Sports Page 9 Tuesday • September 10, 1996 idy Ags icking up cords At the toss Hecox eyball Notebook I n n t o w e r Invitational Tournament last week end, the Lady a Aggies led all w%.,. t j iree of their matches 2-0 going into the third e, but proceeded to drop the game of each match. Only team Wisconsin was able to come A&M’s early lead, win- the final three games of their :hup with A&M to win the npionship. t was disappointing not to | (the match),” Head Coach fie Corbelli said. “But our did not drop. We hit a few ial errors, and [volleyballl is much a momentum game.” Helping Hand mior setter Farah Mensik’s ssists against Wisconsin was hool record, breaking Suzy ite’s mark of 79 set in 1995. ; izik moved into seventh e in career assists on the all- :A&M list during the Loyola | Chicago match, surpassing ty Frederick’s total of 417. iensik currently has 580 ier assists, while Wente leads tggie setters with 5,511. Smashing Away unior outside hitter Kristie edsrud also broke an A&M ord against the Badgers. [35 kills surpassed the old mdard of 34, which she set fa freshman. [Smedsrud has a .313 hitting rcentage this season, and ;r recording 74 kills last ikend, she has 141 total for year. he has reached double fig- i in kills in all six matches ■ season, averaging 23.5 per test, and she has led the n in kills in each match, oth Smedsrud and Stacy I >ra were named to the j lower Invitational All- mament Team. Sykora rded42 digs and 53 kills dur- hetournament, including 22 ist Wisconsin. See Hecox, Page 11 Setting the Stage Junior setter Farah Mensik makes Redshirt freshman Chandra a name for herself with stellar play Robertson waits in the wings By Matt Mitchell The Battalion F ollowing in the footsteps of a legend is never easy. San Francisco 49er quarterback Steve Young faced high expecta tions after Joe Montana jumped ship. Likewise, Texas A&M quarter back Corey Pullig had the pressure of following Bucky Richardson. The same situation looms this year on the Texas A&M Volleyball Team, as Farah Mensik takes over as starting setter, following the depart ed All-American Suzy Wente. The comparison of the setter position on the court to a quar terback on the field is an accu rate one. The setter is the focal point of virtually any offensive scheme in volleyball and she is expected to direct the offense much like the more famous field generals of the gridiron. A team’s success depends on the setter’s quality of play, which will certainly be a major factor this year for the Lady Aggies. Mensik, a 5-foot-8-inch junior from Katy, acknowledges the expectations and the pressure. “My coaches and teammates have really helped me a lot, and not put a lot of pressure on me,” Mensik said. "I put a lot of pres sure on myself to perform well and help the team as best I can.” It did not take long for the team to get used to its new setter, as evi denced by its early-season suc cess with wins over Loyola Marymount University, Auburn University, Loyola-Chicago and the University of Maryland. Senior middle blocker Page White does not see that many differ ences between Mensik and Wente. “They’ve both had the same coaches and have trained the same way,” White said. “Farah is a little bit taller, which is nice for blocking purposes. The biggest change has been getting use to a different person. Obviously she’s different, but it hasn’t been that much of a transition.” Mensik waited patiently for two years before inheriting the starter’s role. One might have expected her to get a little antsy backing up an All-American. However, that was not the case. “It was a transition from high school, but I knew how great [Wentej was when I got here,” Mensik said. “We competed hard on the court, but that helped me. We’re very good friends, and I learned tremendously from her. She was a great mentor.” Now that her opportunity has at last come to fruition, Mensik is confident she has the skills to lead the Aggies to another NCAA Tournament appearance. In addi tion to the aforementioned height advantage, Mensik cites her work ethic among her finest attributes. “I always work hard and try to give 100 percent,” Mensik said. “I’m obviously not the tallest or quickest player, so I think my hard work has really helped me get to where I am today.” A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli says there are many other characteristics that make Mensik an exceptional player. “She’s extremely strong and has trained in our system for two years,” Corbelli said. “She’s very intelligent and understands the concepts and style of play that we use.” All of these skills were on dis play two weeks ago when Mensik was named to the All-Tournament Team at the University Park Holiday Inn Classic. She averaged 13.83 assists and 2.42 digs per game in the three matches, including a 72-assist effort against No. 20 Loyola Marymount, the second best sin gle-match total in A&M history. Last weekend, she followed up See Mensik, Page 11 By Jamie Burch The Battalion A s the Texas A&M Volleyball Team continues its tuneup for the inaugural Big 12 Conference season, backup set ter Chandra Robertson has become one of the pistons aim ing to drive the team back to the NCAA Tournament. Recruited by numerous col leges as a senior in high school, the redshirt freshman said she chose A&M because she liked the environment and because she liked the greater level of competition. “When I came here, I fell in love with the school,” Robertson said. “I loved the tra ditions, the peo ple, and I felt that A&M would give me more of a challenge vol- leyball-wise.” A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli said when Robertson redshirt- ed last season, she had the opportuni ty to observe two talented players, Southwest Conference Player of the Year and All- American setter Suzy Wente and her replacement this year, sophomore Farah Mensik. “Suzy was a natural,” Corbelli said. “She was able to see the whole court, where the ball was coming from, who to set it to, and where the ball was going.” Mensik said Robertson profit ed from both her and Wente’s dif ferent styles. “I learned a lot from watching her (Wente) with the team, and when I was sitting off on the side,” Mensik said. “Suzy and I have two different styles of play, so I feel that I have something to offer Chandra too.” Now that Robertson has observed the team for a year, she will fill the role of backup setter this season. Corbelli said Robertson’s 6-foot frame will give her a competitive edge. “This game is getting bigger,” Corbelli said. “Any time you can give the starters a rest and fill their spots with size, you’re at an advantage.” As the heir apparent to Mensik, Robertson said she was glad she had the opportunity to redshirt her freshman year. “I wouldn’t trade it for any thing,” Robertson said. “It gave me the opportunity to concentrate on school and get used to college without any pressure.” Robertson said one day she hopes to be a starter. “I think that’s every new recruit’s dream — to come in, start and play well,” Robertson said. “But I’d like to say that I’m not a selfish player, and that during games, whether I’m on the bench or on the court, I’ll give it all I’ve got.” Robertson said her desire to start has only improved the relationship between herself and Mensik. “We are both very competitive,” Robertson said. “We push each other uncon sciously. It’s a good relationship because we push each other, but not to the extent that it makes either of us uncomfortable.” Corbelli said she enjoys the fierce competition between the two setters. “We’ve talked about it a lot,” Corbelli said. “Since they’re both playing to be the team’s setter, they push each other to perform. It’s a coach’s dream for healthy competition.” See Robertson, Page 11 Tim Moog, The Battalion Replacing former All-American Suzy Wente, junior setter Farah Mensik has already set an A&M record with 80 assists in one match. Tim Moog, The Battalion Setter Chandra Robertson works out Monday afternoon. tficmsoft s. fe Microsoft, Encana Natural PowerPoint, Windows and the Windows logo are trademarks of Microsoft -7 o. is a registered trademark of Zenith Data Systems Corporation. Intel Inside and the Pentium Prore^LV ' Z " stali0n trademarks of Intel Corporation. Specifications and pricing subject to change without notice Prir.« price. 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