Dec. 9, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Texas A&M (20-10) returns to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2003 and faces rival and No. 2 seed Texas (26-1) in the semifinals of the, four-team, all-Big 12 NCAA Omaha Regional on Friday. First serve is slated for 4:30 p.m. at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.
The winner will face the winner between Big 12 foes Iowa State (27-4), the No. 7 seed, and Nebraska (25-6), the No. 10 seed, for the right to advance to the Final Four. The regional final will be played Saturday at 8 p.m. and will be televised live by ESPNU.
Free live audio of A&M matches will be available at AggieAthletics.com with David Ellis calling the action. Live stats of all NCAA matches will be available at NCAA.com.
The Aggies, making their 18th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament, as well as their eighth all-time regional appearance, advanced to the Omaha Regional by knocking off 19th-ranked Arizona of the Pac-10, 3-1, in the first round and upsetting No. 15 seed and Southeastern Conference champion LSU, 3-2, in the second round at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La., last weekend.
Texas is making its 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament after receiving an automatic berth by winning the Big 12 Conference title with a 19-1 record. The Longhorns enter the regional semifinal having won their last eight matches, including sweeps against both Texas State and TCU in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym in Austin.
A&M enters regional play riding a six-match winning streak. The Aggies finished conference play with an 11-9 mark and tied with Baylor and Oklahoma for fourth place in the Big 12, which leads the nation with five teams in the NCAA regionals.
Texas (26-1, 19-1 Big 12), a national semifinalist last year, is making its fourth consecutive and 22nd overall NCAA Regional appearance. The Longhorns won the national championship in 1988.
Iowa State (27-4, 17-3 Big 12) is the No. 7 seed after finishing second in the Big 12. The Cyclones, who handed Texas its only loss of the season, are making their fifth NCAA appearance, including their fourth consecutive appearance. Last year, ISU advanced to the regional final, where it fell to Texas in four sets.
Nebraska (25-6, 16-4 Big 12), the No. 10 seed and the third-place finisher from the Big 12, has seen tremendous success in the NCAA Tournament and is making its 28th consecutive appearance. The Huskers, who reached the national semifinals last year, have won three national titles, most recently in 2006 at the Qwest Center. They entered this year's tournament with a 77-24 (.762) in their previous 27 NCAA Tournament appearances, ranking second among NCAA schools in wins and winning percentage.
TEXAS A&M TOURNAMENT NOTES
Texas A&M is making its 18 overall appearance (1981, '82, '85, '86, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, '98,' 99, '00, `01, `02, `03, `04, `05, `09) in the NCAA tournament since the inception of the event in 1981...The Aggies are 22-17 (.564) in NCAA tournament matches, including 20-13 (.606) in 14 NCAA appearances under 17th-year head coach Laurie Corbelli...With the first-round win against Arizona, A&M improved to 13-1 in opening matches, including 12-1 in first-round matches -- A&M had a first-round bye in 1995 --- with Corbelli at the helm...A&M improved to 14-3 all-time in first-round matches, including 6-3 in first-round matches played on the road...The wins against Arizona and LSU in Baton Rouge, La., last weekend marked the first time A&M has won more than one NCAA road match in a single NCAA Tournament...The Aggies are making their first NCAA appearance since 2005, a year before any current players joined the team. A&M was making its 13th consecutive at-large appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2005 and fell to Northwestern, 30-26, 20-30, 28-30, 30-27, 15-12, in the first round at the Joyce Center on the University of Notre Dame campus. It was the first time A&M lost an opening round match in 13 years with Corbelli as head coach...A&M's best finish in the NCAA tournament were regional final, Elite Eight appearances in 1999 and 2001...The Aggies entered the 2009 NCAAs 5-8 against the tournament field. A&M is 2-6 against teams in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen...A&M, which was swept by Texas in both meetings in the regular season, is 1-2 against the Longhorns in NCAA tournament play...The teams last met in the postseason in 2001 with A&M defeating the Longhorns, 3-0 (30-24, 30-22, 30-27) in the second round in College Station... The Big 12, ranked the third toughest conference in the nation according to RichKern.com, has a record-five teams in the NCAA Regionals, the most of any conference: No. 2 seed Texas, No. 7 seed Iowa State and No. 10 seed Nebraska, who all join Texas A&M in the Omaha Regional, and Baylor, which faces No. 9 seed California in the semifinals of the Gainesville Regional. Oklahoma also earned an at-large berth to the tournament but fell to Southern California in the first round of the Stanford Regional.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
Thirty-one conferences were awarded automatic qualification, and the remaining 33 slots were filled with at-large selections...The Pac-10 Conference led all conferences with eight teams selected. The Big 10 and the Big 12 garnered six teams each...The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. Penn State is the No. 1 seed and heads up the Gainesville Regional. No. 2 Texas was placed in the Omaha Regional, No. 3 Florida State is in the Minneapolis Regional and No. 4 Stanford is in the Stanford Regional...Sixteen first-and second-round matches were played Dec 3-6 on the campuses of participating institutions...Winners advance to one of the four predetermined regional tournaments to be played Dec. 11-12...The four regional winners will meet at the Final Four to be hosted by the University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Fla., Dec. 17 and 19...Two-time defending champion Penn State is aiming to become the first team to win three consecutive national titles...For complete tournament bracket and information, visit the NCAA official Website at www.NCAA.com.
TEAM PROFILES
• Texas A&M enters the tournament leading the nation in both assists (14.25) and kills (15.08) per set and is 23rd in the country with 17.10 digs per set. In addition, the Aggies are ranked 41st in the nation with a .247 hitting percentage...The Aggies are led by All-Big 12 first-team members Sarah Ammerman, a senior outside hitter who averages a team-best 4.28 kills and 4.68 points per set, and Jennifer Banse, a senior right side hitter who ranks second on the squad with 3.40 kills and 3.77 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 2.96 kills and 3.40 points per set and leads the team with 3.36 digs and 0.22 aces per set...Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven directs A&M's well-balanced offense and is ranked 20th in the nation with 11.29 assists per set...The middle is headed up by Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection Lindsey Miller, who has started every match and leads the starters with 0.85 blocks per set, and freshman Alisia Kastmo, who leads the starters and is eighth in the Big 12 with a .308 hitting percentage...Freshman libero Tori Mellinger leads the team with 21 double-figure dig performances and is averaging 3.32 digs per set...A&M is a combined 11-6 in matches played away from home this season...The Aggies have reached the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2007 and only the second time since 2003 when they advanced to the regional semifinals.
• Texas (26-1) is led by Big 12 Player of the Year and All-American outside hitter Destinee Hooker, who ranks third in the nation with 5.9 points per set and is fifth in the country with 4.88 points per set...As a team, the Longhorns, who were No. 1 in the latest NCAA RPI, are second in the nation with a .339 hitting percentage, fifth with 3.04 blocks per set, 15th with 14.49 kills per set and 21st with 13.27 assists per set...Senior All-American setter/opposite Ashley Engle and junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette joined Hooker on the All-Big 12 first team, and freshman outside hitter Bailey Webster was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team...Texas is 11-1 against teams ranked in the Top 25, including 5-1 against teams ranked in the top 10....Jerritt Elliott (Cal State Northridge `91) is 209-63 in his ninth season as head coach of the Horns.
• Iowa State (27-4) is paced by senior setter Kaylee Manns, who leads the Big 12 and is ranked third in the nation with 12.22 assists per set. Her primary target is junior outside hitter Victoria Henson, who is second in the league with 4.70 points per set and third in the Big 12 with 4.13 kills per set...Defensively, ISU leads the Big 12 and is ranked fifth in the country with 18.38 digs per set. In addition, the Cyclones lead the Big 12 for hitting percentage allowed as they are holding opponents to a .144 hitting efficiency...Junior libero Ashley Mass leads the Big 12 and is ranked ninth in the nation with 5.51 digs per set...Big 12 Coach of the Year Christy Johnson-Lynch (Nebraska `96) is 105-57 in her fifth season at the helm of the Cyclones. She has led ISU to its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament, having reached the Sweet 16 in 2007 and landed a program-best Elite Eight finish in 2008.
• Nebraska (25-6) is led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 honorable mention Hannah Werth, a 6-1 outside hitter averaging 3.24 kills per set...All-Big 12 first-team selection Brooke Delano, a sophomore middle blocker, is averaging a team-best 1.14 blocks per set and is hitting a team-high .347 for the full season, and Kayla Banwarth leads the Huskers and is second in the Big 12 with 4.95 digs per set...Nebraska went 1-1 against both Iowa State and Texas A&M this season and is 0-2 against Texas...John Cook (San Diego `79) is 468-98 in his 17th season as a head coach, including 306-25 in his 10th season at the helm of the Huskers.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Texas A&M vs. Texas
• Texas has won the last 11 matches against A&M and is 61-22 in the all-time series since 1976.
• Texas swept the Aggies in both regular season meetings this season and has won 11 consecutive sets against the Aggies. The last time A&M took a set off the Longhorns was Oct. 15, 2008, as the Aggies took the second set in a 3-1 loss.
• The Aggies' most recent victory against the Longhorns was Oct. 16, 2004. No. 20 A&M upset No. 9 Texas, 32-34, 30-24, 30-27, 30-21, in front of 3,150 at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station.
• Texas leads 7-6 in matches played at neutral sites.
• In Big 12 matches only, Texas leads, 18-10
• Texas is 2-1 against A&M in NCAA matches. A&M won the most recent postseason match-up, sweeping the Longhorns, 30-24, 30-22, 30-27, on Dec. 1, 2001, in College Station.
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
• A&M leads ISU, 24-7, since the teams first met in 1981, including 22-6 in Big 12 matches only.
• In 2006, the Cyclones snapped a 21-match losing skid against the Aggies and have now won six of the last eight meetings, including three-set sweeps in each of the two meetings this season.
• The teams had split the season series the previous two years with each team winning on its home floor.
• A&M and ISU have never met in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M vs. Nebraska
• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 30-7, including 17-0 in matches played in Nebraska.
• A&M snapped a 19-match losing skid to 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 on ESPNU.
• The Huskers are 25-3 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.
• A&M and Nebraska have never met in the NCAA Tournament.
A&M RECENT RESULTS
The Aggies, who were making their first NCAA appearance since 2005, had several career performances en route to an NCAA first-round 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23) victory over No. 19 Arizona. Senior right-side hitter Sarah Ammerman, who was held out of the match for violating a team rule, added a personal-best 17 kills and pitched in 14 digs, and freshman middle blocker Mary Batis joined Banse and Black with double-doubles, posting 11 kills and 15 digs. Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven also accomplished the feat with a season-high 59 assists and 19 digs. A&M finished with 68 kills and hit .212 in the match. Arizona (19-11), which got 18 kills apiece from Tiffany Owens and Whitney Dosty had 54 kills while hitting .193. The Wildcats led in blocks, 12-7.
The Aggies then stunned No. 15 seed, 18th-ranked and SEC champion LSU, 3-2 (18-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 15-10) in the second round. Ammerman returned and had 26 kills while hitting .396, and Banse added 20 kills while hitting .348 to lead the Aggies to their first five-set victory of the season. A&M, which entered the contest 0-3 in five-set matches, won the match despite an incredible performance by SEC Player of the Year Brittnee Cooper, who had 28 kills and zero errors in 40 attempts for a blistering .700 hitting percentage. The 6-3 senior middle blocker also had nine blocks as the Tigers outhit A&M, .325 to .290 and outblocked the Aggies, 16-8. There were a total of 60 ties and 29 lead changes during the, back-and-forth, tightly contested match.
AGGIE QUICK HITS
• This is the first NCAA Tournament for all players on the 2009 A&M roster. The Aggies last made an NCAA appearance in 2005, when this year's seniors were in their final year of high school.
• Senior right-side hitter Jennifer Banse was named to CVU.com's "Top Performers" list after leading the Aggies to NCAA victories against No. 19 Arizona and No. 18 LSU last weekend. Banse posted the first 20-plus kill performance of her career with 23 in the win against Arizona in the NCAA first round. She then reached the 20-kill mark in the following match, with 20 in the win against No. 18 LSU. In addition, the San Antonio native hit .340 and .348 in the respective matches. She also had 20 digs against Arizona to post the first 20-20 performance of her career, as well as the only 20-20 match by an Aggie this season.
• With the wins against No. 19 Arizona and No. 18 LSU, A&M has posted consecutive wins against ranked opponents for the first time since 2004 when the Aggies defeated No. 8 California (Sept. 11, 2004) in Berkeley, Calif., and then defeated No. 24 Kansas (Sept. 17, 2004) in College Station. The 1999 NCAA regional finalist team posted five consecutive wins against Top 25 teams.
• A&M now has four wins against ranked opponents and is 4-6 overall against Top 25 opponents. The last time A&M had four ranked wins was in 2004, when the Aggies went 4-7 against ranked teams. The last time A&M had more than four ranked wins in a season was 1999, when the Aggies went 9-4 against Top 25 teams and advanced to the NCAA Mountain Regional finals.
• In A&M's first match against a ranked opponent this season, the Aggies 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.
• Seniors Sarah Ammerman and Jennifer Banse are the first A&M players to be named to the All-Big 12 First Team since Christi Hahn received the honor in 2006. This is the first year A&M has had two selections on the first team since former All-Americans Melissa Munsch and Laura Jones were named to the 2004 squad. Freshman Lindsey Miller (MB, 6-2) is A&M's first representative on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, which was formed in 2007.
• Sarah Ammerman tied a season high with 26 kills against LSU, giving her 1,502 career kills and catapulting her from sixth place to fourth place in the A&M records. She passed Cheri Steensma, who had 1,477 kills from 1985-88, and former two-time All-American Melissa Munsch, who had 1,479 kills from 2001-04.
• Sarah Ammerman also had six digs against LSU to give her 1,003 for her career. She became the 18th player in A&M history to reach the 1,000-dig career and the 10th player in A&M history to reach the 1,000-career landmark in both digs and kills.
• Mary Batis is ranked in the A&M top 10 for career points, kills and digs. She is fourth in points with 1610.0 and fifth in digs with 1,354. She had 12 kills against LSU to give her 1,419 for her career and move her into eighth place in the A&M career kill records.
• Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven, who ranks 20th in the nation with 11.29 assists per set and directs an Aggie offense that is ranked No. 1 in the nation in both assists and kills per set, had a season-high 59 assists in the win against Arizona to move into fifth place in the A&M career records. She now has 3,172 for her career to pass Kari Kelley, who recorded 3,098 assists from 2002-05.
• Freshman libero Tori Mellinger has played in 103 of 106 sets this season and has reached double figures in digs in a team-leading 21 matches, including eight of the last nine matches. In addition, she has taken team-high honors in digs in a team-leading 12 matches. Mellinger set a career high and led all players with 24 digs in the 3-1 win at No. 17 Baylor. She is second on the team with 3.32 digs per set for the full season, and is averaging 3.67 digs per set in NCAA play.
• Aggie freshmen middle blockers Alisia Kastmo and Lindsey Miller are hitting a combined .307 for the full season. Kastmo leads the team and is ranked eighth in the Big 12 with a .308 hitting percentage for the full season. Miller, who has started every match and played in a team-leading 104-of-106 sets, ranks ninth in the Big 12 with a .307 hitting percentage for the full season. As a team, A&M is hitting .247, ranking 41st in the nation.
• Sophomore Sarah Ammerman and responded with a career-high 17 kills and recorded the first double-double of her career as she chipped in 14 digs. In addition, she tied her career high with five blocks. Black has played in 28 of 30 matches and 76-of-106 sets and is hitting .224 and averaging 1.37 kills, 1.86 digs and 0.37 blocks per set.
• Setter Kristen Schevikhoven career-high 27 digs in A&M's 3-1 victory at Oklahoma on Nov. 18 marks the most digs in a match by an A&M player since former libero Holly Clay had 28 in a five-set match at Texas Tech on Oct. 22, 2005, when the 30-point scoring system was in effect. The last time an A&M player recorded 27 or more digs in a four-set match was Oct. 22, 2001, when Michelle Cole tallied 32 against Kansas State.
• A&M lists two players who hail from Austin, Texas, and grew up in the shadows of the University of Texas: freshman middle blocker Abby Howden and senior defensive specialist Dylan Faulkner. Howden attended Westlake High School and her older sister, Bethany, played volleyball for Texas (2001-04) and was an All-American middle blocker as a senior. In addition, Howden's father, Lynn, played basketball for the Longhorns and still holds the school single-game rebounding record with 24. Faulkner attended St. Michael's Academy. She aced the final two points to clinch A&M's 3-2 victory over No. 15 seed LSU.
• A&M tied Baylor and Oklahoma for fourth place in the Big 12 Conference with an 11-9 record to equal its best finish and best record in Big 12 play since 2004, when A&M went 14-6 and tied for third place. Last year, A&M tied NCAA regional finalist Iowa State for fourth in the league with an 11-9 record but did not receive and at-large berth to the NCAA tournament.
• 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.
• A&M leads the Big 12 for fewest aces allowed (0.53) and is third for aces per set (1.15) for the full season. In the final match of the regular season, A&M held then league ace-leader Missouri (1.19 saps) to zero aces. Mary Batis leads the starters with a 0.22 average for the full season.
• A&M ranks 24th in the nation for home attendance, averaging 1,614 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 finished its first season at Reed with a 9-4 record, including a 3-1 victory over No. 6 Nebraska in an ESPNU nationally televised match.
• Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli is 363-168 in her 17th year as head coach of the Aggies and 463-274 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 (.684).
• Texas A&M spent four consecutive weeks ranked in the AVCA Top 25 earlier this season. 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. The Aggies dropped out of the Top 25 on Nov. 9 and were listed tied for 37th in the final regular season poll.