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Aggies Battle Wildcats Saturday In Manhattan

Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 Big 12) begins a two-match road swing Saturday as the Aggies take on the Kansas State Wildcats (16-8, 5-5) at 3 p.m. at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (18-5, 7-3 BIG 12)
vs.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (16-8, 5-5 BIG 12)


Saturday, Nov. 5, 3 p.m.
Ahearn Field House, Manhattan, Kan.

Live video (fee): http://www.k-state.edu/tv
Gametracker: k-statesports.com

Texas A&M-Kansas State All-Time Series:
  Overall: K-State leads, 18-14
  In Manhattan: K-State leads, 13-2
  In College Station: A&M leads, 11-5
  In Big 12 matches only:  K-State leads, 18-13
  Most recent meeting: A&M won, 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 on Oct. 1 in College Station
  Streak: A&M has won the last two meetings
  Last Year: The teams split the season series with each team winning on the road

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 Big 12) begins a two-match road swing Saturday as the Aggies take on the Kansas State Wildcats (16-8, 5-5) at 3 p.m. at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan.

The Aggies, winners in five of their last six matches, moved into sole possession of third place in the Big 12 Conference standings following their 25-14, 25-18, 25-17 sweep against Texas Tech on Wednesday at Reed Arena in College Station. K-State, which had a bye on Wednesday, is two games behind A&M and in fifth place in the Big 12. The Wildcats are coming off a narrow five-set loss at Baylor on Oct. 29.

As a team, A&M leads the Big 12 in assists (12.97), kills (13.98) and aces (1.41) per set for the full season. Meanwhile, K-State sophomore middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger is the league's individual leader in kills (4.52) and points (5.49) per set and junior setter Caitlyn Donahue is second in the conference with 11.23 assists per set for the full season.

A&M, which has won only twice (2006, 2010) in 15 trips to Manhattan, swept K-State earlier this season at Reed, 25-22, 25-20, 25-18, snapping the Wildcats' nine-match winning streak and handing them their first Big 12 loss of the season. Since the teams last met on Oct. 1, A&M has gone 5-2 and the Wildcats have gone 3-4.

AGGIE QUICK HITS:

  • Texas A&M moved up two spots to 18th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, released on Monday. Among Big 12 schools, only Iowa State (third) and Texas (fourth) are ahead of A&M. Other Big 12 schools in the top 50 in RPI are Oklahoma (23rd), Kansas State (31st), Missouri (32nd), Kansas (42nd) and Baylor (47th).
  • The Aggies are receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll for the ninth consecutive week and moved up one spot to 29th in this week's rankings. A&M entered the week ranked 22nd in home attendance, averaging 1,593 per match.
  • Kelsey Black needs four digs to reach 1,000 for her career. She will join junior Tori Mellinger, who became A&M's 19th member in the 1,000 dig club on Oct. 22, when she posted 13 digs against Iowa State. Black, who had 17 digs in the sweep against Texas Tech on Wednesday, recorded her 1,000th career point against Oklahoma, becoming the sixth A&M player to reach the milestone since rally scoring began in 2001.
  • Black leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 3.39 kills per set for the full season. She also is sixth in the league in both points (3.90) and aces (0.27) per set.
  • Senior middle blocker Elise Hendrickson leads the Big 12 with 0.36 aces per set. She has had at least one ace in 18 of 23 matches and has tallied two or more aces in 10 matches.
  • Junior middle blocker Lindsey Miller is ranked fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.341), fourth in blocks (1.22) per set and 10th in points (3.74) per set in Big 12 matches only. Miller's career-high nine blocks in the first meeting against Kansas State is still the most by a Big 12 player in a three-set conference match and ties for the most by a Big 12 player in all three-set matches this season.
  • Setter Allie Sawatzky is fourth in the Big 12 rankings with 10.34 assists per set for the full season. The sophomore from Manitoba ranks 10th in the A&M career records for assists with 1,967.
  • Sawatzky's career-high 60 assists in the win against No. 22 Oklahoma is the most by an A&M player since Kristen Schevikhoven had 60 in a 3-1 victory at Colorado on Nov. 21, 2007, using the 30-point scoring format.
  • Earlier this season, Sawatzky recorded the first triple-double of her career with 11 kills, 46 assists and 11 digs in A&M's 3-2 victory against Baylor on Sept. 28. She is the first A&M player to post a triple-double since the 25-point scoring format went into effect in 2008, and she is the first player with a triple double since 2004 when All-American middle blocker Melissa Munsch accomplished the feat three times. Sawatzky is the first Aggie setter with a triple-double since 2001 when All-American Jenna Moscovic tallied a nation-leading five triple-doubles while directing A&M to its second-ever NCAA regional final.
  • Junior libero Megan Pendergast has played in 22 matches and has led or tied for the team lead in digs 14 times, more than any other player. She has posted double figures in digs in a team-leading 17 matches and has posted 20 or more digs in three matches. She leads the team and is ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 3.92 digs per set for the full season and is seventh in the league with 3.76 digs per set in conference matches only.
  • Black leads A&M with 14 double-doubles. She has posted double figures in kills in 17 of 23 matches overall and double figures in digs in 16 matches, including in four of the last five matches.
  • Black, Miller, Sawatzky and Hendrickson have started every match in 2011, and only Sawatzky has played in all 86 sets. Junior right-side hitter Alisia Kastmo has started all but five matches in which senior Sarah Grace started for her in the back row rotation.
  • Kastmo and Miller have each posted a performance in which they had 12 kills while committing no errors. Kastmo had 12 kills and no errors in 19 attempts for a .632 hitting efficiency in a three-set win against Creighton, and Miller had 12 kills and no errors in 20 attempts for a .600 hitting percentage in a sweep against Washington State.
  • A&M is 9-1 in home matches, 4-3 in away matches, 5-1 at neutral sites and 1-3 against ranked opponents.
  • The Aggies are 9-2 in three-set matches, 5-2 in four-set matches and 4-1 in five-set matches.
  • The loss to No. 15 Iowa State on Oct. 22 marked the only time this season the Aggies have lost a match after leading in kills. It also was the only time A&M lost after winning the third set and the only time A&M has lost a home match. A&M is 17-1 when leading its opponent in kills and 15-1 when leading in attack percentage. The Aggies are 9-0 when leading in blocks and 16-1 when winning the first set.
  • During the first half of the Big 12 schedule, A&M had a streak of three matches that were decided in five sets, with the Aggies winning all three. It marked the fourth time in program history A&M played three consecutive five-setters (2005, 2006, 2008), and only the second time A&M won all three. A&M has never played four consecutive five-set matches.
  • A&M's come-from-behind wins against Kansas and Oklahoma during the first half of conference play marked the first time in school history the Aggies have overcome 2-0 set deficits in consecutive matches. The win against No. 22 Oklahoma was the 12th time in school history the Aggies have dropped the first two sets and come back to win, and it was the fourth time in school history A&M accomplished the feat against a ranked opponent.
  • In the win against Baylor on Sept. 28, A&M had five players reach double figures in kills for first time in the 25-point scoring era and the first since August 26, 2006, when five players tallied double-digit kills in a season-opening 3-1 victory at Colorado State using the 30-point scoring system. The Baylor match also marked the first time A&M had five double-figure kill performers and five double-digit dig performers in the same match since the 2006 victory at Colorado State.
  • The 3-2 win against Baylor on Sept. 28 broke a string of six consecutive five-set losses for the Aggies. Prior to the Baylor match, A&M, which went 2-7 in five-set matches last year and lost to Xavier in five sets earlier this season, had not won a five-setter since defeating Colorado on Sept. 29, 2010, in Boulder, Colo.
  • A&M began the season winning its first nine matches and capturing three tournament titles. The Aggies came within one win of matching the 2007 team for the best start in school history before falling to Xavier, 3-2, at the Michigan/adidas Invitational in the 10th match of the season.
  • A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli is 394-191 in her 19th year at the helm of the Aggies and 494-297 in the 26th season of her head coaching career.
  • A&M is slated to play 13 matches against teams that appeared in the 2010 NCAA Championship tournament, including six matches against schools that advanced to at least the Sweet 16. The Aggies are currently 5-4 against 2010 NCAA participants. Wins were against Sweet 16 participant Oklahoma, Creighton (2), which reached the second round, and first-round participants UTSA and Butler. Losses were to Final Four participant Texas, Missouri, which advanced to the Sweet 16, and Michigan and Iowa State, who were each eliminated in the first round.

A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS:

  • Kansas State (16-8, 5-5 Big 12) is in fifth place in the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth according to a preseason poll of the league coaches.
  • K-State is receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll and is listed 35th.
  • Kaitlynn Pelger, a preseason All-Big 12 selection, leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth in the nation with 5.49 points per set. The 6-2 sophomore middle blocker also tops the Big 12 and is 13th in the nation with 4.52 kills per set.
  • Junior setter Caitlyn Donahue is second in the league and 20th in the nation with 11.23 assists per set.
  • As a team, the Wildcats are third in the Big 12 with 12.67 assists and 13.67 kills per set and are fourth in blocks with 2.53 per set.
  • K-State is 6-3 in home matches.
  • The Wildcats are coming off a 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 14-25, 15-13) loss at Baylor on Oct. 29. It was K-State's second consecutive 5-setter, having defeated Missouri in five sets in the previous match. The Wildcats are now 5-1 in five-set matches this season.
  • Three players reached double figures in kills against the Bears, led by Kaitlynn Pelger, who had 20 kills while hitting .357. Five players posted double-figure digs, including libero Kuulei Kabalis who had 30 and is averaging 5.2 digs per set over the last two matches.
  • K-State outhit the Bears, .244 to .233, and led in blocks (12-8), digs (88-86) and aces (3-2) and had only five service errors to Baylor's 14. K-State had swept the Bears in Manhattan earlier in the season.
  • Suzie Fritz (Florida Atlantic '94) is 211-124 in her 11th year as head coach of the Wildcats.

A&M-K-State SERIES RECORD:

  • K-State leads the overall series, 18-14, since the teams first met in 1981. The Wildcats are 18-13 against A&M in Big 12 matches only.
  • A&M is 11-5 against the Wildcats in matches played in College Station, 2-13 all-time in Manhattan and 1-0 at neutral sites.
  • Last year, the teams split the season series with each team winning on the road. It was the 10th time the teams split the series and only the second time the Aggies won in Manhattan.
  • A&M swept the season series in 2006, the only time the Aggies have defeated the Wildcats twice in the same season.
  • A&M as won the last two meetings.
  • The teams last met Oct. 1 in College Station. A&M junior middle blocker Lindsey Miller posted a career-high nine blocks to help A&M not only shut down the hottest team in the league and snap the Wildcats' nine-match winning streak, but also help the Aggies contain the league's top kills and points leader, Kaitlynn Pelger, who entered the match hitting .355 with 4.77 kills and 5.85 points per set. The Wildcats' standout middle was held to only eight kills and 10 points while hitting .038 on the night. A&M overcame early deficits and outhit the Wildcats in every set, ending the match with a .250 to .176 advantage. The Aggies also outblocked K-State, 10 to 5.5 and had four aces and only three errors. The Wildcats had two aces but committed 10 service errors on the night. Aggie senior Kelsey Black led all players with 16 kills while hitting at a .357 clip, and she completed her 10th double-double of the year with 10 digs. Junior libero Megan Pendergast tied Black for team-high honors in digs with 10. Sophomore setter Allie Sawatzky dished out 30 assists as A&M posted 42 kills to K-State's 37. Lilla Porubek led the Wildcats with 12 kills while hitting .476. Libero Kuulei Kabalis finished with a match-high 11 digs.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Texas A&M faces nemesis Baylor on Wednesday, Nov. 9 in Waco. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center. Earlier this season, the Aggies held off the Bears, 25-20, 22-25, 19-25, 25-15, 15-5, at Reed Arena to snap a three-match losing streak against the Bears.

The Aggies have only four matches remaining following the Baylor match, including only two home matches. A&M hosts Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 12 and concludes its home schedule against rival Texas in a State Farm Lone Star match on Wednesday, Nov. 23. A&M's five seniors -- Kelsey Black, Sarah Grace, Elise Hendrickson, Chelsea Ringel and Cinthya Roberto -- will be honored before the match against the Longhorns.