Texas A&M
12-3, 1-1Big 12
Baylor
11-6, 0-3Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 20 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| Texas A&M | 25 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Volleyball Defeats Baylor, 3-2
Sep 29, 2011 | Volleyball
The sophomore posted 46 assists, 11 kills and 11 digs and directed an offense that had four other players who also reached double figures in kills.
It was the fourth consecutive five-set match between the two teams, but A&M came out on top this time after outhitting Baylor .262 to .136 for the match, including .370 to .040 in the final two sets, to end a three-match losing skid against the Bears.
A&M used a 5-1 run to break away from a 6-6 tie in the first set and went on to build its biggest lead at 17-10. Baylor never got closer than five points for the remainder of the set. Sawatzky put the Aggies at set point with a kill to the deep corner, but back-to-back A&M attack errors kept Baylor alive. The Bears then hit long to give A&M the 25-20 win.
The Aggies built an 18-14 lead in the second set before Baylor rallied for five unanswered points to take their first lead of the stanza. A Baylor service error and an A&M ace returned the lead to A&M, but the Bears reeled off three more points to go up, 22-20. A&M got within 23-22 on an Elise Hendrickson kill, but Baylor got a kill and A&M hit wide to end the set and even the match.
Baylor jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set, with all five points resulting from A&M attack errors. A&M, which was outhit .235 to .139 in the set, was within 20-16 following a kill by Lindsey Miller and a block by Miller and Tori Mellinger before Baylor ran off three consecutive points and forced an A&M timeout. Miller came back with a kill, but a serve into the net put the Bears at set point. Stephanie Minnerly and Mellinger staved off two set points with back-to-back kills before Alyssa Dibbern put down a kill to clinch the set for the Bears and give Baylor a 2-1 lead.
A&M set the tone for the rest of the match at the beginning of the fourth set as the Aggies jumped out to a 7-0 lead. The Aggies later scored six consecutive points to build a 14-4 advantage. A&M, which outhit the Bears .310 to .129 in the set, was later leading 22-14 when a Baylor service error and a Mellinger kill put the Aggies at set point. Zoe Adom posted a kill for the Bears, but Mellinger countered as her attack caromed off the Baylor block for a kill to close out the frame and force a fifth and deciding set.
The Aggies, who went two 2-7 in five-set matches last year and were 0-1 in five-setters this season, immediately took command in the final set, jumping out to an 8-1 lead on eight kills, including three from Alisia Kastmo. Baylor got a kill and A&M had an attack sail long after the teams traded sides to put the Bears within 8-3, but Miller answered with a kill and then teamed with Sawatzky for a block. The 6-2 junior middle blocker then posted her second solo block and her sixth block of the match to put A&M up, 11-3. Baylor got a kill, but Sawatzky got a block and Black followed with a kill to give the Aggies a 13-4 lead. Baylor posted a kill before Mellinger tooled the block for a kill and then Kastmo and Hendrickson teamed for a block to end the match.
Black led all players with 17 kills and a career-high 26 digs. Miller and Kastmo finished with 13 kills apiece, and Mellinger pitched in 12 kills and 11 digs for the third double-double of her career. Libero Megan Pendergast and senior defensive specialist Sarah Grace, who played her freshman season at Baylor, also finished with double figures in digs with 17 and 12, respectively.
Briana Tolbert led the Bears (11-6, 0-3 Big 12) with 12 kills, and Dibbern had 10. Kate Harris took team-high honors in digs for Baylor with 22.
A&M returns to Reed Arena on Saturday to play host to the Kansas State Wildcats (13-3, 2-0 Big 12). First serve is at 6:30 p.m. It will be Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night. Any Texas A&M faculty or staff member presenting the invitation sent out by Aggie Coach Laurie Corbelli will be admitted free.
Post-Match Quotes
TEXAS A&M HEAD
COACH LAURIE CORBELLI
Opening statement:
"Obviously we're really pleased with our performance tonight
and the team really followed through with the different strategies we were
attempting tonight. We've been asking a lot of the team in practice with a
couple of new variations on things we've been doing, definitely changes, and
they really responded well. In particular, we knew our defense needed to be
sharpened up in quite a few ways. We brought it to the team, showed what we
needed to change and they made some great changes there. We were trying to get
our front-row setter (Allie Sawatzky) attacking a lot more, and we had to pull
her teeth to get her to do it, but she did it tonight a lot more than she had.
And if they defended it, it helps our hitters out because they have to honor
her. Kelsey (Black) did a great job leading. When we struggled in set two and
three, it was hard to get our group together, and Kelsey helped our group get
better unity and encouraged the team spirit a little better than it was. I
thought we really needed that."
On beating Baylor
after losing two straight at Reed to the Bears:
"You know, we needed this one really badly. I guess my own
perspective is many times we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get it done
and get it done now. We don't allow ourselves to make errors and be human and
accept it and move on and enjoy what we're doing. We just get really uptight
and want it so badly. I don't' really know any explanation for it in our group,
but they do know that it works a lot better and we play a lot better when we
have a lot of enthusiasm and follow the leader and when we're one unit. The
team just feels better out there, and you can see it in their game."
Did you think about
ending Baylor's streak from past years?
"You know for me, I hadn't really thought about it. I
certainly remember that we battle five sets with them all the time, and we've
had some great five-set wins against them, and they've managed to pull out a
couple of them. Today was so different for me. We have such a different team
and a different group. With A&M volleyball having a front-row attacking setter
and getting into our rhythm, we have a lot different of a groove. And this
group was so different that I didn't think about the other years."
On Baylor's defensive
pressure
"I think that Baylor is one of the best defensive team we've
played. The minute we attacked, they were all in their spots and set. They put
a lot of pressure against us, especially in sets two and three. Our attack
dropped and they got a lot better. It's really encouraging to go against a team
that's digging 17 balls a set, second in the Big 12, and put so many balls down
on them."
On Alicia Kastmo's
play tonight:
"I credit assistant coach Steve Green, because he's been
working with her a lot and with Allie on figuring out what they each need to
get that connection going. Alicia is the type that needs the ball a lot and
just really responds well. Whether she's getting kills or not, when she's
getting the ball a lot, she's into it and doesn't let the previous game get
into her head. I think that's the way it is with a lot of hitters, but she really
respond when she gets the ball a lot."
On Lindsey Miller's
play:
"Lindsey is leading our team in attack percentage. When you
have a hitter that's hitting that high of a percentage your chances are good
that you'll get a lot more of that, so we decided that we needed to go with her
a lot more. If you notice, even when Allie got pulled to the 10-foot line, she
would, more than ever before, try to find Lindsey. Eventually, it will become
very consistent and very effective. I was very proud of Lindsey."
On protecting the home
court and winning in the Big 12:
"It's so challenging in the Big 12, these days across the
board. It's such an even playing field. Even the top teams in the nation are
going four or five sets and getting beaten by teams in the top 50 or 60. It's a
battle every night, especially in the Big 12. So being at home and having them
have to make the trip, you just have to protect that. It's important and
expected that you have to be ready to play at home. We've found things we do
well on the road and things we don't do well on the road."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER KELSEY BLACK
How did it feel to
beat Baylor and break their streak against A&M?
"I think the difference in the last two matches and this one
is that last year you could look at the team and see we were all real tight, and
we had to do something big to change that. This year it was a lot different. We
came out with not a defensive attitude, but an offensive attitude. It was a big
change. We came out swinging, and I don't think they expected that from us. It
was a big difference to come out full force form the start."
On Megan Perdergast's
return in the fourth set:
"I just know that the ball, I was chasing it and I barely
got it up, it was right at my head, and I could see Meagan coming at me like a
locomotive and I just got out of the way. I thought 'I don't care if we win or
lose this point, that's the best thing I've ever seen.' I think it shows what
we're about, what the athletic department wants us to be about, that we're about
fighting. I think it shows that we're going for the impossible. I think it was
shocking and a huge momentum changer. I think it put them to the point where
they thought 'what more can we do?' I think it was a huge point for us for
sure."
TEXAS A&M SOPHOMORE SETTER ALLIE SAWATZKY
On her being more of
an attacking force in the game tonight
"I feel like when we have me as an attacker, I open up my
options for the other hitters and give them a better chance because the blockers
on the other side are going to be wondering what is going to happen. It gives
everyone a chance to get a better ball."
On having success in
the fourth and fifth set against Baylor's defense
"I noticed that they were shifting and everyone in the back
row could see it, and (my teammates) were telling me where to go. They did a
really good job of seeing it and letting me know what their defense was doing."
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