Oct. 9, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Texas A&M begins a challenging two-match road swing as the Aggies face back-to-back ranked opponents starting Saturday at No. 17 Baylor. Match time against the Bears is 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center in Waco.
Baylor will provide live stats, audio and video streaming of the match, which also will be available at AggieAthletics.com.
The Aggies, who face No. 14 Iowa State on Wednesday in Ames, improved to 11-3 overall, including 4-2 in the Big 12, and remained undefeated at home at 6-0 after dominating Kansas State, 25-16, 25-15, 25-17, at Reed Arena on Wednesday. The Aggies moved into a tie with Nebraska for fourth place in the conference standings.
Baylor is 17-1 overall and holds down second place in the Big 12 with a 6-1 record after cruising past Texas Tech, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20, Wednesday in Lubbock. It was the sixth straight win, as well as the fifth consecutive sweep, for the Bears, whose No. 17 ranking is the highest in program history.
Texas A&M entered the week ranked No. 3 in the nation for assists per set and fourth in the country for kills per set and have since increased the averages to 14.13 and 14.91, respectively. In addition, the Aggies were No. 16 in the nation with a .270 hitting percentage, which improved to .276 after hitting .374 against Kansas State.
Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven directs the well-balanced offense and entered the week ranked 12th in the nation with 11.55 assists per set. Her primary targets are senior outside hitters Sarah Ammerman, who is third in the Big 12 with 4.00 kills and 4.52 points per set for the full season, and senior right-side hitter Jennifer Banse, who is second on the team and ninth in the Big 12 with 3.28 kills per set. In addition, senior outside hitter Mary Batis is ranked No. 10 in the league for both kills (3.24) and points (3.69) per set.
Freshmen middle blockers Lindsey Miller and Alisia Kastmo lead the Aggies and are ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the Big 12 for hitting percentage. Miller is hitting .369, while Kastmo is hitting .351.
Meanwhile, freshman libero Tori Mellinger has posted double figures in digs in eight of the last nine matches and leads the Aggies and is ranked seventh in the Big 12 with 4.05 digs per set in league contests only.
A&M-BAYLOR SERIES RECORDS
• A&M leads the all-time series against Baylor, 56-10, since 1976, including 20-6 in Big 12 matches only.
• A&M has won the last nine matches at Baylor to improve to 23-4 all-time against the Bears in Waco.
• Baylor's most recent home victory against A&M was Oct. 6, 1999, as the Bears upset then-14th-ranked A&M, 3-2 (11-15, 15-6, 15-10, 6-15, 15-12).
• Last year, the teams split the two-match season series, with each team winning on the road. It was the seventh time Baylor and A&M split the Big 12 season series. A&M has earned a Big 12 series sweep seven times, while the Bears have yet to complete a sweep against the Aggies.
• The teams last met Nov. 15, 2008, in Waco. Kristen Schevikhoven dished out 41 assists.
Katie Sanders had 12 kills to lead Baylor, which was playing without Big 12 blocking leader Anna Breyfogle, who was missing her fifth match with a shoulder injury. The Bears committed 10 service errors to A&M's three.
In the first meeting of the 2008 season, Sanders and Ashlie Christenson tallied 17 kills apiece to lead Baylor to a 24-26, 25-20, 25-18, 27-25 victory against A&M on Oct. 17 at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Baylor outhit A&M, .270 to .148 in the match, posting 12.5 blocks to A&M's eight. Breyfogle, who hit .478 with 12 kills, posted 12 blocks for the Bears. Batis led A&M with 15 kills, and Ammerman added 14. Chelsea Ringel led the Aggies with 15 digs.
AGGIE QUICK HITS
• A&M has led or tied its opponent in aces in every match this year and is averaging a league-leading 1.49 aces per set for the full season. In addition, the Aggies are second in the league for fewest aces allowed with 0.55 per set for the full season.
• A&M has three players averaging more than three kills per set for the full season: Sarah Ammerman, 4.00 kps; Jennifer Banse, 3.28 kps; and Mary Batis, 3.24 kps. In addition, three players are averaging more than three digs per set: Tori Mellinger, 3.39 dps; Batis, 3.31 dps; and Ammerman, 3.10 dps.
• With a 4-2 Big 12 record, the Aggies are off to their best start in conference play since 2001 when they went 5-1 over the first six matches.
• A&M is on the brink of breaking into the AVCA Top 25 Poll, as the Aggies are receiving votes and are listed a season-high 26th this week. The last time A&M was ranked in the top 25 was Sept. 10, 2007, when the Aggies made a one-week appearance at No. 25.
• Batis needs 12 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.
• Batis and Ammerman are tied for third in the A&M career record for points with 1428.5 apiece. Batis ranks ninth in the career records for kills with 1,262, while Ammerman is right behind and in 10th place with 1,255 career kills.
• Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven needs 28 assists to move into seventh place in the A&M career records for assists. She will pass Lexy Beers, who had 2,579 in her three-year career (2001-03).
• Freshmen middle blockers Lindsey Miller and Alisia Kastmo and freshman libero Tori Mellinger have played in every match this season. Miller has started all 14 matches and leads the starters with a .369 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 .351 hitting efficiency. Mellinger has played in all but three sets and has been the designated libero in each of the last 10 matches. She has posted double figures in digs in a team-leading nine matches, including in eight of the last eight matches, and she leads the team with 3.39 digs per set for the full season and 4.05 digs per set in Big 12 matches only.
• 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 3.10 digs per set for the full season and is second on the team with a 3.67 average in Big 12 matches only.
• 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. It also is the highest hitting percentage by a Big 12 team this season.
• 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. 9 Nebraska, No. 14 Iowa State and No. 17 Baylor. Saint Mary's, which defeated A&M, 3-1, in Moraga, Calif., also is receiving points and is listed 29th, and Northern Iowa, who A&M defeated earlier in the season, is receiving points and is 37th.
• 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 354-161 in her 17th year as head coach of the Aggies and 454-267 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 (.687). In addition, her 454 career wins leads all coaches in the Big 12 for Division I victories.
A LOOK AT THE BEARS
• Baylor (17-1, 6-1 Big 12) enters the match riding a six-match winning streak, including a 3-0 victory over then-No. 11 Iowa State, the highest ranked team Baylor has ever defeated.
• The Bears are in second place in the Big 12 standings with their only loss coming at No. 2-ranked and undefeated Texas in both teams' Big 12 opener on Sept. 16.
• Baylor is 8-0 in home matches.
• The Bears' No. 17 ranking is the highest in program history. They are making their first appearance in the top 25 this season since 2000, when they reached a then-record-high No. 19.
• Baylor leads the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage for both the full season (.129) and in conference matches only (.144).
• Senior middle blocker Anne Breyfogle leads the Big 12 in blocks per set for both the full season (1.52) and in Big 12 matches only (1.45). She is second in the league with a .392 hitting percentage for the full season.
• Senior setter Taylor Barnes leads the league with 24 total aces and 0.40 aces per set.
• Barnes was a senior at Arlington Martin High School when A&M's Stephanie Minnerly and Chelsea Ringel were sophomores at Martin in 2005. All three were named to the Texas state all-tournament team after leading the Warriors to the 2005 high school state championship and a 38-7 record, with Barnes collecting MVP honors.
• In Baylor's most recent outing, Katie Sanders led all players with 13 kills to lead the Bears to a 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 victory against Texas Tech in Lubbock on Wednesday. Baylor outhit the Red Raiders, .309 to .173 while posting 53 kills to Tech's 37.
• Baylor was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 according to a preseason vote of the league coaches. Senior middle blocker Anna Breyfogle and senior setter Taylor Barnes were both named to the preseason All-Big 12 Team after receiving first-team honors at the conclusion of the 2008 season.
• Jim Barnes (McNeese State `94) is 94-82 in his sixth season as head coach of the Bears.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
A&M faces No. 14 Iowa State on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Ames, Iowa, before returning to Reed Arena for a three-match homestand. The Cyclones are 13-3 overall and in third place in the Big 12 with a 5-2 record after defeating Oklahoma, 3-1, on Wednesday They are at Kansas on Saturday before returning home to host the Aggies. Last year, ISU tied A&M for fourth place in the Big 12 and reached the 2008 NCAA regional finals before being eliminated by Final-Four bound Texas.