the name of the game, but it was the Aggies who came through in the end with a 26-30, 30-28, 30-25, 30-13 victory against Saint Louis on the second day of the SLU Billiken Invitational at the Bauman-Eberhardt Athletic Center.
?We were down by more points than I can ever remember being down, and being able to come back the way we did was really important for our team,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. ?We battled back in two games being down anywhere from eight to 10 points, and that takes a lot, especially against a big, strong team like Saint Louis.?
A&M had the momentum early, building a 15-8 lead in the opening game, but the Billikens rallied to cut the lead to 23-21. SLU then scored three consecutive points to take its first lead of the game. A service error knotted the score at 24, but a pair of kills gave the Billikens their first lead of the game. SLU built a 28-26 advantage and closed out the game with back-to-back kills.
It was the Aggies making the comeback in Game 2, overcoming a 10-point deficit to take a 30-28 win and even the match at a game apiece. The Billikens raced to a 14-4 lead, but A&M made several multiple-point runs to get back within 20-16. A&M then ran off eight unanswered points behind Kelly Stanton?â„¢s dominating play at the net. The junior middle blocker posted four blocks and a kill during the rally to give A&M its first lead of the game.
?Kelly Stanton?â„¢s blocking was extraordinary,? Corbelli said. ?She was all over their attackers. Her blocking is her favorite skill and her best skill, and she got a chance to show that tonight.?
The Aggies maintained a slight lead and were up, 29-26, following a kill by Christi Hahn. An SLU block followed by an ace put the Billikens within 29-28 before Mary Batis ended the game with her fifth kill of the frame.
Lindsey Yon came off the bench to spark the Aggies to a win in the third game. The sophomore outside hitter entered with A&M trailing 12-5 and led the Aggies on a 10-1 run. The Billikens tied the score at 21 and 22 but were unable to regain the lead.
A kill by Hahn and a block by Batis and Stanton put the Aggies serving for the game, but an attack error returned service to the Billlikens. SLU then served into the net to give A&M game point and a 2-1 lead in the match.
?Lindsey Yon went in with such great fire and energy,? Corbelli said. ?She was determined. She brings so much power, and they had not seen her so she had a lot of advantages to get out there and get going on them. She also did a beautiful job of passing.?
A&M jumped out to a 9-1 lead in Game 4 and this time carried the momentum and the lead to the end. Batis recorded seven kills in the final frame, and Stanton added four blocks as A&M outhit SLU, .577 to -.026, in the final game and finished the match with 17 blocks to SLU?â„¢s eight.
Batis led the Aggies with 17 kills in the match, and Hahn also reached double figures with 12 while hitting a match-leading .500. Stanton tied her career high with 11 blocks, and Kelsey Bryant and Jen Moore led the Aggies in digs with 10 apiece.
The Billikens, who fall to 3-2, were led by Sally Warning?â„¢s 14 kills. SLU libero Whitney Behrens tallied 20 digs.
?Defensively they are pretty incredible,? Corbelli said about the scrappy Billkens. ?They touch balls and got balls up that we haven?â„¢t seen very often. They definitely have great ball control, and their serve receive is one of the strongest we?â„¢ve seen. It put a lot of pressure on our block and our defense, but that is what we are craving for in our preconference tournaments. Put the pressure on us in every way and let?â„¢s see what we are made of and how we respond.?
A&M (4-1) will get its next test this evening as the Aggies conclude the tournament against No. 22 Minnesota tonight at 7 p.m.
Short Box Score (Match)
Texas A&M def. Saint Louis 26-30,30-28,30-25,30-13
Texas A&M (4-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Batis, Mary 17-2-2; Hahn, Christi 12-1-4; Stanton, Kelly 9-2-11; Bryant, Kelsey 7-1-5; Yon, Lindsey 7-0-2; Ammerman, Sarah 4-0-0; Kainz, Meghan 3-0-5; Totals 59-6-17.0. (Assists) - Kainz, Meghan 42. (Dig leaders) - Bryant, Kelsey 10; Moore, Jen 10.
Saint Louis (3-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - WARNING, Sally 14-0-2; MCCLOUD, Sammi 13-0-4; POWERS, Angela 13-0-1; LASATER, Sutton 11-0-3; ROTH, Whitney 4-3-1; CHRISTMAN, Lauren 4-2-5; POORBAUGH, Jessica 1-0-0; ENTZEROTH, Sarah 0-3-0; Totals 60-8-8.0. (Assists) - ROTH, Whitney 44. (Dig leaders) - BEHRENS, Whitney 20; MCCLOUD, Sammi 15.
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Bauman-Eberhardt)
Date: Sept 2, 2006 Attend: Time:
Referees: Augie Werner, Nicki Werner