July 26, 2007
Kristen Schevikhoven (pronounced SHEV-eh-coe-ven), a 5-9 sophomore setter, is transferring to Texas A&M from the University of Northern Colorado and will be eligible to compete when the Aggie volleyball team opens the 2007 season on Aug. 24, A&M coach Laurie Corbelli announced today.
?We had an immediate need for a player with setter experience, as well as collegiate experience in order for us to advance and continue to progress,? Corbelli said. ?Schevikhoven will bring not only that experience but great athleticism and a great concept of team. She also is going to bring a different type of game and a different dimension to the group and will help our team maximize all the talent that we have.?
Schevikhoven (Centennial Colo./Eaglecrest High School) started all 29 matches and played in every game as a freshman at UNC. She ranked third in the Big Sky Conference with 10.09 assists per game and went on to earn All-Big Sky honorable mention after leading the Bears to a 13-16 overall record and a better-than-expected fifth-place finish in the conference with a 7-9 record. Schevikhoven also earned tournament MVP honors at the Wolfpack Classic and received UNC?â„¢s Freshman Female Athlete of the Year award.
Prior to her collegiate career, Schevikhoven competed for Front Range Volleyball Club, along with current A&M teammates Sarah Ammerman and Cara Quayle. A PrepVollyeball.com All-American, Schevikhoven was named Most Valuable Player at the 2006 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championship after leading Front Range to the national title. She also was named to the all-tournament team in the Girls 18 Open division at the 2006 Junior Olympics.
?Kristen brings a complete game to our court that is going to filter over in many ways,? Corbelli said. ?She is a quick learner and a crafty setter, who has a great feel for running a faster offense. She also loves to play defense, and that will be very obvious. She doesn?â„¢t know the word, ?'stop?â„¢. And the fact that she is already familiar with several of our players from her club days also will be an added bonus.?
Signing a setter was paramount for the Aggies after sophomore Courtnee Rhodes, who was the starting setter for the last half of the 2007 season, was given a medical release because of chronic knee pain. The loss of Rhodes left only one setter on the roster, sophomore Jola Kelner, who saw limited action as a freshman.
?Unfortunately Courtnee had to take a medical due to her knee, and we could not imagine going into the season with only one setter,? Corbelli said. ?That magnified how important it was to get Schevi here. To be able to add to our depth at the setting position with someone so talented is exciting, and we are grateful that she has been declared eligible to compete right away.?
The Aggies begin preseason workouts August 8 and open the season August 24 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.