Texas A&M
17-10, 10-9Big 12
Colorado
7-21, 2-17Big 12
Volleyball Conclude Road Schedule With Sweep at Colorado
Nov 25, 2009 | Volleyball
Nov. 25, 2009
BOULDER, Colo. - Mary Batis posted a match-high 13 kills to lead Texas A&M to a 25-21, 25-19, 25-15 victory against Colorado tonight at the Coors Events Center.
It was the third consecutive victory for the Aggies, who close out their regular season road schedule and improve to 17-10 overall and 10-9 in the Big 12.
Colorado suffers its fourth consecutive match and drops to 7-21, 2-17.
The Aggies tied a season high for blocks in a three-set match with 10. Jennifer Banse led A&M with five blocks apiece.
"I thought this may be one of our best blocking matches," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We got into a really good rhythm with our block, and we felt like we had a good feel for their attackers coming at us. I think the team really handled the blocking and the defense really well."
A&M struggled offensively but still managed to outhit the Buffaloes, .160 to .053. The Aggies posted 45 kills to CU's 27 kills.
"I was disappointed in our attack errors," Corbelli said. "Maybe we were trying to be a little to aggressive, misreading. We just made some unfamiliar errors, but overall I thought the game as a whole was pretty well played, and we just were happy to get a 3-0 win. That really was our focus, and to not be in your complete rhythm and still be able to pull out a win, I thought was really important for us, and a lot of people got to play and so we are really pleased. "
A&M used a 9-1 run to take an 11-5 lead in the opening set, but the Buffs fought back, using a five-point rally to tie the score at 16. Setter Kristen Schevikhoven ended the run and began a four-point streak for the Aggies with a dink kill. Trailing 20-16, the Buffs scored three unanswered points but were unable to take the lead. The teams traded points until, with A&M leading 22-21, the Aggies posted three consecutive kills, including the set-winner by Batis, who had seven kills in the set.
Colorado reeled off five straight points to build its biggest lead of the second set at 8-5. The Buffs kept the three-point lead at 11-8 before A&M scored four to take a 12-11 lead. A CU kill and an A&M attack error returned the lead to the Buffs, 13-12, but A&M came back with four consecutive points to regain the lead at 16-13. A&M would stay ahead for the remainder of the set and were up 23-19 when Sarah Ammerman posted a kill to put the Aggies at set point. CU then hit into the net to end the set.
CU scored the first point of the third set but the Aggies quickly got on track and went on a 9-1 run and went on to build its biggest lead at 14-4. Colorado later scored five unanswered points to cut the gap to 16-11, but A&M countered with seven straight points, four of the points coming on blocks. CU got a kill but Kastmo answered with a kill to put A&M at match point. CU scored three straight before Batis put down the clinching kill.
Libero Jennifer Banse also reached double figures with 10 digs each.
Ammerman, from Parker, Colo., had seven kills to move into sixth place in the A&M career records with 1,465.
Becah Fogle led the Buffs with 12 kills, and Sofia Lindroth led all players with 19 digs.
A&M closes out the regular season Saturday at home against Missouri. It will be "Senior Day" at the match, which begins at 4 p.m. at Reed Arena, and A&M's six seniors -- Mary Batis, Kristen Schevikhoven -- will be recognized in a ceremony following the match.
"Now we are totally focused on Missouri," Corbelli said. "Saturday we are going to honor these girls who most have been with the program for four years. I get a chance to have probably a lot of tears, but also a lot of emotion on how strong we want to finish our season. They are all going to have a lot of memories and a lot of things in their heads that are going to be hard for them at first, but I know that in the end that these guys are going to be determined to have one of the best matches of their lives, so we are really excited about it."
