Aug. 31, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M volleyball team returns to Reed Arena Wednesday as the Aggies play host to Sam Houston State. First serve is at 6:30 p.m.
"I expect them to be very fired up to play against A&M, a nothing-to-lose type of thing," Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli said about the Bearkats. "They have a lot of Texas players who know our Texas players from club and high school, so there are some ingrained rivalries. I think it is going to be very spirited."
A&M is 1-2 after sweeping Siena and then falling to Pacific and No. 23 LSU last weekend at the Texas A&M Invitational. Kelsey Black (Amarillo, Texas), a preseason All-Big 12 selection, was named to the all-tournament team after leading the field with 4.36 kills and 5.27 points per set. She also averaged a tournament-high 0.91 aces per set and tied a school record with six aces in the five-set loss to Pacific.
Sam Houston is 2-2 after opening the season with sweeps against both Prairie View A&M and Marist and then falling to Eastern Michigan and Louisiana -Lafayette to finish third at the Comfort Suites/SHSU Invitational last weekend in Huntsville, Texas.
Outside hitter Carli Kolbe, an A&M Consolidated High School product, and outside hitter/libero Kaylee Hawkins were named to the all-tournament team. Kolbe leads the Bearkats with 3.54 kills per set, and Hawkins is hitting .308 while averaging 2.86 kills per set. She also leads SHSU with 3.29 digs per set and is averaging 1.14 blocks.
"They have some nice athletes who are going to be hitting the ball," Corbelli said. "They have to be smart against us, and I anticipate they will be. We may be a little bigger, but they also are athletic and I think it is going to be a great match."
A&M has won the last four meetings against the Bearkats and is 29-7-1 all-time against the `cross-town' opponent, including 14-2 in home matches. The teams last meet in 2007 with the Aggies posting a 30-15, 30-17, 30-17 sweep at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
The Bearkats' most recent win against A&M was Sept. 7, 1994, in Huntsville.
The match against SHSU marks the Aggies' last home match until they open Big 12 Conference play against three-time defending Big 12 champion and No. 2-ranked Texas in the first edition of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown on Thursday, Sept. 16.
A&M will be on the road for the next two weekends, competing in the Missouri State JQH Invitational, Sept. 3-4, in Springfield, Mo., and the Denver Pioneer Classic, Sept. 10-11, in Denver, Colo.
Tickets: $9 for reserved seats; $7 for adult general admission; $4 for youth (ages 2-high school) general admission. Children under 2 are admitted free in general admission sections. Single match as well as season tickets can be purchased at the Reed Arena entrance, online at AggieAthletics.com, or by calling 888-99-AGGIE.
Parking: Free parking for volleyball fans is available beginning 1.5 hours before match time in lots 100a, 100b, 100g and 100f. Lot 102 is for handicap parking.
Audio/Video/Live Stats: Free audio and video streaming and live stats of the SHSU match will be available at AggieAthletics.com, and the match also will be broadcast on HD Radio at 95.1-3.