November 14, 2006
Texas A&M goes up against top-ranked and league-leading Nebraska Wednesday in Lincoln. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Nebraska Coliseum. (A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletics.com.)
Free live video of the match and statistics will be available at Aggies All-Access at AggieAthletics.com.
A&M, which has dropped the last 14 matches against the Huskers, is 11-14 overall and 4-13 in the Big 12 after falling to Iowa State, 3-2, Sunday in College Station. The Aggies must defeat Nebraska, as well as Texas Tech and Missouri in the final three matches of the regular season to finish .500 and be eligible for consideration for postseason play.
Nebraska?â„¢s quest for an undefeated season came to an end Saturday as the Huskers fell to unranked Colorado, 3-2, in Boulder. The loss snaps a 23-match winning streak as Nebraska drops to 23-1 overall and 15-1 in the Big 12. Nebraska is still undefeated at home this season with a 14-0 mark, extending its home winning streak to 49.
The Huskers, who have won eight of 10 Big 12 titles, will guarantee themselves of at least a share of the conference title by winning two of their remaining four matches. They close out the regular season against Baylor, Kansas and No. 8 Texas.
Senior middle blocker Christi Hahn leads the Aggies and ranks third in the Big 12 with a .371 hitting percentage for the full season. She also leads the team with 4.16 points per game is second on the squad with 3.39 kills and .29 aces per game.
Freshman outside hitter Mary Batis leads A&M with 3.47 kills and is second on the team with 3.12 digs and 3.81 points per game. Freshman Sarah Ammerman, who starts opposite of Batis and posted a career-high and team season-high 27 kills against Iowa State, is averaging 3.22 kills, 2.3 digs and 3.7 points per game.
Junior middle blocker Kelly Stanton is averaging a team-leading 1.24 blocks per game, and freshman libero Zanny Castillo is the leader in digs with 3.4 per game.
Nebraska?â„¢s offense is powered by 6-5 outside hitter Sarah Pavan, who leads the Big 12 with 5.05 kills and 5.97 points per game. In addition, sophomore Jordan Larson is fourth in the league with 4.21 kills per game, while middle blocker Tracy Stalls tops the Big 12 with a .429 hitting efficiency. Stalls also ranks fourth in the conference with 1.46 blocks per game, and Dani Busboom heads up the back row defense with a league-leading 5.09 digs per game.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Nebraska has won the last 14 meetings -- including three-game sweeps in each of the last six -- to improve to 24-6 all-time against the Aggies. The Huskers are 19-2 in Big 12 matches against A&M, with both losses occurring at G. Rollie White in 1998 and 1999. A&M has never won in 13 trips to Lincoln.
A&M?â„¢s most recent victory over Nebraska was a five-game match on Oct. 2, 1999, in College Station. It was the Aggies?â„¢ second consecutive home victory over the third-ranked Huskers. A&M had also upset No. 3 Nebraska in five games at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1998. The Aggies had three freshmen on the floor in 1998, including setter Jenna Moscovic, as they handed Nebraska its only conference loss of the season.
In the meeting earlier this season, Nebraska held 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 Oct. 7. Nebraska hit .342 for the match. A&M hit .220, the first team to hit above .200 in the Huskers?â„¢ previous eight matches. Sarah 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 Mary Batis added 11. Sarah Pavan, who hit .394 for the match and also posted a match-high four blocks for the Huskers, was joined in double figures in kills by Jordan Larson, who had 11. Larson took match-high honors in digs with 15, and Dani Busboom added 13.
UPCOMING
A&M plays its final road match of the regular season Saturday as the Aggies travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at United Spirit Arena. A&M then concludes the season at home on Wednesday, Nov. 22 against Missouri. The match begins at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
NCAA SELECTION
The announcement of the 64-team NCAA Championship field will be made Sunday, Nov. 26 at 1:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPNews. The Final Four will be held in Omaha, Neb., with the championship match slated for Dec. 16 at the Quest Center.
Texas A&M has made 13 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Aggies, however, must win each of their three remaining matches to finish .500, a requirement to be considered for postseason play.