March 25, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M volleyball team will play its first tournament of the spring season on Saturday as the Aggies participate in the Rice Spring Tournament in Houston.
The Aggies will play three matches during the one-day tournament, opening against the University of Miami at 9:30 a.m. in Fox Gym on the Rice campus. A&M then has a break until 1 p.m., when the Aggies take on Rice at Autry Court in Tudor Fieldhouse, which is adjacent to Fox Gym. A&M concludes the tournament with a match against Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. at Fox Gym.
Baylor also will be participate in the tournament but will not face A&M.
The following is the complete tournament schedule:
Court 1 - Autry Court - Tudor Field House
9:30 a.m. Rice v Arkansas
10:30 a.m. Rice v Miami
1:00 p.m. Rice v Texas A&M
2:30 p.m. Rice v Baylor
Court 2 - Fox Gym
9:30 a.m. Texas A&M v Miami
10:30 a.m. Baylor v Arkansas
1:00 p.m. Miami v Baylor
2:30 p.m. Texas A&M v Arkansas
Matches will be best 2-out-of-3 sets. First and second sets will be played to 25 points (must win by two points) and the third set to 15. Coaches can agree to play a third set if the match goes 2-0 and there is still adequate time.
Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli welcomes back six letterwinners -- including two starters -- from last year's team that went 20-11, led the nation in both kills and assists per game and was No. 21 in the final AVCA poll after advancing to the NCAA regional semifinals.
"We took quite a hit to our lineup and are having to replace four starters," Corbelli said, "so it is important that we get as much competition experience as possible and that the team gets a feel for what it is like to play with each other in game situations, because it is very different than training." Corbelli said. "This team is excited and eager to start competing,"
Juniors-to-be Sarah Ammerman and Mary Batis, both four-year starters who rank in A&M's all-time top 10 for career kills.
"Kelsey, Chelsea and Tori all play different styles, but they are complete outsides with their pass-to-attack and dig-to-attack skills," Corbelli said. "They all three will be on the court, with the third playing in the back row."
Jennifer Banse completed her career in December.
Sophomore-to-be Caitlin Adams (Kansas City, Mo.) also has been training at both positions, as has redshirt sophomore Stephanie Minnerly (Arlington, Texas), who was a starting middle blocker for the first three matches in 2009 before suffering a season-ending knee (ACL) injury.
"They are working very hard," Corbelli said. "Our execution is somewhat inconsistent because of how young we are, but it is evident that we have a lot of talent. It is just young talent. The beauty of that is that they are eager to please, eager to play, and eager to get better. They have that youthful spirit about them that is refreshing."
Two players will be making their A&M debut and are expected to play major roles. Allie Sawatzky graduated high school in December and joined the Aggies in January. With the departure of last year's senior setters Kristen Schevikhoven and Jola Kelner, the 6-1 lefty from St. Andrews, Manitoba, Canada, currently is the only setter on the roster.
"She is doing awesome," Corbelli said of her rookie setter. "She loves to take risks. She is not holding back at all, and she is connecting surprisingly well with the hitters, much better than I expected this early. The hitters seem to be connecting very well and the coaches are encouraged."
Also new to the team but experienced at the college level is senior Sarah Grace (Houston, Texas), who will play a vital role in the back row now that Mellinger is training as an outside hitter and last year's defensive specialist Dylan Faulkner has completed her eligibility. Grace was the starting libero at Baylor in 2007 and was a named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team after averaging 4.3 digs per set.
"Sarah brings great experience, not to mention invaluable game experience playing in the Big 12, so that was a very fortunate get for us,`' Corbelli said.
Despite the loss of eight letterwinners from last season, Corbelli is encouraged by what she has seen thus far in spring training.
"The team has a very different look," she said, "but what is pleasing is that we still play really good defense and have really good ball control. The core of our group is very good ball control-wise. A lot of the focus now is trying to get the rhythm and precision on offense."
As far as the opponents, Rice and Miami both played in the first round of the NCAA Championship last year and finished the season 23-9 and 18-13, respectively. Arkansas, whose roster consisted of seven freshmen, three sophomores and two seniors, went 13-18.
The Rice tournament will be an A&M reunion of sorts, with Aggie volleyball ties on all three of the opposing coaching staffs. Owls head coach Genny (Wood) Volpe played at Texas A&M from 1990-1993, playing her senior season for Corbelli, who was in her inaugural season as Aggie head coach. Volpe would then serve as a student assistant coach in 1994. She left A&M for assistant coaching positions at Rice and SMU before returning to her alma mater in 2001 as an assistant coach. Volpe left A&M in 2004 to become the head coach at Rice.
Miami head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch was an assistant coach for Corbelli from 1997-99. After helping lead A&M to its first-ever NCAA regional final, Lantagne Welch left A&M prior to the 2000 season to start up the Hurricanes' volleyball program.
Arkansas third-year assistant coach Carol Price-Torok, also is familiar with A&M, having played middle blocker and right-side hitter for the Aggies from 2000-03.
"The most interesting thing to see is how these teams emulate or resemble Aggie volleyball," Corbelli said. "I love watching programs whose coaches have been in our gym. It will be fun to see them."