Oct. 19, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M concludes the first half of Big 12 Conference play on Wednesday as the Aggies take on Oklahoma at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
Live audio of the match will be available on AggieAthletics.com with A&M's Ryne Hillenberg calling the action. Live video is available for a fee at soonersports.com.
The Aggies, who have won the last two meetings against the Sooners in matches played in Norman, are 9-10 overall and in a four-way tie for seventh in the Big 12 with a 3-6 conference mark after falling at No. 13 Iowa State, 3-1, Saturday in Ames, Iowa.
Oklahoma, which is receiving votes and is listed 34th in the AVCA national coaches poll, is 13-4 overall and tied with Iowa State for third place in the conference standings with a 6-3 league record. The Sooners are coming off a 3-0 sweep at Kansas after hitting .390, a school record for a 25-point rally scoring match.
A&M QUICK HITS:
• A&M junior outside hitter Kelsey Black and Oklahoma junior setter Brianne Barker were teammates at Amarillo High School and helped lead the Sandies to back-to-back 5A state titles in 2006 and 2007.
• A&M and OU tied for fourth place in the Big 12 with 11-9 records last year and received at-large invitations to the NCAA Championship. The Aggies advanced to the Sweet 16 and finished 20-11 overall and ranked No. 21 in the final coaches poll. Oklahoma finished 18-12 after being eliminated in the NCAA first round.
• Aggie libero Tori Mellinger recorded a career-high 34 digs against Missouri on Oct. 13, the most digs by a Big 12 player this season. Her 34 digs also is the most by an A&M player in the rally-point scoring era -- using both the 30- and 25-point scoring cap -- and ranks fifth all-time in the Aggie record books. It is the most digs by an Aggie since Erin Gibson had 35 against Colorado in 2000 and is only four shy of tying the all-time record of 38 set by Yvonne Van Brandt in 1988 and tied by Stacy Sykora in 1998 using the side-out scoring format. Mellinger has posted double figures in digs in 15 of the last 17 matches. She has posted 20 or more digs five times this season and ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 4.18 digs per set for the full season and is seventh with 4.42 digs per set in Big 12 matches only.
• Outside hitter Kelsey Black has taken team-high honors in kills in all 19 matches this season. The Big 12 leader in points per set (4.85), Black ranks third in the league with 4.07 kills per set. The jump server is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 with 0.42 aces per set.
• Black entered the week ranked 23rd in the nation in points per set, 30th in aces per set and 34th in kills per set.
• Freshman setter Allie Sawatzky, who has started every match for the Aggies this season, ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 9.58 assists per set in all matches. She is eighth in the league with 9.36 assists per set in conference matches only.
• Junior transfer utility player Elise Hendrickson has made four starts this season, including each of the last three matches in which she has started on the right side. She has tallied double-figures in kills in each of the last two matches, averaging 2.44 kills per set while hitting at a .327 clip.
• A&M is 8-0 this season when winning the first set.
• A&M entered the week ranked 22nd in the nation in home attendance, averaging 1,594 per match in nine home contests. The Aggies, who are currently 4-5 in home matches this season, had a season-high 3,305 in attendance to cheer them on to a 3-0 victory against No. 8 Texas on Sept. 16.
• Black has already twice tied the A&M all-time record for aces in a match this season for both a three-set match and a five-set match, posting six apiece against both Sam Houston State and Pacific. She already has 30 aces in 2010, more than any player has recorded in a full season since Sarah Ammerman had 36 in 2007.
• Sophomore middle blocker Stephanie Minnerly is ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 1.06 blocks per set for the full season. She and sophomore middle blocker Lindsey Miller are tied for ninth in the conference with 1.09 blocks per set in Big 12 matches only. A&M has led its opponent in blocks in each of the last two matches, with Miller and Minnerly averaging 1.33 and 1.22 blocks per set, respectively.
• Black, Miller, Sawatzky and Minnerly have started every match this season, and Ringel has started all but one and has played in all 71 sets. Mellinger has been the designated libero in every set.
• Laurie Corbelli, the winningest coach in A&M volleyball history, is 372-179 in her 18th season at the helm of the Aggies and 472-285 in the 25th season of her head coaching career.
A&M-OKLAHOMA SERIES RECORDS:
• A&M leads the all-time series, 32-6 since 1976, including 23-5 in Big 12 matches only.
• All five of OU's Big 12 wins against A&M have occurred over the last eight meetings, the first of which was on Sept. 13, 2006.
• A&M is 14-2 in matches played in Norman and has won the last two meetings at McCasland Field House.
• The Aggies and Sooners split the season series last year with each team winning on the road.
• The series record between the two programs is even at 5-5 over the last five years, and three of the last six meetings have been decided in the final fifth set.
• The teams last met on Nov. 18, 2009, at McCasland Field House in Norman. The Aggies, who had been swept by the Sooners in College Station earlier in the season, earned a split in the season series with a crucial 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 victory. Senior outside hitter Sarah Ammerman had a match-high 22 kills and senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven had a season-high 53 assists along with a career-high and team season-high 27 digs as the Aggies ended a four-match losing streak and handed the streaking Sooners only their second loss in seven matches. The Sooners, who outhit A&M .223 to .216 in the match and also outblocked the Aggies, 9-5, were led by sophomore Suzy Boulavsky's 21 kills. Sophomore setter Brianne Barker had 21 digs.
A LOOK AT THE SOONERS:
• Oklahoma, which is receiving votes and is listed 34th in the AVCA national coaches poll, is 13-4 overall and tied with 13th-ranked Iowa State for third place in the conference standings with a 6-3 league record.
• The Sooners have won four of their last five matches and are coming off a 3-0 sweep at Kansas after hitting .390, a school record for a 25-point rally scoring match.
• Senior middle blocker Francie Ekwerekwu was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Junior setter Brianne Barker also was named to the preseason team.
• The Sooners, who tied A&M and Baylor for fourth place in the Big 12 with an 11-9 conference record in 2009, were picked to finish fourth in 2010, according to a preseason poll of the Big 12 coaches.
• The Sooners are 5-3 in home matches, 7-1 at away matches and 2-2 at neutral sites.
• In Big 12 matches only, OU leads the league with fewest aces allowed at 0.72 per set.
• Freshman Sallie McLaurin earned her second consecutive Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Monday after hitting .471 with 2.71 kills and 1.71 blocks per set in matches against Texas and Kansas. She ranks sixth in the league with both a .333 hitting percentage and 1.32 blocks per set in conference matches only. She is third in the conference with 1.35 blocks per set for the full season.
• Setter Brianne Barker is averaging 10.5 assists per set in Big 12 play, fourth best in the league.
• Junior Suzy Boulavsky (6-1, RS/OH) is seventh in the Big 12 with 3.43 kills per set and eighth with 3.73 points per set for the full season.
• Santiago Restrepo is 113-89 in his seventh season as head coach of the Sooners.
UPCOMING:
A&M begins the second half of Big 12 Conference play on Saturday as the Aggies play host to the Colorado Buffaloes at Reed Arena. The start time, originally slated for 6:30 p.m. has been changed to 3 p.m. to allow Aggie fans the opportunity to also watch the A&M-Kansas football game, which will be televised on FSN at 6 p.m. from Lawrence, Kan.
It will be Camper Appreciation Day at the Colorado match, and anyone wearing an A&M Volleyball Camp T-shirt will be admitted free. In addition, Aggie volleyball players will hold an autograph session for all fans following the match.