November 16, 2007
Texas A&M (18-10, 7-10 Big 12) and Missouri (16-10, 9-8 Big 12), two teams on the bubble for making the NCAA volleyball tournament, battle it out Saturday as the Aggies play host to the Tigers in College Station. First serve has been changed to 4:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. (A complete release in pdf format is available at AggieAthletics.com.)
In honor of Ring Day, anyone wearing his or her Aggie Ring to the volleyball match will be admitted free.
A&M will be looking to end a three-match losing skid and get back into the win column after falling to the top three teams in the Big 12. In the last three matches, the Aggies fell in five games at No. 12 Kansas State, lost in four games at No. 3 Texas, and on Wednesday dropped a three-game match to No. 2 and defending national champion Nebraska at G. Rollie.
A&M is in seventh place in the Big 12, two wins behind Missouri, which picked up a clutch 3-1 victory against Iowa State on Wednesday to move into a tie with the Cyclones for fifth place. It was the third consecutive win for the Tigers, who defeated Texas Tech, 3-2, and Baylor, 3-0, prior to the contest against ISU.
LOOKING AT THE AGGIES
?* A&M needs one win to reach the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2003, when the Aggies went 23-10 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
?* With an 18-10 record, Texas A&M has surpassed its total number of victories in each of the last two seasons and needs just one more win to equal the number of wins tallied by the 2004 team, which went 19-9, advanced to the NCAA Second Round and ranked No. 20 in the final rankings.
?* The Aggies, who are 7-10 in Big 12 matches, also have easily surpassed their five total conference victories last season.
?* As a team, A&M is listed fourth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.230) and aces (1.26) per game in conference matches only. In addition, the Aggies are listed fifth in kills (15.61), assists (14.26) and digs (15.74) and seventh in blocks (2.76) per game.
?* Setter Kristen Schevikhoven, who transferred after one year at the University of Northern Colorado, has made a huge impact on the Aggies?â„¢ success this season. She is averaging 11.9 assists per game while directing an A&M offense, which entered the week ranked 17th in the nation and third in the Big 12 with a .269 hitting efficiency for the full season.
?* Outside hitter Sarah Ammerman has posted 20-plus kills in three of the last five matches and is averaging 4.85 kills and 5.55 points per game during the stretch. She leads A&M and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 4.35 kills and 5.02 points per game in conference matches. Ammerman also is a threat from the service line, where she averages 0.40 aces per league game, ranking third in the conference.
?* Outside hitter Mary Batis is the A&M leader in digs with 3.56 per conference game and ranks second on the team with 3.35 kills and 3.89 points per game in league play. Batis has reached double figures in digs in 10 of the last 11 matches and 20 matches overall.
?* Middle blockers Kelly Stanton and Jillian Phillips are hitting a team-leading .359 and .340, respectively. Phillips leads the Aggies with 1.19 blocks per game for the full season.
?* The Aggies are 8-4 in home matches. All four losses are against teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25: No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Texas, No. 12 Kansas State and No. 22 Oklahoma.
?* A&M is out-hitting its opponents, .269 to .205, for the full season but is being out-hit, .258 to .230 in Big 12 matches. The Aggies are out-hitting opponents, .268 to .186, in matches played at G. Rollie.
LOOKING AT THE TIGERS
Missouri, the only Big 12 team other than Nebraska to appear in the NCAA every year since 2000, has won its last three matches and four of its last five. The Tigers?â„¢ only loss was a five-game near upset at No. 2 Nebraska.
Most recently, Missouri defeated Iowa State, 30-28, 30-26, 24-30, 30-24 in Columbia. Four players reached double figures in kills for the Tigers, led by Na Yang?â„¢s 22. Amanda Hantouli added 14, and Weiwen Wang and Megan Wilson pitched in 13 apiece.
Missouri out-hit the Cyclones, .214 to .143, despite being out-blocked 17-5 to 9.
The Tigers lead the Big 12 with 16.73 digs per game for the full season. Senior libero Tatum Ailes, who had 29 digs against Iowa State and is the Tigers?â„¢ all-time career leader in both digs and digs per game, leads the Big 12 with 4.9 digs per game for the full season.
Offensively, senior Na Yang averages a team-leading 4.52 kills per game for the full season, ranking fourth in the Big 12. She also ranks fifth in the league with 5.01 points per game.
THE A&M-MIZZOU ALL-TIME SERIES
A&M leads the all-time series against Missouri, 18-8, including 10-1 in matches played in College Station, as well as 16-7 in Big 12 matches only. Missouri, however, has won four of the last five meetings, including a 3-0 sweep in Columbia on Oct. 10.
In the most recent meeting, Missouri ran its winning streak to four by downing Texas A&M, 30-23, 30-23, 30-28, in front of 1,538 at the Hearnes Center. The Tigers, who hit .341 while holding A&M to a .209 hitting percentage, were led by Na Yang and Megan Wilson, who had 22 and 17 kills, respectively. Jillian Phillips led the Aggies with 12 kills while hitting at a .400 clip, and Sarah Ammerman added 11 kills. Mary Batis led in digs with 19, and Jen Moore pitched in 12.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
A&M concludes the regular season next week, playing at Colorado on Wednesday and returning home Saturday, Nov. 24 to host Baylor.
The match against the Buffaloes, who are tied with Texas Tech for 10th place, begins at 6:30 (MST) at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
The regular-season finale against the Bears begins at 6:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. It will be ?Senior Night? at the Holler House, and Aggie seniors Jen Moore and Kelly Stanton will be honored prior to the match.
NCAA SELECTION SHOW
The Aggies, who are in contention for a return to the NCAA Championships after their streak of 13 consecutive appearances ended last year, will find out their fate when the 64-team NCAA tournament field is announced Sunday, November 25 at 7 p.m. (CST) on ESPNU.