October 17, 2006
Texas A&M concludes the first half of the Big 12 Conference schedule Wednesday as the Aggies take on Iowa State. First serve is 6:30 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. (A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletics.com.)
A&M is 9-8 overall and tied with Baylor for ninth place in the Big 12 with a 2-7 mark after falling to No. 10 Texas, 30-23, 23-30, 30-22, 30-17, Friday at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Iowa State, which tied A&M for sixth place in the Big 12 last season, is 12-7 overall and in sixth place in the league standings with a 4-5 mark. The Cyclones, who have never defeated A&M in the 10-year history of the Big 12, fell at Texas Tech, 24-30, 32-30, 27-30, 30-22, 17-15, on Saturday. Earlier this season, ISU earned three-game sweeps at both Kansas and Colorado, two teams that recorded sweeps against the Aggies.
Christi Hahn, A&M?â„¢s only senior, leads the Aggies and ranks second in the Big 12 with a.407 hitting percentage. The 6-1 middle blocker also tops A&M with 4.24 points per game and is averaging 3.44 kills per game for the full season. Hahn is hitting .364 and averaging 3.49 kills, 1.0 blocks and 4.35 points per game in Big 12 matches only.
Erin Boeve leads the Cyclones and the Big 12 with 1.74 blocks per game in conference matches. The junior 6-2 middle also leads the ISU starters with 3.81 kills and a .307 hitting percentage in league play.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
A&M is riding a 21-match winning streak against Iowa State and is 22-1 all-time against the Cyclones, including 20-0 in Big 12 matches.
The Aggies are 10-0 against the Cyclones in matches played in Ames. ISU?â„¢s only victory against the Aggies was Sept. 15, 1989, when Al Givens was head coach at A&M. The Cyclones defeated A&M, 3-1, at the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
After having been swept in three games in the first 13 matches since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, the Cyclones have taken the Aggies to four games in five of the last seven meetings.
A&M QUICK HITS
?* Hot Hahn: Middle blocker Christi Hahn, the Aggies?â„¢ only senior, is ranked second in the Big 12 with a .407 hitting percentage in all matches. The preseason All-Big 12 selection and third-year starter has reached double figures in kills in 13 matches, tying freshman Mary Batis for the team lead. In addition, Hahn has hit .343 or above in 12 of those 13 matches, including 11 .400-plus performances.
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. Most recently, Hahn hit .481 with 14 kills and only one error in 27 attempts against No. 10 Texas.
?* Set in her ways: Freshman setter Courtnee Rhodes has averaged 12.03 assists per game since drawing the first start of her career seven matches ago at Kansas on Sept. 20. In addition to quarterbacking the offense, the 5-6 spark plug from Houston has shined on defense. Rhodes has reached double figures in digs in five of the last seven matches, averaging 2.75 digs per game as a starter. She also has tallied 10 blocks during that span.
?* Castillo?â„¢s calling: Freshman Zanny Castillo has found her niche as the team?â„¢s libero and now leads the team with 3.25 digs per game for the full season and 3.49 digs per game in conference games only. Castillo 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 taken team-high honors in digs in four matches, including A&M?â„¢s most recent match in which Castillo led all players with 18 digs against No. 10 Texas.
?* Something About Mary: Aggie freshman outside hitter Mary Batis has led the Aggies in kills in a team-leading eight matches and tops the team with 3.74 kills per game for the full season. Batis, who also leads the team with 10 double-doubles (kills and digs), has posted three 20-plus kill performances, including a team season-high 21 kills against both No. 22 Minnesota and Texas Tech. In addition, the San Antonio Clark product has recorded two 20-plus dig performances and has led the team in a team-high six matches. Batis has started every match and played in all 66 games on the left side.
?* Block party: Three Aggie starters are averaging one or more blocks per game in Big 12 matches only. Junior middle blocker Kelly Stanton has led the Aggies in blocks in 12 matches overall and leads the team and ranks seventh in the conference with a 1.24 average in Big 12 matches. Stanton has reached double figures in blocks twice this season: 11 in a non-conference match at Saint Louis, and 10 at Colorado. Her 10 blocks against the Buffs leads the league for blocks in a three-game Big 12 match this season.
Kelsey Bryant, a sophomore right-side hitter, is averaging 1.14 blocks in Big 12 games only, and senior middle blocker Christi Hahn is averaging 1.0 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 3.74 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.
Setter Courtnee Rhodes has appeared in 14 matches, starting the last six. Zanny Castillo also has appeared in 14 matches overall and has played the libero position in each of the last seven matches. She now leads the Aggies with 3.25 digs per game in all matches and 3.49 digs per game in Big 12 matches only.
Defensive specialist Stephanie Cadavid has played in 15 matches and typically subs in the back row for sophomore right side hitter Kelsey Bryant. Cadavid, who drew the first start of her career against No. 17 Missouri and responded with a career-high 12 digs, is averaging 1.55 digs per game.
Outside hitter Jenny Banse has appeared in six matches, while setter Jola Kelner and middle Cara Quayle have appeared in six and two matches, respectively.
OPPONENT NOTES
Iowa State, 12-7 overall, is in sixth place in the Big 12 with a 4-5 mark. The Cyclones are coming off a 30-24, 30-32, 30-27, 22-30, 15-17 loss at Texas Tech on Saturday despite having five players with double-figure kills and digs. Erin Boeve led Iowa State with 20 kills. Katie Jessen and Lauren Cummings contributed 17 and 16 kills, respectively, and Jessica Klein and Nicole Lorenzen added 15 apiece in the loss. Defensively, Lorenzen had a match-high 18 digs and Katie Churm added 17. Also reaching double-figures for the Cyclones was Kaylee Manns (15 digs), Jessen (11 digs) and Laura Cady (10 digs). Manns also added a career-high 78 assists, the second best total in school history, as the Cyclones out hit the Red Raiders, .255 to .231.
Christy Johnson (Nebraska ?'96) is not even half way through her second season as head coach of the Cyclones, but she has already led ISU to 13 Big 12 victories. Iowa State?â„¢s total number of Big 12 victories in the first nine years of the Big 12 and prior to Johnson taking over the reins: 13.
In her first season, Johnson directed the Cyclones to a record-setting season as they went 9-11 in the Big 12 and tied A&M for sixth place. It was the first year the Cyclones had won more than four league matches in a season.
Iowa State leads the league with 3.4 blocks per game for the full season. The Cyclones rank second with 3.19 blocks per game in conference matches only. In addition, the Cyclones are listed fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.209) and digs per game (16.35) in Big 12 matches.
Individually, junior middle blocker Erin Boeve?â„¢s 1.74 blocks per game ranks No. 1 in the league. Freshman setter Kaylee Manns is averaging 13.35 assists per game, ranking fourth in the Big 12. Manns and senior Katie Churm are tied for ninth in the conference with 3.58 digs per game in league contests.
UPCOMING
A&M begins the second half of the Big 12 schedule as the Aggies play host to Kansas on Saturday. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Kansas defeated A&M, 3-0, earlier this season in Lawrence but is 0-11 all-time at G. Rollie.