September 11, 2007
The 25th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, 10-0 and off to their best start in school history, look to continue their streak when they open Big 12 Conference play against the Oklahoma Sooners Wednesday in College Station. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum, and anyone wearing their Texas A&M Fish Camp shirt will be admitted free. (A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletics.com.)
Free live stats, audio and video streaming will be available on the Internet through Aggies All-Access at AggieAthletics.com.
The Aggies, winners of all three tournaments they have participated in this season, cracked the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 national poll for the first time since 2005, coming in at No. 25 this week after sweeping Louisiana Tech, Auburn and Texas-San Antonio at the UTSA Classic last weekend. The victory against Louisiana Tech gave the Aggies an 8-0 record, which broke the previous school record for the best start set in 1982.
A&M, which has dropped only one game in its first 10 matches, enters Big 12 play leading the league with a .346 hitting percentage. In addition, A&M leads the Big 12 for lowest opponent hitting percentage (.103) and fewest kills (11.35), assists (10.55) and blocks (0.94) per game by opponents.
Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Ammerman leads the Aggies with 3.92 kills and 4.38 points per game. Sophomore outside hitter Mary Batis, the MVP at the UTSA Classic, leads the team with 3.57 digs and 0.53 aces per game. Junior middle blocker Jillian Phillips leads the starters with 1.21 blocks per game. Senior middle blocker Kelly Stanton is one of five starters hitting above .300, sporting a team-best .447 hitting efficiency. Sophomore transfer setter Kristen Schevikhoven has directed the Aggie offense to its league-leading .346 hitting percentage while averaging 11.54 assists per game.
A LOOK AT THE SOONERS
Oklahoma is 7-2 on the season and is coming off a 3-1 (32-30, 22-30, 30-24, 35-33) loss at No. 18 San Diego. The loss snapped the Sooners?â„¢ four-match winning streak.
OU returns two starters from the 2006 team that posted one of the best seasons in Sooner volleyball history: senior outside hitter Sarah Weiland and sophomore outside hitter Bridget Laplante. The pair helped lead the Sooners to record-setting numbers in winning percentage (.824), Big 12 record (17-3), conference finish (second) and highest ranking (No. 12), as well as the most wins since 1980 (28) and a second all-time appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.
Senior Mariana Blum has been most impressive in her role as a first-year starter this season, leading the Sooners with 3.9 kills and 4.31 digs per game. She is the most recent Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after leading OU to a 2-1 record at the San Diego Tournament.
Blum is one of four Sooners averaging 3.0 or more kills per game as OU is averaging 17.52 per game as a team. Senior setter Julie Chester runs the offense and leads the Big 12 with 14.17 assists per game.
OU was ranked No. 22 in the preseason poll and was ranked as high as No. 21 before dropping out on Sept. 3. Prior to Sept. 3, the Sooners had appeared in the Top 25 for a school-record 13 weeks.
THE A&M-OU ALL-TIME SERIES
A&M leads the all-time series against the Sooners, 29-3, since 1976, including 20-2 in Big 12 matches. OU, however, swept the season series last year, ending a 26-match losing streak against the Aggies.
The teams opened the 2006 Big 12 season in College Station, where the Sooners stunned A&M, 30-28, 30-26, 30-28. It marked OU?â„¢s first-ever Big 12 victory against the Aggies, the Sooners?â„¢ first-ever victory at G. Rollie, as well as the Sooners?â„¢ first win against A&M since 1979.
No. 20 OU completed the season-series sweep with a 30-27, 30-15, 30-19 victory in Norman on Oct. 28.
A&M is 10-1 against OU in matches played in College Station.
A&M QUICK HITS
?* More on the streak: A&M?â„¢s 10-0 start breaks the previous record start of 7-0 set in 1982. The previous best unbeaten streak at the start of a season by a Laurie Corbelli-coached A&M team was six, accomplished in 2001 and 2005.
This is the eighth time in history that an A&M team has won 10 of more consecutive matches in a single season. The most recent team to win 10 consecutive matches in a single year was the 1999 Elite Eight squad. The longest single-season winning streak by a Laurie Corbelli-coached team is 11 in 1996.
A&M?â„¢s actual current winning streak is 11 including a 2006 season-ending victory against Missouri. The team still has a ways to go to break the all-time longest winning streak of 20 set in 1982.
The 1976 team won 15 straight, and both the 1981 and 1984 squads mounted 12-match winning streaks.
?* A&M in Big 12 openers: A&M is 6-5 overall in Big 12 openers. Last year?â„¢s loss to Oklahoma was the first time A&M opened Big 12 play with a loss while playing at home.
With the loss, the Aggies slipped to 9-2 when playing their first home Big 12 match of the season.
This is the second consecutive year A&M has opened Big 12 play at home and the second consecutive year the Aggies have opened against the Sooners.
?* A&M cracks Top 25: The Aggies, riding a school record 10-0 start and fresh off their third consecutive tournament title, are ranked No. 25 in this week?â„¢s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. It marks A&M?â„¢s first Top 25 appearance since a No. 24 showing on Oct. 10, 2005. The Aggies had received votes in each of the previous polls of the season before breaking into the Top 25 in the third week of the regular-season poll.
Defending national and Big 12-champion Nebraska remained No. 1 in the national poll, receiving 56 of 60 first-place votes. Other Big 12 schools in the Top 25 are No. 7 Texas and Kansas State, which moved up three spots to No. 19. Oklahoma received votes and is listed tied for 38th.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Aggies hit the road this weekend, taking on Iowa State Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Match time is 6:30 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum.
Just as the Sooners did, ISU stunned A&M by sweeping the season series last year and picking up its first-ever Big 12 victories against the Aggies.
A&M returns home Wednesday, Sept. 19, when it hosts Texas Tech. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum.