Texas A&M
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
Aggies Sweep Islanders in Season Opener
Aug 24, 2007 | Volleyball
August 24, 2007
The Texas A&M volleyball team opened its season with a 30-18, 30-11, 30-27 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in front of a boisterous and energetic crowd of 2,472 at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
?It was unbelievable,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said about the opening day crowd, which included nearly 1,500 students. ?They are the best volleyball fans, and it is the best atmosphere for collegiate volleyball I think that there is, especially in terms of student involvement. They were loud and caused some missed serves. This is just so unique. No one else comes close, and I feel really proud that I get to coach for the group that is the best that there is. They are going to score a lot of points for us this year.?
All 12 suited players saw action for the Aggies, and each one that played the front row had at least one kill. Senior middle blocker Kelly Stanton hit .471 and led the Aggies with 11 kills and 13 points. Sophomore Mary Batis added 10 kills and 12 points and led the team with eight digs.
Jola Kelner and transfer Kristen Schevikhoven, both sophomores, split time at setter and tallied 11 and 19 assists, respectively, as the Aggies hit .368 for the match.
?I was really impressed with both of them,? Corbelli said. ?Jola has really become a more aggressive setter at the net in terms of attacking and risk taking. Schevi, just now joining our program, is learning very quickly and has a very nice composure on the court as well. I feel real confident that we will be needing both of them all season long.?
The Aggies, who never trailed in the first game, held a 14-11 lead when Sarah Ammerman tallied three aces to spearhead a 6-0 run to give the Aggies a commanding lead. The Islanders never got closer than seven points, and the Aggies closed out the game with a block by Kelner and Stanton followed by a game-clinching kill by Kelner.
Stanton got a kill to put A&M up, 6-5, in Game 2, and then was the server for 13 consecutive points as the Aggies took an insurmountable 19-5 lead. Stanton also got credit for the game-winning point with her fifth kill in the frame.
There were seven lead changes and seven ties in the third game. A kill by Batis broke the final tie and gave the Aggies a 21-20 lead. A&M built its biggest lead at 28-23 following an Islander attack error, but A&M-Corpus Christi got back within two points at 28-26 and 29-27. An Islander serve then sailed long, giving A&M the match.
?It?™s a game of momentum,? Corbelli said. ?We weren?™t pleased with the start in Game 3, and yet we were able to still pull it out and make some changes. That?™s volleyball, some really big swings of momentum, and it is the teams that can handle those swings the best that typically comes out ahead.?
Lauren Paslay led A&M-Corpus Christi with 12 kills, but the Islanders were outhit, .368 to .071, and outblocked, 7-0.
In the opening match of the Texas A&M Invitational, Ashley Campbell tallied 14 kills and Tamika Newman added 13 to lead Prairie View A&M to a 30-17, 30-24, 30-25 victory over Centenary. Ashlee Freeman led the Ladies with 11 kills.
The tournament concludes with four matches on Saturday.
Prairie View meets A&M-Corpus Christi at 10 a.m., and the Aggies take on Centenary at 12:30 p.m. A&M-Corpus Christi returns to the court at 4 p.m. to face Centenary. The Aggies and Prairie View conclude the tournament with a 6:30 p.m. meeting.
