Oct. 2, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Texas A&M aims to remain undefeated at home when the Aggies return to Reed Arena on Saturday to play host to the Kansas Jayhawks. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
Tickets are $9 for reserved seats; $7 for adult general admission; and $4 for youth 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.
The Aggies are 4-0 in their new digs at Reed Arena, including a 3-1 victory against No. 6 Nebraska in their most recent home match. A&M, however, has lost it last two matches, both on the road. The Aggies dropped a five-setter at Missouri last Saturday and fell in three sets at No. 2 Texas on Wednesday to drop to 9-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12.
Kansas, winless in all 14 matches ever played in College Station, is tied with A&M and Missouri for sixth place in the Big 12 with a 2-2 league mark after defeating Colorado, 3-1, Wednesday in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks are 9-4 overall.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Ammerman leads the Aggies with 4.06 kills, 0.28 aces and 4.56 points per set for the full season. Senior outside hitter Mary Batis is second on the squad with 3.29 kills and 3.74 points per set and also leads the Aggies with 3.45 digs per set. Senior right-side hitter Jennifer Banse, who led the Aggies with 15 kills and a .429 hitting efficiency against Texas, also is averaging more than three kills and points per set with 3.24 and 3.56, respectively.
Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven (11.7 assists per set) has been directing the Aggie offense, which ranks second in the Big 12 for kills (14.80), assists (14.05) and hitting percentage (.269) for the full season.
Freshman libro Tori Mellinger has posted double figures in digs in six of the last seven matches and is averaging 3.81 digs per set since taking on a full-designated libero role against San Francisco on Sept. 6. Mellinger leads the Aggies and ranks eighth in the Big 12, having raised her dig average to 4.20 digs per set in conference matches only. In addition, the Lake Highlands High School product is ninth in the Big 12 with 0.27 aces per set in league contests only.
SERIES RECORDS
• A&M leads the all-time series, 23-4, since the teams first met in 1990, including 22-4 in Big 12 matches only and 14-0 in matches played in College Station.
• A&M swept the season series each of the last two years and has won the last five meetings.
• KU's most recent victory was Sept. 20, 2006, in Lawrence as the Jayhawks won a thriller, 28-30, 30-26, 30-28, 29-31, 17-15, at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
• Last year, A&M held off Kansas, 25-20, 25-19, 16-25, 19-25, 15-8 in Lawrence on Oct. 8, and then kept the Jayhawks winless in College Station with a 25-17, 25-14, 25-23 victory on Oct. 25 at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
• In the most recent meeting, A&M snapped a three-match losing skid and Mary Batis recorded her 1,000th career kill as the Aggies swept Kansas. Batis led the Aggies with 11 kills and became the 14th player in A&M history to join the 1,000-Kill Club. Freshman middle blocker Stephanie Wells added a career-high eight kills and also tied for match-high honors in blocks with a career-high five as A&M outblocked KU, 8-4, and outhit the Jayhawks, .210 to .041.
AGGIE QUICK HITS
• A&M is averaging a league-leading 1.44 aces per set. In addition, the Aggies also lead the league for fewest aces allowed with a 0.54 average for the full season.
• A&M has a league-leading three players ranked in the Big 12 top 10 for kills per set for the full season. Sarah Ammerman is third in the Big 12 with 4.06 kps, and Mary Batis and Jennifer Banse are seventh and eighth with 3.29 and 3.24 kills per set, respectively. Texas has two players listed in the top 10, and no other school has more than one player listed.
• Batis needs 20 digs to give her 1,172 for her career and move her into 10th place in the A&M career records. She will surpass Elizabeth Edmiston, who had 1,171 digs from 1989 to 1992.
• A&M's breast cancer awareness match will be against Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Reed Arena. More details will be available soon.
• Ammerman's career-high 25 digs against Missouri on Sept. 26 marks the most digs in a match by an A&M player since former libero Holly Clay had 28 at Texas Tech on Oct. 22, 2005, when the 30-point scoring system was in effect. Ammerman ranks third on the team with 3.03 digs per set for the full season.
• Batis, who ranks third in the A&M career record books with 1415.5 points, is only 13 points ahead of Ammerman, who ranks fourth with 1402.5. In addition, Batis is ninth in the A&M career records with 1,251 kills, only 18 ahead of Ammerman, who ranks 10th with 1,233 career kills.
• Ammerman had 18 kills against No. 6 Nebraska on Sept. 23 to give her 1,203 for career, moving her into 10th place in the A&M record books. She surpassed former first-team All-American middle blocker Amber Woolsey (1995-99).
• At the CenturyTel Premier earlier this season, senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven moved into eighth place in the A&M records for assists with 2,357. She surpassed Genny (Wood) Volpe (1990-93), who had 2,309 in her career and is currently the head coach at Rice University.
• Freshmen middle blockers Lindsey Miller and Alisia Kastmo and freshman libero Tori Mellinger have played in every match this season. Miller has started all 12 matches and leads the starters with a .336 hitting percentage. Kastmo moved into the starting lineup in the fourth match of the season after sophomore middle blocker Stephanie Minnerly went down with a torn ACL against Northern Iowa and is second among the starters with a .323 hitting efficiency. Mellinger has played in all but three sets and has been the designated libero in each of the last eight matches. She has posted double figures in digs in a team-leading seven matches, including six of the last seven matches, and she ranks second on the team with 3.34 digs per set.
• A&M's .465 hitting percentage in the Big 12 opener at Texas Tech on Sept. 19 ranks ninth in the school record books and third all-time in A&M's Big 12 matches only.
• A&M continues to receive votes in the AVCA coaches poll and equals its season high with a listing of 27th for the second consecutive week.
• The Aggies, 1-1 against Top 25 teams, are slated to play a total of eight matches against teams ranked in this week's Top 25: two matches each against No. 2 Texas, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 14 Iowa State and No. 19 Baylor. Northern Iowa, who A&M defeated earlier in the season, is receiving points and is 37th. Saint Mary's, which defeated A&M, 3-1, in Moraga, Calif., also is receiving points and is listed 40th.
• 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.
• Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli is 352-161 in her 17th year as head coach of the Aggies and 452-267 in the 24th season of her head coaching career. She is A&M's winningest coach in terms of total victories and ranks second for winning percentage (.686). In addition, her 452 career wins leads all coaches in the Big 12 for Division I victories.
A LOOK AT THE JAYHAWKS
• Kansas is 9-4 overall and in a three-way tie with Texas A&M and Missouri for sixth place in the Big 12 standings with a 2-2 conference record.
• The Jayhawks are coming off a 25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19 victory against Colorado in Lawrence on Saturday. Karina Garlington led KU with 15 kills while hitting at a .400 clip. Paige Mazour added 13 kills while hitting .550 as KU outhit CU, .236 to .182. Mazour and freshman middle blocker Tayler Tolefree added five blocks each as KU outblocked CU, 12-9.5, and kept the Buffs winless in Big 12 matches.
• All but one of the Jayhawks' losses have been at away matches as they are 1-3 in true road matches,
• Junior outside hitter Karina Garlington leads the Big 12 with 4.85 kills per set in Big 12 matches only. She is second in the league with 5.12 points per set in league matches, and senior middle blocker Paige Mazour is second in the conference with a .374 hitting percentage in Big 12 matches only.
• Garlington, who attended Grandview High School in Denver, Colo., and A&M's Sarah Ammerman were teammates at Front Range Volleyball Club and won the 2006 AAU National Championship.
• Ray Bechard (Fort Hays State `80) is 183-164 in his 12th season as head coach of the Jayhawks.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Aggies conclude a brief two-match homestand on Wednesday, Oct. 7 against Kansas State. First serve against the Wildcats is 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.