Texas A&M
13-4, 6-3Big 12
Colorado
6-12,1-8Big 12
Volleyball Improves to 7-0 at Home With Victory Against Colorado
Oct 17, 2009 | Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2009
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Sarah Ammerman [mp3]
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Sarah Ammerman hit .486 with 21 kills and 15 digs to lead No. 22 Texas A&M to a 25-17, 25-11, 23-25, 25-17 victory over Colorado and keep the Aggies undefeated at Reed Arena.
With the win, the Aggies improve to 13-4 overall, including a perfect 7-0 in home matches. A&M also moves to 6-3 in Big 12 matches.
Colorado, which was coming off its first Big 12 victory, falls to 6-12, 1-8.
"We're really excited to get another Big 12 win," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "It was really important for us to keep our win streak alive at Reed Arena and that we find a way to get the job done. Especially coming off a tough road trip, we were bound and determined to get this win."
The Aggies got off to a sluggish start, as Colorado's first eight points of the match were the result of A&M errors. There were six ties before Colorado took its first lead at 11-10 on an ace by Rosie Steinhaus, but A&M quickly regained the lead as Jennifer Banse put down a kill and Kristen Schevikhoven dumped the ball for a kill to put A&M ahead, 14-12.
Colorado cut the lead to a point three times, the last coming at 16-15 before A&M used a 5-1 run to break out to a 21-16 advantage. Kerra Schroeder got a kill for Colorado before A&M reeled off four consecutive points to close out the set.
Ammerman had seven kills in the set.
The Aggies, who outhit Colorado, .293 to .139 in the opening set, got on track in the second set, posting a .333 hitting percentage while holding the Buffaloes to a -.037 hitting efficiency. Leading 7-5, the Aggies used a 7-point run, including two aces by Banse, to pull away. A&M continued to widen the margin, using a 5-1 spurt to take a 23-9 lead. The teams then exchanged kills for the remainder of the frame, with Miller getting the set winner.
"I think (Colorado was) out of system," Corbelli said. "If they did get a dig, it wasn't something they could get an attack off of. They had a lot of back-row attacking at us, trying to avoid our block or hit deep in our court. The team did a nice job of staying patient in the back court and turning it into a transition attack kill."
There were 20 ties and 10 lead changes in the third set as Corbelli mixed up the lineup. Banse and Kelsey Black got back-to-back kills to return the lead to A&M at 22-21, and the Aggies kept the lead at 23-22 when Colorado's Becah Fogle put down a kill to tie the score. A&M, which was outhit, .316 to .270, then committed consecutive attack errors to end the set.
"Whenever you replace your setter and your libero for at least half the set, you are going to see a little different play," Corbelli said. "It's an adjustment for everyone. We just didn't adjust quickly enough. I thought we had a good shot at getting that set. I don't think it was any one person or any particular reason. They got hot."
Colorado jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth set before the Aggies began their comeback. Trailing, 8-6, Miller and Banse posted kills and Colorado had an attack error to give A&M its first lead at 9-8. The Aggies went on to build a 13-10 lead, but the Buffs scored three consecutive points to tie the score. A&M then went on a 6-1 run to build a 19-14 lead. The Aggies continued to hold the lead at 21-17 before erupting for four unanswered points to end the match.
"I have complete faith in my team," Corbelli said about her team's ability to come back in the fourth set. "Sarah takes over with her leadership and talking to her team all night long about what they wanted to achieve and how they were going to do it. I trusted that they would creep back into it, and they did. I didn't call a timeout. I wanted them to dig deeper and find a way to get themselves back in it without my help. I didn't think they needed my help. They did it themselves."
Banse finished the match with 15 kills and 14 digs, and Schevikhoven posted 11 digs and 33 assists as A&M outhit Colorado, .319 to .148 for the match.
Steinhaus led the Buffs with 13 kills, and Schroeder and Fogle added 10 kills apiece.
The Aggies continue their home stand Wednesday as they play host to Oklahoma. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. It will be Faculty Appreciation Night, and any A&M faculty member can use the emailed promo code to get into the match for $3.
