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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1995)
ptember' Sports Thursday September?, 1995 7 "fusion fori "led by tlifj ’"led at b 'uncil is h Ban Wed* Texas AM bamburje <rder am •ning of poll 'ough then into next i will folio* i after the. id trial are :t Court of; Brazos C» 'd to the m junitr igwood, :e Departr rger was I ne on Be ported Sh ictoria Kof put her in i burger dn ret corner 'd to set B. ositions s fall ent Senate x six Sena! an. enate sealr eats andom illy beerm d. d to have i de-point ()■ um GPRof semester, ssions. e seats are lay intli ices Buii Sept. 1 Ripken: The shortstop has not missed a game since 1982 Continued from Page 1 hurt, he played through it,” teammate Rafael Palmeiro said. Through it all, Ripken showed up ready to play. And play he did, game after game after game. “It’s untouchable. I don’t think there’s anyone who has the gall to approach a record like this,” Baltimore outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds said. “This is Cal Ripken’s record, and it will always be Cal Ripken’s record.” Haven’t we heard this be fore? That’s what they were saying in 1939, when Gehrig pulled himself from the New York Yankees’ lineup after a stretch of ineffective perfor mances at the plate. Gehrig held the record for 56 years. Then along came Ripken, who figured as long as he was coming to the ballpark, he might as well play. He’s carried that philosophy with him for 2,131 games, and now he’s the proud owner of one heck of a streak. "It will never be broken,” California outfielder Tim Salmon said. “I still can’t be lieve that’s Ripken out there every day, because there are so many things that can hap pen in the course of a season.” Baltimore rookie Mark Smith missed a few games last week after he got his finger cut in a hotel air conditioner. A few days before that, Orioles outfielder Curtis Goodwin split open his finger trying to lay down a bunt. Anything can happen. Rip ken has had his share of aches and pains, but nothing has been severe enough to cause him to approach his manager and ask for a day off. “To play with Cal and know him, you can see that he is not of the norm. He’s not a normal person, physically and mental ly,” Rene Gonzales, a former teammate who now plays with the Angels. “He does every thing he’s supposed to, every single day.” Gehrig will still always be known as the Iron Horse. Rip ken has no nickname, but his name has become synonymous with persistence, integrity and consistency. ' “Tonight I stand here over whelmed, as my name is linked with the great and courageous Lou Gehrig,” Rip ken said during the post-game celebration. “I’m truly hum bled to have our names spoken in the same breath. ‘‘Some may think our strongest connection is be cause we have played many consecutive games. Yet I be lieve in my heart that our true link is a common motivation — a love of the game of base ball, a passion for our team and a desire to compete on the very highest level.” It is that philosophy that has endeared him to his peers. “The record which has been broken today speaks volumes about a man who never undu ly focused on this achieve ment, but accomplished it through years of energy, in credible inner resources and an unflagging passion for the sport,” teammate Brady An derson told the crowd. A&M dominates in ’95 opener □ The volleyball team takes three straight games from Utah State. By Tom Day The Battalion In its season-opening match Wednesday night at G. Rollie White Coliseum, the Texas A&M volleyball team proved there is room for only one team of Aggies in Texas. The Lady Aggie netters showed no mercy in dispatching the Utah State Aggies in three games, 15-7, 15-8 and 15-3. A&M Volleyball Head Coach Laurie Corbelli was pleased with her team’s effort. “For a season-opening match, it was OK for us,” Corbelli said. “I was really proud of the way we kept our momentum. We only had one downslide and that was really pleasing to see.” Capitalizing on the powerful serve of Kristie Smedsrud, the Lady Aggies blazed to an early lead in the first game. The senior outside hitter recorded three con secutive aces and four in the game. “We’ve been working a lot on serving in the last week,” Smed srud said. “I was a little nervous about it, so I kind of fed off mo mentum and adrenaline.” After a small lapse that saw USU tie the game up at 7-7, the Lady Aggies exploded for eight straight points to close out the game. Corbelli said her team did a good job overcoming typical early- season miscues. “Individually on defense, we’re feeling good with the court and ball-control, but as a team, we had a few people out of position,” Corbelli said. “We also made a few hitting errors, but that will happen early in the season on any team.” After taking the second game, Corbelli emptied her bench in the final frame. Freshmen outside hitters Kim Tipton and Stacy Sykora helped fuel a furious A&M attack that put the match away. Sykora recorded three kills and a service ace in her Lady Aggie debut. “I was kind of scared to make a mistake, but I was pretty com fortable out there,” Sykora said. “I love playing in front of crowds.” Junior middle blocker Page White paced the Lady Aggie at tack with eight kills and four ser vice aces while senior setter Suzy Wente recorded 21 assists. “It was great to get back in the noise,” Wente said. “I love playing in G. Rollie White, and we had a lot of people here.” With their first match behind them, Corbelli said the Lady Ag gies can look forward to playing their next contest without too much nervousness. “We had some players that were still a little bit tight,” Cor belli said. “Getting back into com petition and meeting expectations is going to help their game a lot. “Overall, I was happy I got to see almost everybody on the court. It was a great match for us to evaluate areas that we need to immediately work on.” This weekend, the Lady Ag gies head to Chicago, Ill. to play in the Mizuno USA Cup. On Friday, the team faces the daunting task of taking on Stanford University, the de fending national champions and current top-ranked team in the country. Evan Zimmerman, The Battalion Texas A&M senior setter Suzy Wente sets the ball as sophomore middle blocker Cindy VanderWoude watches during Wednesday night's game. Goalie McConnell Aggies’ last line of defense □ The sophomore com piled an 11-2 record dur ing the 1994 season. By Tom Day The Battalion Stew Milne, The Battalion Sophomore goalie Sunny McConell kicks the ball upheld during Sunday's game vs. Marquette. Preparation, teamwork, leader ship: It sounds like the beginning of a U.S. Army television commercial. Al though Sunny McConnell is not en listed in the Armed Forces, she incor porates these elements into her style of play. As the starting goalkeeper for the Texas A&M soccer team, her suc cess is dependent upon them. “The team counts on her consisten cy and leadership and the example that she sets in training,” A&M head coach G. Guerrieri said. “As far as concentration and intensity, she’s probably our most complete player.” Last season, McConnell tallied an impressive 11-2-1 record while allow ing just 11 goals for a 1.01 goals- against average. She posted a career- high 78 saves while playing the most minutes on the team. McConnell said preparation is the key to her success. “I try to prepare myself mentally before the game,” McConnell said. “I visualize different types of shots and see myself making those saves in my mind. It makes things easier in the game.” Ranked fifth among South Region goalkeepers last year, McConnell credited solid team defense as her av enue to success. “The play of the defense is vital,” McConnell said. “If the defense isn’t playing well, it makes my job a lot harder. When we all click together, things run very smoothly.” Guerrieri said McConnell’s leader ship at goalie is as crucial to the team as her solid play in the goal box. “It’s a give-and-take system,” Guerrieri said. “(The defense) is de pendent on her to lead and communi cate to them what they need to do, and she’s dependent on them to do what’s asked of them. One doesn’t carry the other; she’s just one-quarter of the defense.” Playing one the toughest positions in soccer, McConnell said there is lit tle room for error. “There’s a lot of pressure,” Mc Connell said. “Generally, if you make a mistake, a lot of the time it results in a goal. Whereas if you make a mistake or give the ball away in the middle of the field, it doesn’t directly result in a goal.” “We try not to put pressure on our keepers,” Guerrieri said. “We’re not in a position where we have to de pend on them to win games because so much of our game is based on scor ing and attack. We depend on Sunny to keep us in games and make the saves that are within her abilities.” As a two-time GTE Academic Achievement Award recipient, Mc Connell works just as hard in the classroom as one the field. Guerrieri said that effort is expect ed from all of his players, and that the desire to excel is a main reason for the team’s success. “Our system is based on 100-per cent effort,” Guerrieri said. “With Sunny, we always get that effort. She’s a great student that works well with the team. “She’s worked hard to get to the level she’s at now.” Preparation, teamwork and leader ship: Like the commercial says, Mc Connell is definitely all she can be. On The Side Of A&M. At First American Bank, we’re always on the side of Aggies. With the University Center direcdy across the street from campus and four other convenient locadons all over Aggieland, you’ll never have to look very far to find who’s pullin’ for the ol’ maroon and white. 12 FIRST BANK" Aggie Owned. Aggie Strong. Aggie Proud. Main Office: 1111 Brlarcrest Dr. 260-4300 Convenience Center: 1660 Briarorest Dr. 260-4300 Downtown Center: 201 S. 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