Building Champions
 A&M, Oklahoma Meet in Crucial Volleyball Tilt

  • print
  • email
  • font +
  • font -
  • rss

Nov. 17, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format Get Acrobat Reader

Texas A&M (14-10, 7-9 Big 12) and Oklahoma (18-8, 11-6 Big 12) meet in a crucial volleyball match-up on Wednesday in Norman, Okla. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at McCasland Field House.

Both teams are fighting to better their standings in hopes of receiving an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament. Texas A&M and Oklahoma enter the match listed 41st and 42nd, respectively, in the NCAA Volleyball RPI, the heavily weighted tool that the NCAA Volleyball Committee uses to help determine which teams are selected to play in the 64-team NCAA Championships.

A&M enters the match tied with Missouri for seventh place in the Big 12 with four matches remaining in the regular season. The Aggies are coming off a 29-27, 25-17, 25-15 setback at No. 9 Nebraska on Friday. It was A&M's third straight match against a ranked opponent, including the Aggies' second consecutive match against a top-10 team.

Oklahoma has won five of its last six matches to climb into fourth place in the league standings. The one loss was a sweep at Missouri last Wednesday, but the Sooners, who have only No. 2 Texas and No. 8 Iowa State remaining on the schedule following the match against the Aggies, rebounded with a sweep at Texas Tech on Saturday.

Texas A&M leads the nation with 14.02 assists per set. In addition, the Aggies lead the conference and are ranked fourth in the country with 14.79 kills per set.

Aggie senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven (10.99 assists per set) directs a well-balanced and potent offense that also ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 39th in the country with a .247 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Sarah Ammerman leads the team and is ranked second in the Big 12 with 4.30 kills and 4.73 points per set. Senior right-side hitter Jennifer Banse, who leads A&M's outside attackers with a .277 hitting efficiency, is second on the team and seventh in the Big 12 with 3.29 kills. She also is second on the team and ninth in the Big 12 with and 3.67 points per set.

Freshmen middle blockers Lindsey Miller, who has started every match, and Alisia Kastmo are hitting a combined .300.

Defensively, the Aggies are third in the Big 12 and 34th in the nation with 16.79 digs per set for the full season. Senior outside hitter Mary Batis, who has started every match of her career and is ranked in A&M's top 10 records for career kills, points and digs, is one of three players averaging more than three digs per set with a team-leading 3.36 norm. Freshman libero Tori Mellinger is averaging 3.26 digs per set, and Ammerman averages 3.11 digs.

A&M-OKLAHOMA SERIES RECORDS
• A&M leads the all-time series, 31-6 since 1976, including 22-5 in Big 12 matches only. • All five of OU's Big 12 wins against A&M have occurred over the last seven meetings.
• A&M is 13-2 in matches played in Norman.
• An OU victory on Wednesday will give the Sooners only their third Big 12 season-series against the Aggies in the 14-year history of the conference. OU also accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2007. A&M has earned the season series sweep 11 times, including last season when the Aggies won both meetings in five sets each.
• The teams last met on Oct. 21 at Reed Arena in College Station. OU notched its second consecutive victory against a ranked opponent and handed No. 21 A&M its first home loss of the season, upsetting the Aggies 25-23, 25-21, 25-23.
Oklahoma outhit the Aggies, .257 to .185, with 43 kills in 113 attempts. A&M had 45 kills and took 135 swings. The remainder of the stats were relatively close with the Sooners posting 39 assists, 55 digs, 7.5 blocks, two aces and 52.5 points. A&M finished with 43 assists, 51 digs, 7.0 blocks and 53.0 points.
OU overcame a 16-13 deficit to win the first set and never trailed in the second set after jumping out to a 4-1 lead. OU, which narrowly outhit A&M, .317 to .316, in the first set, hit .312 while holding the Aggies to a .114 hitting efficiency in the second set.
The Aggies held onto a narrow 19-18 advantage in the third set before OU recorded two kills and a block to take a lead the Sooners would hold for the remainder of the match.
Sarah Ammerman led the Aggies with 13 kills and also added 10 digs. Jennifer Banse, who hit .435, also tallied a double-double, recording 12 kills with a team-high 12 digs. Libero Tori Mellinger reached double figures in digs with 10.
Caitlin Higgins was the only Sooner to reach double figures in kills with 11. Four players posted double figures in digs for OU. Suzy Boulavsky led all players with 16, and libero Maria Fernanda added 13. Brianne Barker and Bridget Laplante had 12 and 10 digs, respectively, and Francie Ekwerekwu led all players with five blocks.

AGGIE QUICK HITS
• After four consecutive weeks in the AVCA Top 25, Texas A&M dropped out last week. The Aggies are still receiving votes and are listed tied for 35th. A&M broke into the poll for the first time this season at No. 22 on Oct. 12, marking A&M's first appearance in the Top 25 since the Aggies made a one-week appearance at No. 25 on Sept. 10, 2007. The team's No. 21 ranking on Oct. 19 marked A&M's highest ranking since being ranked No. 20 on Sept. 19, 2005.

• A&M has two wins against Top 25 opponents this season and is 2-6 overall against ranked opponents. In its first match against a ranked opponent, A&M upset No. 6 Nebraska, 3-1, in College Station. It marked A&M's first win against a top-10 team since defeating No. 9 Texas, 3-1, on Oct. 16, 2004, at G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station. Furthermore, it was A&M's first victory against a team ranked No. 6 or higher since defeating No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-0, on Dec. 7, 2001, in the NCAA regional semifinals. The other ranked victory this season was at No. 17 Baylor, 3-1, on Oct. 10. Losses were two apiece against both No. 2 Texas and No. 13/8 Iowa State and against No. 20 Baylor on Nov. 7 in College Station.

• The last time A&M defeated two ranked opponents in the same year was 2005 with victories over No. 23 Saint Mary's and No. 24 Colorado. A&M has not tallied three ranked wins in the same season since 2004, when the Aggies went 4-7 against ranked teams.

• A&M leads the Big 12 for fewest aces allowed (0.57) and is second for aces per set (1.17) for the full season. Freshman libero Tori Mellinger leads the Aggies with 0.21 aces per set for the full season, and senior outside hitter Mary Batis leads the team with 0.20 aces per set in conference matches only.

• A&M has three players averaging more than three digs per set for the full season: Mary Batis, 3.36 dps; Tori Mellinger, 3.26 dps; and Sarah Ammerman, 3.11 dps. Mellinger leads the team with 3.45 dps in Big 12 matches only after posting a team-leading 13 digs in the three-set loss at No. 9 Nebraska on Friday.

• The Aggies have only three matches remaining in the regular season after the Oklahoma contest. A&M returns home Sunday to host Texas Tech and then faces Colorado in Boulder on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The Aggies close out the regular season at home against Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 28. A&M's six seniors -- Sarah Ammerman, Jennifer Banse, Mary Batis, Dylan Faulkner, Jola Kelner and Kristen Schevikhoven -- will be recognized following the match against the Tigers.

• Add middle blocker to sophomore Kelsey Black's list of positions played. The 5-11 Amarillo, Texas native was the Aggies' designated libero as a freshman. This season, she as backed up both the left and right-side hitters and also come in as a defensive specialist. In the third set against No. 2 Texas on Oct. 28, the versatile Black was inserted as a middle blocker. She finished the match with two kills and a solo block. Black then drew her first start off the season at Kansas as a middle blocker and tied for the team lead with a career-high five blocks. Black has started four matches this season, all at middle blocker.

• A&M entered the week ranked 25th in the nation for home attendance, averaging 1,637 per match at Reed Arena. The Aggies set an all-time home attendance record with 3,876 at the Texas match on Oct. 28. It broke the previous record of 3,778 set against Texas on Oct. 24, 2003, at G. Rollie White Coliseum.

• A&M moved up one spot to 41st in the NCAA RPI ranking, released on Monday. A&M is 5-9 against teams in the RPI top 51, including wins against Nebraska, Northern Iowa and Baylor.

• Sarah Ammerman posted a team-leading 13 kills at Nebraska to give her 1,427 kills for her career and move her into seventh place in the A&M career records. She needs 36 more to move into sixth, ahead of former All-American Sherri Brinkman (1983-86).

• Mary Batis is ranked in the A&M top 10 for career points, kills and digs. She is fourth in points with 1,523, fifth in digs with 1,280 and ninth in kills with 1,346.

• Senior setter Kristen Schevikhoven is seventh in the A&M career records with 2,902 assists. She needs 61 assists to move into sixth place, surpassing Chris Zogata who had 2,982 from 1983-86.

• Freshman libero Tori Mellinger, who has posted double figures in digs in 14 of the last 18 matches, has taken team-high honors in digs in a team-leading nine matches. Mellinger set a career high and led all players with 24 digs in the 3-1 win at No. 17 Baylor. At the time, her 24 digs equaled the most by any player in the Big 12 in a four-set conference match this season.

• Sarah Ammerman's career-high 25 digs in a five-set match at Missouri on Sept. 26 marks the most digs in a match by an A&M player since former libero Holly Clay had 28 at Texas Tech on Oct. 22, 2005, when the 30-point scoring system was in effect. Ammerman ranks third on the team with 3.11 digs per set for the full season and is second on the team with 3.33 digs per set in Big 12 matches.

• A&M's .465 hitting percentage in the Big 12 opener at Texas Tech on Sept. 19 ranks ninth in the school record books and third all-time in A&M's Big 12 matches only. It also is the highest hitting percentage by a Big 12 team this season. A&M's .460 hitting percentage against Virginia is the second highest by a Big 12 team this season.

• The Aggies, who tied eventual NCAA-regional finalist Iowa State for fourth place in the Big 12 with an 11-9 league record last year, have been picked to finish fourth in the league this season, according to a preseason poll of the conference coaches. Defending Big 12 co-champions Texas and Nebraska are picked to finish first and second, respectively, with Iowa State following at third place. A&M is followed by Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Texas Tech.

• Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli is 357-168 in her 17th year as head coach of the Aggies and 457-274 in the 24th season of her head coaching career. She is A&M's winningest coach in terms of total victories and ranks second for winning percentage (.680).

SCOUTING THE SOONERS
• Oklahoma is 18-8 overall and in fourth place in the Big 12 with an 11-6 league mark.
• The Sooners have won five of their last six matches and have gone 7-2, including a 3-0 victory at A&M, since defeating No. 19 Baylor in Waco on Oct. 17.
• Most recently, OU defeated Texas Tech, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-21) Saturday in Lubbock. Suzy Boulavsky had 16 kills, and Sarah Freudenrich added 14 kills while hitting .650 as the Sooners outhit Tech, .241 to .241 despite getting outblocked, 9-6.
• OU is 6-2 in home matches and has not lost at McCasland Field House since falling to then-No. 14 Iowa State, 3-1, on Oct. 7. Its only other home loss was a 3-2 decision to No. 10 Nebraska.
• OU is ranked second in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation with 17.67 digs per set. Three players -- Maria Fernanda (4.49), Bridget Laplante (3.51) and Brianne Barker (3.40) - are listed in the Big 12 individual top 10 for digs per set.
• Sophomore right side hitter Suzy Boulavsky leads the Sooners and is ranked 10th in the Big 12 with 3.21 kills per set in conference matches only. She also leads the team and is listed seventh in the league with 3.74 points per set in league play.
• Sophomore starting setter Brianne Barker (9.88 aps), a two-time Texas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, and A&M sophomore Kelsey Black were teammates at Amarillo High School. The pair led the Lady Sandies to back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007.
• OU was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 according to a preseason vote of the league coaches.
• Santiago Restrepo (East Stroudsburg, 1986) is 99-79 in his sixth season as head coach at Oklahoma.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
A&M returns home for a rare Sunday match against Texas Tech on Nov. 22. First serve against the Red Raiders is set for 3 p.m. at Reed Arena. The match is the second to the last home match for the Aggies, who close out the regular season at home against Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 28. It will be Senior Day at the Missouri match, which begins at 4 p.m., and A&M's six seniors --- Sarah Ammerman, Jennifer Banse, Mary Batis, Dylan Faulkner, Jola Kelner and Kristen Schevikhoven -- will be recognized in a ceremony following the match.

 

 

   Printer-friendly format    Email this article