Oct. 20, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
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No. 21 Texas A&M (13-4, 6-3 Big 12) concludes the first half of the Big 12 Conference schedule on Wednesday as the Aggies play host to the Oklahoma Sooners (12-6, 5-4 Big 12). First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena, where the Aggies are a perfect 7-0 this season.
It will be Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night at Reed, and any A&M faculty, staff and their family members can purchase $3 discounted tickets online at 12thmanfoundation.com/tickets/ticketbox.asp by entering the promo code that was emailed to faculty and staff members.
Live video streaming and audio of the match will be available free of charge at AggieAthletics.com, with Matt Simon calling the action. The broadcast also can be heard on 95.1-3 on the FM dial of an HD Radio.
A&M, in fourth place in the Big 12 standings but only one game behind second-place Nebraska and Iowa State, remained undefeated in home matches by defeating Colorado, 25-17, 25-11, 23-25, 25-17, Saturday at Reed Arena.
Oklahoma will be facing its fourth consecutive ranked opponent and its fifth ranked opponent over the last six matches when the Sooners take on the Aggies. The Sooners, however, upset No. 19 Baylor, 3-2 (25-13, 21-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-12) on Saturday in Norman and are currently in sixth place in the Big 12.
Texas A&M leads the nation in both assists (14.28) and kills (15.09) per set and is ninth in the country and second in the Big 12 with a .275 hitting efficiency. The Aggies also lead the league with 1.38 aces per set and are ranked third in the conference with 16.59 digs per set for the full season.
Aggie senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven, second in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation with 11.54 assists per set, directs a well-balanced A&M offense that has three players averaging more than three kills per set, including senior outside hitter Sarah Ammerman, who leads the team and is ranked third in the Big 12 with 4.15 kills and 4.58 points per set. Senior right-side hitter Jennifer Banse is second on the team and sixth in the Big 12 for both kills (3.43) and points (3.81) points per set, and senior outside hitter Mary Batis, who is ranked in A&M's top 10 records for career kills, points and digs, is averaging 3.08 kills per set for the full season.
Freshmen middle blockers Lindsey Miller and Alisia Kastmo also are an offensive threat and are hitting a combined .325.
Meanwhile, freshman libero Tori Mellinger anchors the back row defense and has posted double figures in digs in 10 of the last 12 matches. The Lake Highlands High School product leads the Aggies and is ranked seventh in the Big 12 with 4.03 digs per set in league contests only.
A&M-OKLAHOMA SERIES RECORDS
• A&M leads the all-time series, 31-5 since 1976 ,including 11-2 in matches played in College Station and 22-4 in Big 12 matches only.
• A&M swept the season series last year, although both matches were decided in five sets.
• A&M's first win in the season series last year snapped a four-match, two-year losing skid against the Sooners, who had never defeated A&M in Big 12 play prior to 2006.
• Last year in College Station, Jennifer Banse and Kelsey Black posted career-high digs with 24 and 22, respectively, to lift Texas A&M to a 26-28, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 15-8 victory over Oklahoma at G. Rollie White Coliseum and snap A&M's four-match losing streak against the Sooners. There were eight ties and five lead changes in the decisive fifth set before A&M ran away with the win. The Sooners held an 8-7 lead when the teams switched courts, but it was all A&M after the changeover as the Aggies did not allow Oklahoma to score another point in the match.
A&M outhit the Sooners, .258 to .175, for the match, posting 70 kills to Oklahoma's 57. Bridget Laplante led the Sooners with 14 kills, and Caitlin Higgins and Francie Ekwerekwu had 12 kills apiece.
In Norman, Sarah Ammerman had a team season-high 26 kills and Batis added 16 kills to lead Texas A&M to a 15-25, 25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 15-8 victory over the Sooners at McCasland Field House. Black led the Aggies in digs with 24. Batis pitched in 19 digs, and Banse and Ammerman added 14 and 13 digs, respectively.
Ekwerekwu led the Sooners with 19 kills while hitting .359. Laplante added 13 kills, and Lacy Barnes led OU in digs with 22.
AGGIE QUICK HITS
• A&M moved up one spot to No. 21 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll. It marks A&M's highest ranking since being ranked No. 20 on Sept. 19, 2005. The Aggies broke into the poll at No. 22 on Oct. 12, marking A&M's first appearance in the Top 25 since the Aggies made a one-week appearance at No. 25 on Sept. 10, 2007.
• The Aggies lead the nation with 14.28 assists and 15.09 kills per set and are ranked eighth in the country with a .275 hitting percentage. A&M is ranked 31st in the nation with 16.59 digs per set.
• As for individuals listed among the national statistical leaders, setter Kristen Schevikhoven is 13th with 11.54 assists per set. Outside hitter Sarah Ammerman is 35th with 4.15 kills per set and 39th with 4.58 points per set, and middle blocker Lindsey Miller ranks 100th with a .330 hitting percentage.
• Texas A&M has led or tied its opponents in service aces in 15 of 16 matches and averages a league-leading 1.38 aces per set for the full season and 1.19 aces per set in Big 12 matches only. In addition, the Aggies are second in the league for fewest aces allowed with 0.60 per set for the full season.
• A&M is 7-0 in home matches for only the sixth time in the 35 years of the program. The last time A&M won its first seven home matches was 2002.
• A&M has three players averaging more than three kills per set for the full season: Sarah Ammerman, 4.15 kps; Jennifer Banse, 3.43 kps; and Mary Batis, 3.08 kps. In addition, three players are averaging more than three digs per set: Tori Mellinger, 3.51 dps; Batis, 3.43 dps; and Ammerman, 3.19 dps.
• Sarah Ammerman has posted double figures in kills in a career-best 10 consecutive matches. Her previous longest streak for double-digit kills was seven to close out the 2008 season.
• Freshman libero Tori Mellinger, who has posted double figures in digs in 10 of the last 12 matches, has taken team-high honors in digs in a team-leading eight matches. Mellinger set a career high and led all players with 24 digs in the 3-1 win at No. 17 Baylor. At the time, her 24 digs equaled the most by any player in the Big 12 in a four-set conference match this season.
• Ammerman ranks ninth in the A&M career record books with 1,307 kills. She needs 23 more kills to move into eighth place, surpassing Elizabeth Edmiston, who had 1,329 from 1989-92. Ammerman also is third in career points with 1481.5.
• Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven is seventh in the A&M career records with 2,664 assists, and Mary Batis is fourth in career points (1,452), ninth in digs (1,196) and 10th in kills (1,283).
• 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 3.19 digs per set for the full season and a 3.62 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.
• A&M is 2-2 against Top 25 opponents with wins against No. 6 Nebraska and at No. 17 Baylor. Losses were at No. 2 Texas and at No. 13 Iowa State. The Aggies 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. 5 Nebraska, No. 14 Iowa State and No. 23 Baylor. Northern Iowa, who A&M defeated earlier in the season, is receiving points and is 29th.
• The Aggies, who tied eventual NCAA-regional finalist Iowa State for fourth place in the Big 12 with an 11-9 league record 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 356-162 in her 17th year as head coach of the Aggies and 456-268 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).
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
• Oklahoma is 12-6 overall and in sixth place in the Big 12 with a 5-4 league mark.
• The match against the No. 21 Aggies will be the Sooners' fourth consecutive match --- and fifth out of the last six matches -- against a ranked opponent. OU is 1-4 against Top 25 teams.
• Sophomore right side Suzy Boulavsky was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The Houston native led OU to a five-set upset victory over No. 19 Baylor while recording her first career double-double with career-highs in both kills (21) and digs (20). Boulavsky also compiled a .455 hitting percentage while committing just one attack error in 44 attempts against the Bears.
• OU's most recent road win against a ranked opponent occurred last year as the Sooners stunned No. 3 Texas in Austin, 3-2 (25-21, 9-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13) on Oct. 29.
• While A&M leads the Big 12 with 1.38 aces per set, OU is allowing opponents to a conference-best 0.57 aces per set.
• The Sooners are 4-3 at away matches, including 2-2 in away Big 12 contests.
• Sophomore starting setter Brianne Barker (9.55 aps), a two-time Texas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, and A&M sophomore Kelsey Black were teammates at Amarillo High School. The pair led the Lady Sandies to back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007.
• Freshman libero Maria Fernanda is second in the Big 12 with 4.86 digs per set overall, as well as 5.14 digs per set in conference matches only. As a team, OU is ranked ninth in the nation with 17.73 dps.
• OU was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 according to a preseason vote of the league coaches.
• Santiago Restrepo (East Stroudsburg, 1986) is 92-77 in his sixth season as head coach at Oklahoma.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Aggies have a bye before returning to Reed Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 28 for a nationally televised State Farm Lone Star Showdown match against No. 2 Texas. The match begins at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live by ESPNU. Beth Mowins will call the play-by-play, and Cathy Nelson will provide color.