October 10, 2006
Texas A&M and Baylor both will be attempting to get back into the win column when the two teams clash Wednesday in Waco. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center. (A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletics.com.)
| MATCH INFO |
| Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m. (CDT) Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 8-7, 1-6 Big 12 (9th) Baylor: 13-6, 2-5 Big 12 (T-7th) |
| RANKINGS |
| Neither team is ranked. |
| LIVE AUDIO |
| Matt Simon, play-by-play (broadcast time 6:45 p.m.) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Audio (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (baylorbears.com) |
| SERIES |
| A&M leads, 52-8 Last Meeting: (11/2/05) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M hosts (#10) Texas Friday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m. (CDT) G. Rollie White Coliseum, College Station Tickets: |
Free audio, with Matt Simon calling the action, will be available at AggieAthletics.com.
A&M (8-7, 1-6 Big 12) is looking to break a losing skid, which reached three matches following a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Nebraska Saturday in College Station. The three-match streak equals the Aggies' longest losing streak of the season.
Baylor (13-6, 2-5 Big 12) is in the midst of its longest losing streak of the season, a streak that reached four matches following a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at No. 11 Texas on Friday. It was the Bears' fourth consecutive match against a Top 25 opponent.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
A&M holds a commanding 52-8 lead in the all-time series since 1976, including a 16-4 mark in Big 12 matches only. Baylor, however, snapped an 11-match losing streak against the Aggies last year with a 30-27, 30-24, 26-30, 30-26 victory over A&M on Oct. 19 in College Station. It marked the Bears' first Big 12 victory at G. Rollie White, as well as Baylor's first overall victory in College Station since Nov. 11, 1992, a span of 12 matches.
A&M avenged the loss in the second meeting of the season and extended its winning streak in Waco to six matches with a 30-25, 23-30, 30-23, 30-19 victory at the Ferrell Center on Nov. 2.
A&M is 20-4 all-time against the Bears in matches played in Waco. Baylor's most recent home victory over A&M was a 3-2 upset against the 14th-ranked Aggies at the Ferrell Center on Oct. 6, 1999.
A&M QUICK HITS
* Hahn solo: Middle blocker Christi Hahn is the lone senior on the Aggie squad. The preseason All-Big 12 selection and third-year starter leads the Aggies and ranks third in the league with a .398 hitting percentage for the full season. Earlier this season, Hahn posted a career-high .667 hitting percentage after posting 16 kills and two errors in 21 attempts in a three-game victory against McNeese State.
* Ammer time: Freshman outside hitter Sarah Ammerman had a match-high 14 kills and hit .294 against No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday. It was her eighth match to reach double figures in kills. Ammerman, who has played in 14 of 15 matches and started 12, ranks third on the team with 3.02 kills per game for the full season.
* Rhodes to success: Freshman setter Courtney Rhodes has started the last five matches and has posted double-doubles in all but one. The 5-6 spark plug from Houston had career highs of 57 assists and 10 digs and also tallied a personal-best three blocks, including her first solo, against Kansas in her first career start. Rhodes had 55 assists and a career-high 15 digs in the win against Kansas State. She had a career-high 68 assists and tallied 14 digs against Texas Tech. Rhodes posted her fourth double-double with 38 assists and a team-leading 14 digs against No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday. Rhodes is averaging 11.9 assists and 2.76 digs since drawing her first start.
* Castillo's calling: Freshman Zanny Castillo has found her niche as the team's libero. She has been the designated libero in every game since first donning the off-colored jersey in the second game against Kansas on Sept. 20. She finished that match with 12 digs and has reached doubles figures in all but one match since then, including team season-high 20-dig performances against both Kansas State and Texas Tech. Castillo has reached double figures in digs in five of the last six matches and ranks among the team leaders with 3.21 digs per game in Big 12 matches.
* Something About Mary: Aggie freshman outside hitter Mary Batis leads A&M in kills (3.81) and points (4.21) per game and is second in dig average (3.07) in all matches played. Batis has started every match and played in all 58 games on the left side. She has taken or tied for team-high honors in kills in a team-leading eight matches, including a team season-high 21 kills against both No. 22 Minnesota and Texas Tech. She also leads the team with eight double-doubles.
* Block party: Junior middle blocker Kelly Stanton leads the Aggies and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a 1.47 block average in all games. In Big 12 matches only, Stanton ranks sixth in the league with a 1.34 average, and teammate Kelsey Bryant is listed 10th with 1.19 blocks per game.
* Youth movement: Texas A&M lists eight freshmen on its 15-member roster, and five from the fourth-ranked recruiting class in the nation have seen action in more than half of the matches, including all seven Big 12 matches. Rookie Mary Batis has started every match and played in every game on the left and leads the team with 3.81 kills and 4.21 points per game for the full season. Freshman outside hitter Sarah Ammerman has appeared in all but one match and has drawn the starting nod 12 times. She has posted double figures in kills in eight matches, including a career-high 19 kills at Kansas.
Defensive specialist Stephanie Cadavid has played in 13 matches and drew the first start of her career against No. 17 Missouri. Setter Courtnee Rhodes has appeared in 12, starting the last five. Zanny Castillo also has appeared in 12 matches overall and has played the libero position in each of the last five matches and is averaging 3.0 digs, including 3.21 digs in Big 12 matches only.
Outside hitter Jenny Banse has appeared in six matches, while setter Jola Kelner and middle Cara Quayle have appeared in five and two matches, respectively.
RECENT RESULTS
Nebraska lived up to its No. 1 ranking and remained undefeated after holding off a young but feisty Texas A&M team, 30-25, 30-24, 30-20, in front of 2,118 at G. Rollie White Coliseum on Saturday.
The score was tied for the 13th time at 20 in the first game when the Huskers (15-0, 7-0 Big 12) capitalized on A&M mistakes to score four consecutive points. A&M answered with three straight points to pull within 24-23 before Nebraska began to pull away for the 30-25 victory.
Nebraska's Sarah Pavan posted 10 of her match-high 17 kills in the game while hitting .529.
There were 10 lead changes and 19 ties in the second game. The Aggies used a four-point run to build their biggest lead of the match at 19-16. Nebraska called a timeout and then outscored the Aggies, 6-1, to regain the lead. A&M tied the score at 22 and 23 before the Huskers, who outhit A&M, .438 to .290 in the frame, used a 7-1 run to close out the game.
Back-to back kills by freshman Sarah Ammerman and junior Kelly Stanton gave A&M its third and final lead of the third game at 11-10. Nebraska responded with a 4-1 run to retake the lead for good. A kill by freshman Mary Batis kept A&M within 18-16 before the more experienced Huskers began to pull away once again. Nebraska outscored the Aggies 12-4 to end the match.
Ammerman, who was celebrating her 19th birthday, led A&M with 14 kills. Freshman setter Courtnee Rhodes led the Aggies in digs with 14, and Batis added 11.
Pavan, who hit .394 for the match and also posted a match-high four blocks, was joined in double figures in kills by Jordan Larson, who had 11.
Nebraska hit .342 for the match. A&M hit .220, the first team to hit above .200 in the Huskers' last eight matches.
OPPONENT NOTES
Baylor dropped to 13-6 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12 after falling to No. 11 Texas, 27-30, 30-26, 30-26, 31-33, 15-10, in Austin on Friday. Freshman Anna Breyfogle led the Baylor attack with a career-high 20 kills, and senior middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young hit .517 with 17 kills and six blocks.
It was the Bears' fourth consecutive match against a ranked opponent and the Bears' fourth straight loss.
Baylor is 6-1 in home matches as No. 1 Nebraska has been the only team to win at the Ferrell Center this year. The Bears' two Big 12 victories have been against No. 24 Kansas State, 3-1, in the conference opener, and against Texas Tech, 3-2, on Sept. 20, the Bears' most recent victory.
Senior Nicole LeBlanc leads the Bears with 3.73 kills per game, and Guilliard-Young leads the team with a .388 hitting percentage and 1.53 blocks per game, which ranks second in the Big 12. Junior libero Kristen Schramek leads the Bears and ranks fifth in the league with 4.37 digs per game, and freshman setter Taylor Barnes is averaging 11.23 assists and ranks third in the Big 12 with 0.58 aces per game after setting a Big 12 record with 11 aces at No. 19 Missouri.
Jim Barnes is 40-42 in his third season as head coach of the Bears and 203-140 in his 11-year head coaching career.
UPCOMING
The Aggies return to G. Rollie White Coliseum Friday to face No. 10 Texas in the first event of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. Gates open at 5:30, and first serve is at 6:30 p.m.
The Texas A&M Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Aggie Athletes Involved (AAI) will be holding their annual Aggies Can food drive. Fans donating a canned food item at the entrance will be admitted to the match for $2.