October 12, 2006
Texas A&M and 10th-ranked Texas clash Friday night in the first competition of the 2006 State Farm Lone Star Showdown. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station. (A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletics.com.)
| MATCH INFO |
| Friday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m. (CDT) G. Rollie White Coliseum (7,800), College Station Tickets: |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 9-7, 2-6 Big 12 (T-7th) Texas: 11-4, 6-2 Big 12 (4th) |
| RANKINGS |
| Texas is ranked 10th by the AVCA. |
| LIVE VIDEO |
| (broadcast time 6:20 p.m.) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Video (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (aggieathletics.com) |
| SERIES |
| Texas leads, 53-22 Last Meeting: (10/26/05) Last time in CS: (10/5/05) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M at Iowa State Wednesday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m. (CDT) Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa |
Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and fans donating a canned food item to the Aggies' CAN annual food drive will be admitted to the match for $2.
Free live video streaming and statistics of the match will be available at AggieAthletics.com.
A&M is coming off a 20-30, 30-14, 30-21, 30-26 victory at Baylor on Wednesday. With the win, the Aggies snapped a three-match losing streak and improved to 9-7 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12. In addition, A&M moved into a three-way tie with the Bears and Texas Tech for seventh place in the conference standings.
Texas, which moved up one spot to No. 10 in this week's Top 25 poll, is 11-4 overall and in fourth place in the Big 12 with a 6-2 mark. The Longhorns held off Baylor, 27-30, 30-26, 30-26, 31-33, 15-10, in Austin on Oct. 6. It was Texas' third consecutive win, equaling the team's longest winning streak of the season. The Horns had a bye earlier this week.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Texas, A&M's most common opponent, holds a commanding 53-22 lead in the all-time series since 1976, but the series is tied at 10-10 in Big 12 matches only. In addition, the Aggies are 8-2 against Texas in Big 12 matches played at G. Rollie.
Texas has won the last three matches against the Aggies. Last year, the Longhorns defeated A&M, 30-19, 28-30, 30-25, 28-30, 15-9, in College Station on Oct. 5 and 30-16, 30-28, 30-23 in Austin on Oct. 26. The loss at Texas was A&M's first three-game setback against the Longhorns since 1996, the first year of the Big 12 Conference.
A&M's most recent victory against the Longhorns was Oct. 16, 2004, in College Station as the 20th-ranked Aggies stunned No. 9 Texas, 32-34, 30-24, 30-27, 30-21, in front of 3,150 at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
A&M QUICK HITS
* Hot Hahn: Middle blocker Christi Hahn, the Aggies' only senior, has reached double figures in kills in 12 matches and has hit .343 or above in 11 of those matches, including 10 .400-plus performances. The preseason All-Big 12 selection and third-year starter entered the week ranked 23rd in the nation with a .398 hitting efficiency in all matches. Hahn, whose older sister Kathy was an All-Big 12 middle blocker at Texas in 2002, has since raised her hitting percentage to .402 after posting a .452 hitting percentage with 18 kills in the victory against Baylor on Wednesday. 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.
* Rhodes to success: Freshman setter Courtnee Rhodes has started the last six matches and has posted double-doubles in all but two. The 5-6 spark plug from Houston is averaging 8.43 assists and 1.98 digs per game for the full season. Since becoming a starter, Rhodes is averaging 12.2 assists and 2.68 digs per game.
* 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 career-high 20-dig performances against both Kansas State and Texas Tech. Castillo has reached double figures in digs in six of the last seven matches and ranks among the team leaders with 3.36 digs per game in Big 12 matches.
* Something About Mary: Aggie freshman outside hitter Mary Batis leads A&M in kills (3.55) and digs (3.52) per game and is second in points per game (3.76) in Big 12 matches only. 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. In addition, Batis has taken or tied for team-high honors in digs in a team-leading six matches, including a team season-high 21 at Baylor. Batis also leads the team with eight double-doubles.
* Block party: Three Aggie starters are averaging more than 1.0 blocks per game in Big 12 matches only. Junior middle blocker Kelly Stanton has led the Aggies in blocks in 11 matches overall and leads the team with a 1.24 average in conference matches. Stanton ranks seventh in the Big 12, and teammate Kelsey Bryant, a sophomore right-side hitter, is ranked eighth with a 1.23 average in Big 12 matches only. Senior middle blocker Christi Hahn, who had a match-high eight blocks against Baylor, is averaging 1.09 blocks per game in league matches.
* 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 eight Big 12 matches. Rookie Mary Batis has started every match and played in every game on the left and leads the team with 3.82 kills per game for the full season. Freshman outside hitter Sarah Ammerman has appeared in all but two matches 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 14 matches and drew the first start of her career against No. 17 Missouri. Setter Courtnee Rhodes has appeared in 13, starting the last six. Zanny Castillo also has appeared in 13 matches overall and has played the libero position in each of the last six matches and is averaging 3.14 digs, including 3.36 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.
OPPONENT NOTES
Texas (11-4, 6-2 Big 12) is in fourth place in the Big 12 and enters the match riding a three-match winning streak, which equals its longest winning streak of the season. The Longhorns, who moved up to No. 10 in this week's Top 25, held off Baylor, 3-2, Friday in Austin and had a bye on Wednesday.
The Longhorns' two league losses were both on the road: at Missouri, 3-0, and at Oklahoma, 3-2.
Junior setter Michelle Moriarty leads the Big 12 with 13.76 assists per game, which ranked third in the nation as of Monday. As a team, the Horns average 15.84 assists, ranking sixth in the nation.
The Longhorns also entered the week ranked eighth in the nation with 16.74 kills per game. Senior Dariam Acevedo leads the team with 4.21 kills per game for the full season.
Texas is without 6-2 senior middle blocker Brandy Magee, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament in the season opener.
STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN
On September 7, 2004, Texas A&M and the University of Texas jointly announced that the rivalry series between the state's two flagship institutions be titled the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. The rivalry series is tracked by a point system during 25 scheduled A&M-UT contests in which a total of 19 points can be won, and a trophy designates the Lone Star Showdown champion each year.
UPCOMING
A&M concludes the first half of Big 12 play against a dangerous Iowa State team Wedneday in Ames. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones, who face Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday, are in sixth place in the Big 12, two games ahead of A&M. The Aggies are 22-1 all-time against ISU, including 20-0 in Big 12 matches.