April 12, 2008
The Texas A&M volleyball team completed its spring competition schedule today with four matches at the 3rd Annual Texas Tornados College Spring Tournament at the Texas Tornados Training Facility.
It was by far the Aggies?â„¢ toughest competition of the spring season, and after going 1-2 through the first three matches, A&M finished strong by sweeping Southern California, which advanced to the NCAA Final Four last season.
?The end was the team we wanted to see all day,? A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. ?We came with great focus, adjusted attitudes and a lot of confidence. It really showed in our play, and we actually looked like the team that we can be for the entire match.
?Throughout the day, there were glimpses of that against tough, tough competition. It?â„¢s still somewhat of an experiment learning how to win these quick, quick 25-point sets. Just the ebb and flow of the game, the momentum shifts, and how to handle the way that you are competing is really important. I think our serving and passing were off and on for most of the day, but it became really solid against USC, and it set the tone for the whole match.?
The Aggies opened the day by defeating South Florida, 25-23, 25-19, in the best-2-of-3 format.
A&M then went three games against Wichita State, which advanced to the second round of the 2007 NCAA Championship. The Aggies dropped the first set, 25-20, but won the second set by the identical score to force a 15-point third set. The Aggies took only their second lead of the set at 13-12, but an A&M attack error sandwiched in between two Shocker kills gave Wichita State the win.
A&M then took on Tulane, which jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set. A&M called a timeout and then came back to score eight consecutive points to tie the score. The Aggies, however, were unable to take the lead and fell, 25-21 in the opening frame.
The Aggies jumped out to an 8-2 lead and never trailed in the second set as they evened the match with a 25-19 win and forced a third set.
A&M used a seven-point scoring spurt to take its first lead of the third set at 10-9, but the Green Wave answered with four consecutive points to go up, 13-10. Tulane held a 14-11 lead when the Aggies scored three in a row to knot the score. The teams exchanged points, and with Tulane up 16-15, A&M got a kill from Mary Batis to tie the score for the fifth time. Batis then teamed with Jillian Phillips for a block to put the Aggies at match point. The Green Wave then got a kill and a block to retake the lead at 18-17. Batis answered with a kill before Tulane got a kill and an ace to close out the match.
In the Aggies?â„¢ final match, USC built a 9-7 lead against A&M, but the Aggies went on a 5-0 run to take their second lead of the set. A&M never relinquished the lead, and an attack error by the Trojans gave A&M a 25-19 win.
USC held its only lead of the second set at 4-3, but A&M got three consecutive kills to go up, 6-4. The Women of Troy tied the score three more times in the set, the last coming at 11-all. The Aggies later used a three-point run to build an 18-13 lead. USC never got closer than three points before A&M closed out the set 25-19 to complete the sweep.
?We were serving with a lot more power and smarts, and our passing, we were just so focused,? Corbelli said. ?I think the team feels really good about the finish. I hope that we have learned some things from it. It?â„¢s hard to really pinpoint all of the little things and the intangibles that you learn from this kind of competition, but we did see some of the best teams in the country. For that, I?â„¢m grateful we got to be in this tournament, and I thought we had a great schedule. For the most part, I?â„¢m pleased. I wish we could have pulled out the two middle matches, because I felt they were right there in our grasp.?
Although the Tornados Tournament was the final competition for the Aggies this spring, they will host a 2008 Volleyball Preview on April 19 from 3-5 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum, in conjunction with the full day of activities preceding football?â„¢s Maroon & White Scrimmage. The public is invited to watch an intrasquad scrimmage from approximately 3-4:30 p.m. Following the scrimmage, the Aggies will go outside to join the public in the Fan Zone and offer demonstrations and playing tips to the fans.
?We want to mingle and get our sport and our players out there in front of the public; playing a little pepper and ball handling with the little kids or students or whoever wants to play,? Corbelli said. ?We hope to expose our sport a little bit more and have a fun time and hopefully get a few new fans.?
Texas Tornados College Spring Tournament results:
Texas A&M def. South Florida, 25-23, 25-19
Wichita State def. A&M, 25020, 20-25, 15-13
Tulane def. A&M, 25-21, 19-25, 20-18
A&M def. USC, 25-19, 25-19
Upcoming Schedule:
April 19, 2008 Volleyball Preview:
Intrasquad scrimmage, *3-4:30 p.m., G. Rollie White Coliseum
Mini clinic in Fan Zone, *4:30-5 p.m.
*Times are approximate.