Aug. 27, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
The Texas A&M volleyball team kicks off its 2009 campaign and will play in the first-ever match to be held at Reed Arena when the Aggies take on Iona Friday at 10 a.m. in the opening match of the Texas A&M Invitational.
The Aggies will play two matches on Friday, also taking on Virginia at 6 p.m. In other matches on Friday, Northern Iowa meets Virginia at 12:30 p.m. and Iona faces Northern Iowa at 4 p.m.
Complete tournament schedule:
Friday, August 28
Texas A&M vs. Iona, 10 a.m.
Northern Iowa vs. Virginia, 12:30 p.m.
Iona vs. Northern Iowa, 4 p.m.
Texas A&M vs. Virginia, 6 p.m.
Saturday, August 29
Iona vs. Virginia, 10 a.m.
Texas A&M vs. Northern Iowa, 12:30 p.m.
Tickets: $9 for reserved seats; $7 for adult general admission; $4 for your general admission. Children under 2 are admitted free in general admission sections. Single match as well as season tickets can be purchased at the Reed Arena entrance, online at AggieAthletics.com, or by calling 888-99-AGGIE.
Free parking for volleyball fans is available beginning 1.5 hours before match time in lots 100a, 100b, 100g and 100f. Lot 102 is for handicap parking.
Free live audio and video of A&M matches will be available at AggieAthletics.com. In addition, A&M matches will be broadcast on HD Radio at 95.1-3 with Matt Simon calling the action, and fans in attendance can listen to the broadcasts on the low end of the FM dial inside Reed Arena.
THE 2009 AGGIES:
A&M coach Laurie Corbelli, who is entering her 17th season at the helm of the Aggies, returns nine letterwinners -- including six seniors -- from last year's team that went 16-14 and tied NCAA regional finalist Iowa State for fourth in the Big 12 with an 11-9 record.
Highlighting the list of returners are four starters plus the libero from last year's team: outside hitters Sarah Ammerman (3.35 kps, 3.75 pps) and Mary Batis (3.38 kps, 3.81 pps), both three-year starters on the left, return for their senior season, as well as senior and two-year starting setter Kristen Schevikhoven (9.84 aps) and senior Jennifer Banse (2.03 kps, 2.49 dps), who started on the right side last season. Sophomore Kelsey Black (2.70 dps), who was the team's designated libero over the last half of the 2008 season, also returns.
Senior setter Jola Kelner and sophomore outside hitter/libero Dylan Faulkner, who provides depth as a defensive specialist, and sophomore Kelsey Bryant, Darla Donaldson and Jillian Phillips.
In addition, Corbelli welcomes six talented freshmen, several of who also will be vying for the two starting middle blocker positions.
A LOOK AT THE OPPOSITION:
IONA
• Iona, located in New Rochelle, N.Y., returns five starters plus the libero and 12 letterwinners overall from last year's team that went 19-12 and placed fourth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with an 11-7 record.
• Top returners include junior libero Allison Nieters, who averaged 5.95 digs per set in 2008, and 6-1 senior outside hitter Sarah Wiener, who led the Gaels with 2.84 kills per set last season.
• The trip to Texas is a homecoming of sorts for Wiener, who is from Kingwood, Texas, and junior outside hitter Bethany Schornack, who attended Ursuline Academy in Plano, Texas.
• Alan Edwards (Western Carolina `99) is 43-52 entering his fourth year at the helm of the Gaels.
VIRGINIA
• The Cavaliers return four starters plus the libero from the 2008 squad that went 17-15 and placed fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 9-5 mark.
• Top returning players include senior outside hitter Lauren Dickson, who attended Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. She is the top returning kill leader after averaging 2.84 kills per set last year. Middle blocker Sydney Hill (6-1) returns for her junior season after averaging 1.09 blocks per set last year. Also libero Brittani Rendina returns after averaging 4.26 digs per set as a junior.
• Freshmen middle blockers Tobi Farrar and Jessica O'Shoney are from Arlington, Texas (Arlington High School) and Austin, Texas (Hutto High School), respectively.
• Head coach Lee Maes (Long Beach State) begins his second season as head coach. Formerly he was an assistant coach at Nebraska.
NORTHERN IOWA
• The Panthers return four starters plus the libero from last year's NCAA team that finished 25-9 after being eliminated by Iowa State in four sets in the first round. UNI placed third in the Missouri Valley with a 13-5 league mark.
• Key returners are All-MVC second teamers Shannon Aschoff (Sr., 6-2, OH, 3.02 kps) and Ellie Blankenship (Jr., L, 5.59 dps).
• Bobbi Petersen (UNI `90) enters her 10th season as head coach of the Panthers and boasts a 228-70 overall record.
A&M SERIES RECORD AGAINST THE FIELD
• A&M has never faced Iona or Northern Iowa.
• A&M won the only meeting with Virginia, defeating the Cavaliers 3-0 (30-22, 35-33, 31-29) on Sept. 3, 2005, at the Texas A&M/McDonald's Invitational at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station.
AGGIE QUICK HITS:
• A&M is 23-10 in season openers since 1976. (Opening-day results are not available for the 1975 season.)
• The Aggies are 11-5 in season openers since head coach Laurie Corbelli was hired in 1993. A&M fell in five grueling sets to No. 21 LSU in last year's season opener, ending the Aggies' seven-match season opener winning streak. The Tigers topped A&M, 23-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 20-18 at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Neb.
• Corbelli is 343-158 entering her 17th year at the helm of the Aggies and 443-264 entering the 24th season of her head coaching career.
• Senior outside hitter Mary Batis needs only 11 kills to give her 1,137 career kills and move into sole possession of 10th place in the A&M career records.
• A&M received votes in the AVCA preseason coaches poll and is listed 28th. The Aggies are slated to play eight matches against teams ranked in the preseason Top 25: two matches each against No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 13 Iowa State and No. 22 Kansas State. In addition, A&M will play six matches against teams that received votes, including two matches each against Big 12 opponents Baylor and Oklahoma, as well as single matches at Saint Mary's and San Francisco.
• The Aggies, who went 11-9 to tie eventual NCAA-regional finalist Iowa State for fourth place in the Big 12 last year, have been picked to finish fourth in the league this season, according to a preseason poll of the conference coaches. Defending Big 12 co-champions Texas and Nebraska are picked to finish first and second, respectively, with Iowa State following at third place. A&M is followed by Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Texas Tech.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Aggies head west next weekend, taking on Saint Mary's College on Saturday, Sept. 5 in Moraga, Calif., and the University of San Francisco, where Aggie coach Laurie Corbelli began her head coaching career, on Sunday, Sept. 6 in San Francisco. Both teams received votes in the AVCA Top 25.
AGGIES ON THE INTERNET
Free video streaming of all 14 A&M home matches will be available at AggieAthletics.com. In addition, audio broadcasts of selected home and away are slated with Matt Simon providing the play-by-play. Also for the first time, broadcasts can be heard on 95.1-3 on the FM dial of an HD Radio.