Texas A&M
8-5, 2-1Big 12
Texas Tech
2-11, 0-4Big 12
A&M Returns to Win Column with Sweep Against Tech
Sep 25, 2010 | Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli got the result she was looking for as the Aggies disposed of Texas Tech, 25-14, 25-20, 25-23, tonight in front of 2,062 at Reed Arena.
"We are absolutely elated to be through another Big 12 match with a 3-0 win," Corbelli said. "They are hard to come by, and I am really happy that the result is what we wanted."
The Aggies, who had a mid-week bye, were primed to get back on the court after suffering a 3-2 loss at Kansas last Saturday, a setback that snapped A&M's four-match winning streak and followed a triumphant sweep against rival Texas.
"We definitely wanted to get back on the court, because we felt like the game against Kansas wasn't what we have," A&M junior outside hitter Kelsey Black said. "We just worked on the usual, perfecting what we were doing and going over a couple new things, trying to make sure that this week we were ready for what was coming at us. We definitely had some intense practices which was exactly what we needed."
The preparation paid off as A&M (8-5, 2-1 Big 12) led the entire first set and used a 10-point run break away to cruise to the 25-14 win. The Aggies outhit Tech, .375 to .081 in the set, with Lindsey Miller posting five kills and zero errors in seven attempts for a .714 hitting efficiency. Black led all players with six kills in the set while hitting .333.
"I thought our first set was one of the cleanest and prettiest we've played in a long time," Corbelli said. "It was good rhythm, good decision making and great defense. After that we had a little bit of a let down, but to come out and get the victories was my focus."
A&M held a 13-10 lead in the opening set when Chelsea Ringel put down a kill. She then stepped to the service line, and the Aggies erupted for 10 unanswered points, including two points from kills by setter Allie Freiwald, who subbed in at 20-10. Tech ended the run with a kill and scored two more points before Miller put A&M serving for the set with a kill on the slide play. Tech countered with a kill before Freiwald had a no-look, backward dump that fell untouched for the set-winning point.
The teams opened the second set by trading points. Tech held a 3-2 lead when Ringel got a kill from the back row to tie the score. It was the start of a five-point run for the Aggies, who got two kills from Black and two aces from Miller during the spurt. A&M held the lead for the remainder of the set, as Tech never got closer than three points. Ringel ended the frame with her fourth kill of the set.
A&M hit .382 in the set but allowed Tech to stay within striking distance as the Red Raiders hit .308.
"We were looking to get after a team the whole time, like we did against Texas, going after them, keeping a high intensity level and running our offense," Corbelli said. "I felt like for some reason we got a step off of our rhythm after the first set, and we struggled a little bit in getting into our side of the court what we wanted to do, but we found a way to win."
Tech held the lead for much of the third stanza as A&M committed eight attack errors, the total number of errors A&M had forced in the first two sets combined. A&M had tied the score at 13 after Stephanie Minnerly put down an errant Red Raider overpass, but three consecutive attack errors by the Aggies gave Tech its biggest lead at 17-13.
Following a Tech service error, Elise Hendrickson came off the bench to spark the Aggies. The junior right-side transfer got a kill on the first play, and a Tech attack error cut the gap to 17-16. Tech then regained a three-point margin at 20-17, and Corbelli called a timeout.
The Aggies returned to the court and immediately got a kill by Hendrickson. Tech then hit long on the next two plays, allowing A&M to tie the score at 20-all. Tech got a kill to keep the lead, but another kill by Hendrickson and consecutive kills by Ringel gave A&M a 23-21 advantage.
A&M then committed two attack errors, and the score was tied for the 10th time in the frame. But the match quickly ended as Tech was whistled for a ball handling error and then hit wide on the final play to clinch the win for the Aggies.
Corbelli credited Hendrickson for the Aggies' late surge in the third set.
"(Hendrickson) is a complete player and can boost the team when needed," Corbelli said. "That's been her role. If not starting, then she will come in right away for either left, middle, or right. She's an experienced player who's not afraid to go for it. That's hard to find, she's really valuable. "
Black led all players with 13 kills. Aggie libero Tori Mellinger took match-high honors in digs with 13, and Ringel finished with eight kills and 11 digs to help A&M post its seventh consecutive victory against the Red Raiders.
Amanda Dowdy had nine kills for Tech, which drops to 2-11 overall and 0-4 in the Big 12.
Next up for the Aggies is their last-ever Big 12 trip to Colorado as A&M takes on the future Pac-10-member Buffaloes Wednesday in Boulder. First serve is 7:30 p.m. (CT) at the Coors Events Center.
