Nov. 12, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Texas A&M (14-9, 7-8 Big 12) takes on its third consecutive top-20 opponent on Friday as the Aggies face No. 9 Nebraska (18-6, 11-4 Big 12) in a 7 p.m. match at Nebraska Coliseum in Lincoln.
The Aggies, who ended a 19-match losing skid against the Huskers with a 3-1 victory when the teams met in College Station in September, are aiming to return to the win column after losing their last three matches. In addition, A&M will be looking for its first-ever win in Lincoln, where the Aggies are 0-16.
A&M, tied with Missouri for sixth place in the Big 12 Conference, most recently fell to No. 8 Iowa State, 3-0, Wednesday at Reed Arena. That match followed back-to-back heartbreaking five-set losses to both Kansas State and No. 20 Baylor.
Nebraska, in third place in the Big 12 standings, has not played since sweeping the Cyclones on Saturday in Ames. Setter Sydney Anderson earned both AVCA National Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after directing the Husker offense to a .327 hitting percentage against the Cyclones. In addition, freshman Hannah Werth was named Big 12 Rookie of the week for her stellar play at Iowa State, as she tied for team-high honors with nine kills and also to team-high honors with 15 digs.
Texas A&M, which ranks third in the Big 12 with a .248 hitting percentage, entered the week leading the Big 12 and ranked second in the nation with 14.01 assists per set. In addition, the Aggies lead the conference and are ranked fifth in the country with 14.81 kills per set.
Aggie senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven (10.96 assists per set) directs a well-balanced and potent offense that has three players averaging more than 2.9 kills per set, including senior outside hitter Sarah Ammerman, who leads the team and is ranked second in the Big 12 with 4.30 kills and 4.75 points per set. Senior right-side hitter Jennifer Banse, who leads A&M's outside attackers with a .272 hitting efficiency, is second on the team and ninth in the Big 12 with 3.26 kills and 3.66 points per set. Senior outside hitter Mary Batis, who has started every match of her career and is ranked in A&M's top 10 records for career kills, points and digs, is averaging 2.25 kills per set for the full season.
Three players are averaging more than three digs per set, including Batis, who leads the team with a 3.39 dig average for the full season. Freshman libero Tori Mellinger is averaging 3.22 digs per set, and Ammerman averages 3.17 digs.
A&M-NEBRASKA SERIES RECORDS
• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 29-7, including 16-0 in matches played in Lincoln.
• A&M snapped a 19-match losing skid to against Nebraska earlier this season, defeating the sixth-ranked Huskers, 3-1 (28-26, 17-25, 25-19, 25-19) on Sept. 23 at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
• The Huskers are 24-3 against A&M in Big 12 matches only. All three of A&M's wins have been in College Station.
• A&M's other two Big 12 wins against the Huskers came in 1998 and 1999, both five-set victories at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station.
• Nebraska won both meetings last year, defeating A&M, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-13) in Lincoln on Oct. 22 and then holding off the Aggies, 3-2 (23-25, 25-17, 25-14, 20-25, 15-13) in College Station on Nov. 5.
MOST RECENT MEETING
Sarah Ammerman had 18 kills and Mary Batis added 14 to lead Texas A&M to a stunning 28-26, 17-25, 25-19, 25-19 victory over No. 6 Nebraska on Sept. 23 at Reed Arena in a match that was nationally televised on ESPNU. A&M fought off three set points in the first set to win the frame.
Batis began the second set with a kill from the back row, but Nebraska quickly put the set out of reach by reeling off the next 10 points. The Huskers hit .343 in the set while holding A&M to a .057 hitting efficiency to even the match at a set apiece.
A&M hit .333 in each of the next two sets, and although Nebraska outhit A&M, .253 to .236 and led in kills, 63-54, and blocks, 8.5-7, for the match, the Aggies held the Huskers to a .238 hitting percentage in the third and .211 in the fourth.
The third set was tied at 4-4 when a dump kill by Kristen Schevikhoven sparked a three-point run and gave the Aggies the lead for good. A&M later was serving for the set at 24-16 when Nebraska put down three consecutive kills to get within 24-19. The run was all for naught, as Nebraska then served into the net to give the Aggies the winning point.
A&M carried the momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 14-6 lead. The Huskers cut the gap to 20-17 before Jennifer Banse put down her seventh kill of the match and Batis followed with the match-winning kill.
Aggie freshman libero Tori Mellinger led the all players with a then-career-high 21 digs, and Batis and Ammerman added 15 and 14 digs, respectively. Kastmo and Lindsey Miller had seven kills apiece, and Miller led the Aggies with five blocks.
Tara Mueller led Nebraska with 21 kills, and Lindsey Licht added 13. Kayla Banwarth led the Huskers in digs with 20, and Kori Cooper finished with five blocks. The Huskers, however, committed 11 service errors to A&M's two.
AGGIE QUICK HITS
• After four consecutive weeks in the AVCA Top 25, Texas A&M dropped to 29th this week. A&M broke into the poll for the first time this season 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 team's No. 21 ranking on Oct. 19 marked A&M's highest ranking since being ranked No. 20 on Sept. 19, 2005.
• A&M has two wins against Top 25 opponents this season and is 2-5 overall against ranked opponents. In its first match against a ranked opponent, A&M upset No. 6 Nebraska, 3-1, in College Station. It marked A&M's first win against a top-10 team since defeating No. 9 Texas, 3-1, on Oct. 16, 2004, at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station. Furthermore, it was A&M's first victory against a team ranked No. 6 or higher since defeating No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-0, on Dec. 7, 2001, in the NCAA regional semifinals. The other ranked victory this season was at No. 17 Baylor, 3-1, on Oct. 10. Losses were two apiece against both No. 2 Texas and No. 13/8 Iowa State and against No. 20 Baylor on Nov. 7 in College Station.
• The last time A&M defeated two ranked opponents in the same year was 2005 with victories over No. 23 Saint Mary's and No. 24 Colorado. A&M has not tallied three ranked wins in the same season since 2004, when the Aggies went 4-7 against ranked teams.
• A&M leads the Big 12 for fewest aces allowed (0.57) and is second for aces per set (1.21) for the full season. Freshman libero Mary Batis leads the team with 0.22 aces per set in conference matches only.
• A&M has three players averaging more than three digs per set for the full season: Sarah Ammerman, 3.17 dps. Batis also leads the team with 3.49 dps in Big 12 matches only after posting 18 digs in the three-set loss to Iowa State on Wednesday.
• Add middle blocker to sophomore Kelsey Black's list of positions played. The 5-11 Amarillo, Texas native was the Aggies' designated libero as a freshman. This season, she as backed up both the left and right-side hitters and also come in as a defensive specialist. In the third set against No. 2 Texas on Oct. 28, the versatile Black was inserted as a middle blocker. She finished the match with two kills and a solo block. Black then drew her first start off the season at Kansas as a middle blocker and tied for the team lead with a career-high five blocks. She tied her career high and led the team with five blocks at Kansas State. Over the last four matches only, Black is tied for the team lead with 0.88 blocks per set. She also is averaging 1.53 kills and 2.47 digs per set.
• A&M entered the week ranked 23rd in the nation for home attendance, averaging 1,681 per match at Reed Arena. The Aggies set an all-time home attendance record with 3,876 at the Texas match on Oct. 28. It broke the previous record of 3,778 set against Texas on Oct. 24, 2003, at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
• A&M is listed 42nd in the NCAA RPI ranking, released on Monday. A&M is 3-7 against teams in the RPI top 50, including wins against Nebraska, Northern Iowa and Baylor.
• Sarah Ammerman has registered more than 20 kills three times in the last four matches and is averaging 5.12 kills and 5.59 points while hitting .264 during that stretch. The senior had 21 kills and hit .391 at Kansas on Oct. 31 to give her 1,348 kills for her career and move her into eighth place in the A&M records. Ammerman then had an A&M season-high 22 kills in the loss at Kansas State on Wednesday. She bettered that performance with 26 kills and a season-high 26.5 points in a loss to No. 23 Baylor in the following match. It was her team-leading fifth 20-plus kill performance of the season. Against Iowa State on Wednesday, Ammerman had 18 kills in three sets.
• Ammerman needs four kills to move into seventh place in the A&M career kill records. She will pass Margaret Spence, who had 1,417 career kills from 1983-86.
• Mary Batis, who ranks fourth in the A&M career records with 1520.5 points and is ninth in career kills with 1,344, had a team-high 18 digs against Iowa State to give her 1,272 digs for her career and move her from seventh place to fifth place in the A&M career charts. She jumped both Kristie Smedsrud (1994-97) and Suzy Wente (1992-95) in the rankings.
• Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven is seventh in the A&M career records with 2,867 assists.
• Freshman libero Tori Mellinger, who has posted double figures in digs in 13 of the last 17 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.
• Sarah Ammerman 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 3.17 digs per set for the full season and is second on the team with 3.42 digs per set in Big 12 matches.
• 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's .460 hitting percentage against Virginia is the second highest by a Big 12 team this season.
• 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 357-167 in her 17th year as head coach of the Aggies and 457-273 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 (.682).
A LOOK AT NEBRASKA
• Nebraska is 18-6 overall and is in third place in the Big 12 with an 11-4 conference record. The Huskers are 8-3 in home matches.
• The Huskers are coming off a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-23) victory over No. 8 Iowa State Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Nebraska, which had a mid-week bye, moved up one spot to No. 9 in the AVCA Top 25 following the sweep against the Cyclones.
• Junior setter Sydney Anderson was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Huskers to wins against Missouri and No. 8 Iowa State last week. She directed the offense to a .384 hitting percentage for the week, dishing out 13.67 assists per set. She helped Nebraska hit a season-high .451 against the Tigers. At ISU, Anderson had 39 assists and a season-high three aces as NU hit .327, becoming the first team in 34 matches to hit .300 or better against the Cyclones.
• Lindsey Licht, Kori Cooper and Hannah Werth all led the Huskers with nine kills apiece against ISU. Werth, the Big 12 Rookie of the Week, also led the Huskers with 15 digs, and Cooper had a team-high three blocks.
• Werth leads the team with 3.19 kills per set for the full season and 3.45 kps in Big 12 contests only. Brooke Delano is averaging a team-best 1.17 blocks per set and is hitting a team-high .348 for the full season, and Kayla Banwarth leads the Huskers and is second in the Big 12 with 4.69 digs per set.
• In Big 12 matches only, Nebraska leads the league with 14.79 kills, 13.91 assists and 1.32 aces per set. Individually, Cooper leads the conference with a .361 in Big 12 matches only, and Anderson is second in the league with 11.75 assists per set. In addition, Brooke Delano is third in the league with 1.13 blocks per set and fifth with a .335 hitting efficiency.
• Nebraska was picked to finish second in the Big 12, according to a preseason vote of the league coaches. The Huskers have won or tied for the Big 12 championship 12 of 13 seasons. Kansas State is the only other school to have won the Big 12 title outright, having captured the championship in 2003.
• John Cook (San Diego `79) is 460-98 in his 17th season as a head coach, including 299-25 in his 10th season at the helm of the Huskers.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
A&M heads to Norman, Okla., to take on a hot Oklahoma Sooner team that is in fourth place in the Big 12 and on the brink of breaking into the Top 25. The Sooners are receiving votes and listed 27th in this week's poll. First serve against the Sooners, who swept the Aggies in College Station, is at 7 p.m. at McCasland Field House.