April 17, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M volleyball team concludes its spring exhibition season Saturday with three matches at the Baylor Tournament in Waco.
All matches will be played at the McLane Student Life Center on the Baylor campus. Admission is free.
A&M opens at 10:45 a.m. against Texas State University. The Aggies return to the court at 1:15 p.m. to face either TCU or Stephen F. Austin. Their final match will be at either 2:30 or 3:45 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.
Other teams participating in the bracket-style tournament are Baylor, Blinn, Texas Tech and Rice.
"This is an important tournament for us and it is important that it is a successful venture, because it is going to be something that we will remember throughout the summer and into the fall," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said.
Corbelli returns nine letterwinners - including six who will be seniors in the fall -- from last year's team that finished 16-14 overall and went 11-9 in the Big 12, tying NCAA regional finalist and 12th-ranked Iowa State for fourth place in the conference standings.
"Knowing our seniors who have been a large group of the Aggie volleyball team for three seasons, if anything has come out of the past few seasons it is the motivation to achieve the goals that they've set each year, which for various reasons haven't panned out," Corbelli said. "That has fueled their motivation and their inspiration, and I really think that they're at the point where it is not going to take a whole lot more to really see those things come together. We've got the experience. We've got a great camaraderie on the court. We've got the motivation and determination."
A&M is 4-0 in spring competition after going undefeated at the Texas Tornados College Spring Tournament in Houston earlier this month.
"Three of the goals the team has been focusing on are No. 1, finding ways to win no matter what is happening on the court," Corbelli added. "No matter if someone is having a bad day or if we are in a rotation where we are not seeing success, just figuring out ways to win.
"No. 2 would be really focusing on strong starts. At the Tornados tournament we had a little bit of a slow start that morning, and that is a characteristic that needs to be worked on and corrected.
"The last thing is just the consistency. We find that the more consistently we play, the more we win. I hope that the team will be able to accomplish those things. They take it very seriously, their goals. I think they are really looking forward to getting on the court and competing against their peers."
Spring matches are considered exhibition, and results do not count toward a team's record. Matches will consist of best two-out-of-three sets with the first two sets played to 25 points and the third set going to 15 points.
"We will be in Waco all day, so if any Aggies happen to be in the area, we would love to see some maroon and white on the sidelines giving us the support," Corbelli said. "The bulk of this group is in their last few months of Aggie volleyball. They have given tons of dedication and time representing Aggie athletics, and they love the support they get and would appreciate anyone who is able to come out and support them."