September 03, 2007
The Texas A&M volleyball team takes its perfect 6-0 record on the road again as the Aggies take on Texas State Tuesday in San Marcos. Match time is 7 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum.
A&M, which has won the last 11 meetings against the Bobcats, is coming off its second consecutive tournament championship title after going 3-0 at the Holiday Inn Classic at Montana State over the weekend. Tournament MVP Sarah Ammerman and all-tournament selections Jillian Phillips and Kristen Schevikhoven helped power the Aggies to three-game sweeps against Utah State, Washington State and Montana State.
The Aggies, who have not dropped a single game this season, have relied on a balanced attack with all five starting attackers averaging more than two kills per game while posting a .372 team hitting percentage. Ammerman, a sophomore outside hitter, leads A&M with 4.87 kills and 5.4 points per game while hitting at a .400 clip. Junior right-side hitter Kelsey Bryant is one of four attackers hitting .400 or above and leads the team with a .521 hitting efficiency.
Crisp passing and digging, particularly from sophomore outside hitter Mary Batis and senior libero Jen Moore, who are averaging 3.41 and 2.78 digs per game, respectively, have allowed Schevikhoven to set a diverse offense that has hit .298 or above in every match. Schevikhoven, a sophomore transfer from Northern Colorado, is averaging 11.88 assists per game.
Middle blockers Phillips (.449, 2.73 kpg) and Kelly Stanton (.451, 3.38 kpg) have led A&M to a 2.36 to 0.89 advantage in blocks per game and helped the Aggies hold opponents to a combined .085 hitting percentage. Phillips, a junior, is averaging a team-leading 1.13 blocks per game, and Stanton, a senior, is averaging 0.83.
Texas State, which will be playing its home opener against the Aggies, went 2-1 at the Mean Green Volleyball Classic at North Texas over the weekend to improve to 2-2. The Bobcats fell to Georgia State, 3-1, in the tournament opener and then defeated North Texas, 3-1, to pick up their first win of the season. Texas State concluded the tournament by downing Missouri-Kansas City, 3-0.
Middle blocker Emily Jones, younger sister of former A&M two-time All-American and Aggie all-time kill leader Laura Jones, was named to the all-tournament team and leads the Bobcats with a .323 hitting percentage and 1.93 blocks per game. The 6-2 junior is averaging 3.13 kills per game, which ranks second on the team to junior outside hitter Lawrencia Brown, who is averaging 3.33 kills per game. Sophomore libero Kacey Wimpy is averaging a team-high 4.47 digs per game.
A&M is 20-3 in the all-time series against the Bobcats. The teams last met Sept. 7, 2004, in College Station. A&M won the match, 30-14, 30-22, 30-13, marking the Aggies?â„¢ fifth consecutive three-game sweep against the Bobcats.
Texas State?â„¢s most recent win against the Aggies was in 1991, two years before 15-year head coach Laurie Corbelli took the helm at A&M.
A&M concludes a seven-match road swing this weekend at the UTSA Classic in San Antonio. The Aggies face Louisiana Tech Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The tournament, which marks A&M?â„¢s final tune-up for Big 12 Conference play, concludes Saturday as the Aggies take on Auburn at 3:30 p.m. and the host Roadrunners at 7 p.m.