Aug. 13, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M senior outside hitters Sarah Ammerman and Mary Batis have been named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team for the second consecutive year following a vote of the league's head coaches and announced by the conference office today. In addition, the coaches picked A&M to finish fourth in the league standings.
Ammerman (Parker, Colo.) and Batis (San Antonio, Texas), All-Big 12 honorable mention selections at the end of last season, are two of four returning starters for the Aggies, who went 16-14 overall and tied Iowa State for fourth in the Big 12 last season with an 11-9 league mark.
Ammerman was one of five unanimous selections on the 14-member preseason All-Big 12 team. Tabbed A&M's MVP and top offensive player in 2008, Ammerman averaged 3.75 points, 3.35 kills and 2.35 digs per set as a junior. This past spring, she was named to USA Volleyball's A2 Team and won a bronze medal at the USA Volleyball Adult Open Championships for the second consecutive year.
Batis, who has started every match in her three-year career, was named A&M's top defensive player for the second consecutive year last season after leading the Aggies with 2.81 digs per set. She also led the team with 3.38 kills and 3.81 points per set and became only the third player in A&M history to surpass the 1,000 mark in the career kills, digs and points categories since rally scoring began in 2001.
Texas, the Big 12 co-champion and an NCAA semifinalist in 2008, has been chosen as the preseason favorite to win the conference title this season. The Longhorns received eight of the maximum 10 first-place votes - coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams - and tallied 98 points overall.
Nebraska, which shared the conference title with Texas and also advanced to the Final Four last year, was picked to finish second, receiving 93 points. Iowa State (81), which was eliminated by Texas in the NCAA regional finals last year, was picked third, and Texas A&M (68) and Baylor (63) rounded out the top five.
Kansas State (57) was picked to finish sixth, while Oklahoma (46) checked in at No. 7. Missouri (38) was selected to place eighth, and Kansas (30), Colorado (20) and Texas Tech (10) were picked to fill in the final three spots.
Texas senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker (6-4) was selected the preseason player of the year. Missouri's Paola Ampudia (6-1, OH/RS), a junior college transfer from Miami Dade College, was named the preseason newcomer of the year, and Texas outside hitter Bailey Webster was named preseason freshman of the year.
The Aggies open the pre-conference season and make their Reed Arena debut Friday, August 28, when they take on Iona in the opening match of the two-day Texas A&M Invitational. A&M opens conference play against Texas Tech on Sept. 19 in Lubbock.
BIG 12 PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rank Team (First-place Votes) Points
1. Texas (8) 98
2. Nebraska (3) 93
3. Iowa State 81
4. Texas A&M 68
5. Baylor 63
6. Kansas State 57
7. Oklahoma 46
8. Missouri 38
9. Kansas 30
10. Colorado 20
11. Texas Tech 10
Ten points were awarded for first-place votes, nine for second, etc. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
Preseason Player of the Year: Destinee Hooker, Texas, OH, Sr., 6-4, San Antonio, Texas/Southwest
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Paola Ampudia, Missouri, OH/RS, Jr., 6-1, Cali, Colombia/Miami Dade College
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Bailey Webster, Texas, OH, 6-3, Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School For Girls
PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Name, School, Pos., Cl., Ht. , Hometown/Previous School
Taylor Barnes, Baylor, S, Sr., 5-11, Arlington, Texas/Martin
Anna Breyfogle, Baylor, MB, Sr., 6-1, Buda, Texas/Hays
^Victoria Henson, Iowa State, Jr., 5-11, Leavenworth, Kan./Leavenworth
Kaylee Manns, Iowa State, S, Sr., 5-10, Topeka, Kan./Washburn Rural
Ashley Mass, Iowa State, DS/L, Jr., 5-8, Muskego, Wis./Muskego
Kelsey Chipman, Kansas State, MB, Sr., 6-1, Topeka, Kan./Washburn Rural
^Sydney Anderson, Nebraska, S, Jr., 6-0, Salt Lake City, Utah/Utah
^Kori Cooper, Nebraska, MB, Sr., 6-2, Amarillo, Texas/Amarillo
Tara Mueller, Nebraska, OH, Jr., 6-0, Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain
^Ashley Engle, Texas, S/RS, Sr., 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza
^Juliann Faucette, Texas, OH, Jr., 6-2, San Diego, Calif./Westview
Destinee Hooker, Texas, OH, Sr., 6-4, San Antonio, Texas/Southwest
^Sarah Ammerman, Texas A&M, OH, Sr., 6-2, Parker, Colo./Chaparral
Mary Batis, Texas A&M, OH, Sr., 6-0, San Antonio, Texas/Clark

^ - Unanimous selection