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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1996)
pj September ✓“>i The Battalion Sports Page 7 Tuesday • September 1 7, 1996 er had sug ?fj “t deep on - yielded m turd ay was id, and rain i little me nee this d a little atience.” 3r Stroman )re wildlife ar: ;ries major ady Ags coking to iversify Smedsrud earns crunch-time reputation tier fishing, id blue pene 1 Stroman’s2 ed the “bigt and into Str icker. st fish Stroii was goodi and prize. I ll mi -j ^ espite sweep i n g through the Post Oak M a 11 /La dy Aggie Invita tional last weekend, the Texas A&M Volleyball am is still trying to fine tune game. A&M Head Coach Laurie rbelli said the team is working [diversify its attack by using the ddle blockers more. “We’re trying to [set) the bail to middle more,” Corbelli said, fe did it a little (in the touma- nt) at times, but it’s too pre- atable [because! it’s going to iroutside (hitters) all the time.” Taking the Honor The Lady Aggies still man- m ;ed to rake in the awards over e weekend. Junior outside tier Kristie Smedsrud was imed Big 12 Player of the eek after hitting .374 in the lur matches and tallying 63 ils,a4.85 average per contest. I Smedsrud was also named t( the All-Tournament team, |er third consecutive honor in many weeks. She was amed to the University Park loliday Inn Classic on Sept. 1 nd the Inntower Invitational earn on Sept. 7. lunior setter Farah Mensik 171 assists, 12 serving aces) nd sophomore outside hitter tacySykora (60 kills, .425 aver- ig,e) were also named to the All- Tournament team. Mix and Match Corbelli also said she has een hesitant to make substi- itions so far this season ecause of a fear of disrupting ourt chemistry. “We do have a lot of talent on ie bench,” she said. “The Sustment of the other five or >ur (to a substitution) on the nut is important to me. If they an't adjust to a new body on the nirt it distracts them, and that as happened in the past. It lakes me hesitate sometimes.” Still up for Grabs Despite junior outside hitter mnifer Wells’ solid perfor- lance last weekend, Corbelli ill does not have a definite arter for the right outside hit- r position. “We’re still looking for some ?ht-side strength,” Corbelli said, think [Wells] has got the experi- ice. (Summer) Strickland is real- t-side hitter, but she’s train- ble for the right side. Summer is ping a great job, and (junior) poke Polak has the size. I think |e need to work three players for lat spot, and [they] will still be ne top three.” See Hecox, Page 8 Evan Zimmerman, The Battalion junior Kristie Smedsrud was named Big 12 Player of the Week. By Jamie Burch The Battalion M r. Clutch. Texas Rangers first baseman Will Clark is known as the team’s go-to guy. All-pro wide receiver Jerry Rice assumes the same role for the San Francisco 49ers. For the Texas A&M Volleyball Team, that go-to player is junior outside hitter Kristie Smedsrud. Lady Aggie outside hitter Stacy Sykora said Smedsrud will always receive the ball in a pressure situ ation for A&M. “When the score is tied 14-14, you know who the ball is going to go to,” Sykora said. “You want to get the ball into Kristie’s hands.” Mrs. Clutch herself, Smedsrud, has been the Lady Aggies’ go-to player ever since she became an integral part of A&M’s offense during her freshman year. She finished the 1994 season as the most highly decorated fresh man in A&M volleyball history. After starting 28 of 33 matches, Smedsrud became the first fresh man in Southwest Conference and A&M history to be named to the All-SWC first team by the league coaches. Smedsrud also received A&M’s Best Offensive Player of the Year award, finishing the season with 358 kills, an A&M record for a freshman. Ranked sixth in the SWC with a 3.21 kill average, Smedsrud capped off her award- winning debut season with SWC Freshman of the Year honors. Lady Aggie Head Coach Laurie Corbelli said Smedsrud's play on the court is a result qf her off-sea son regimen. “She worked hard at her improvement,” Corbelli said. “It’s not just a result of her talent, but a result of hard work.” Smedsrud continued her sophomore campaign in 1995 in a similar fashion. As one of two A&M players to start all 30 match es, Smedsrud posted a team-lead ing 3.80 kill average, which ranked fourth in the SWC. After Smedsrud’s consecutive record-setting seasons, Corbelli said the Lady Aggie netter continued her off-season trend of working hard on all the aspects of her game. Her effort has spelled out to even more success through 10 matches this season for Smedsrud. She was named to the All-Tournament team in all three of the Lady Aggie’s tournaments this season. During the Post Oak Mall/Lady Aggie Invitational last weekend, Smedsrud racked up 63 kills over A&M’s four victories, and was also awarded Big 12 Player of the Week honors Monday. Corbelli said Smedsrud’s explosive start is no surprise. “1 saw it coming,” Corbelli said. “This summer was very devoted to her physical conditioning and men tal aspect of the game. She spent a lot of time in the office visiting with coaches and reading books.” Smedsrud’s offensive success transcends the court into the Evan Zimmerman, The Battaugn Outside hitter Kristie Smedsrud goes for the dig against Illinois State University in tournament play last weekend at C. Rollie White Coliseum. classroom. The history major was awarded with the GTE Academic Achievement Award during the last school year. Smedsrud said her primary concern is acade mics, as her lofty 3.4 grade point average indicates. “I take academics seriously,” Smedsrud said. “The coaches and the rest of the athletic staff stress academics first, volleyball second. It’s a challenge balancing acade mics and athletics, but I think it’s very important because someday volleyball will end.” While Smedsrud will earn her teaching certification, she said she wants to continue playing vol leyball after college. “That’s who I am,” Smedsrud said. “I’m a volleyball player. I can’t imagine giving it up. I love it too much.” Smedsrud said she would either play in Europe or on the sand circuit. “There’s a couple of clubs in Europe that [the coaches] have contacts with,” Smedsrud said. “I’d love to spend a couple of years over there. I don’t know if sand is a possibility, but I definitely do want to continue.” As they shoot for yet another NCAA birth, the Lady Aggies will thrive on Smedsrud down the stretch and in the clutch. A Family Tradition ► A&M junior Jamie Hullett is following in the footsteps of her brother on the golf course. By Matt Mitchell The Battalion Y ou can count Texas A&M golfer Jamie Hullett among those who subscribe to the “anything you can do, I can do better” philosophy. After growing up watching her brother achieve success on the golf course, Jamie decided she could do it too. The junior from Mesquite will be a mainstay for the A&M Women’s Golf Team this season, as it looks to field its best squad ever. Watching her brother on the links as a child, Hullett began picking up the game and its intri cacies at the age of seven. “Anything your older brother does, you have to do better,” Hullett said. She continued playing and improving through her teen-age years and later was awarded four straight high school letters, garner ing All-State recognition as a senior. Despite the strength of her physical game, her mental game had some flaws. “I’ve been working on that part of my game a lot since I got to [A&M],” Hullett said. “Coming out of high school, I didn’t know much about the psychological part of the game.” Since golf is recognized as a mental game as well as a physical game, Hullett said she has a unique way of mentally playing the course. “I try to stay focused and take in all the factors before I strike the ball,” Hullett said. “When I’m through with that shot, I just relax and look at the animals or what ever. If you stay focused for too long, it’s real draining. And since you’re out on the course for four or five hours, I try to have fun. I stay focused long enough to hit the golf ball.” Hullett’s focus has carried her a long way since her arrival at A&M. She exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 1994 by placing first at the Southwest Conference Tournament and posting a scoring average of 78.52, the fifth best all- time mark by an Aggie freshman. She capped her season by recording her best 54-hole score of the year at the NCAA West Region Championships, tying her for the 25th best score in the nation. But her 225 total was not enough, as she missed a sudden death playoff for an individual berth to the NCAA finals by a mere stroke. Last year, Hullett was just as impressive playing in all 11 of the team’s tournaments. She placed third in the final SWC Tournament and was selected to the All-SWC team. Last August, Hullett gained what she calls her most memorable achievement — winning the prestigious Broadmoor Ladies’ Invitational. “I just felt real comfortable out there,” Hullett said. “I didn’t play exceptionally well, but 1 stayed real calm and just had fun. I think that was the best mental game I’ve ever played.” Though she stands only 5-feet- 2-inches tall, Hullett possesses plenty of power and she rates her tee shot at the top of her list of positive attributes. “I think my greatest strength is my driver, and just keeping the ball in play,” Hullett said. “I get pretty decent (driving) length for a girl my size. I try to keep my dri ver in the fairway and that makes a big difference. If you can keep the ball in play, you have a good chance of posting a good score.” With only one senior on this year’s squad, A&M Women’s Head Coach Jeanne Southerland has high expectations for the Lady Aggies. “We have a unique situation this year in that all six team mem bers can play, and play well every tournament,” Southerland said. “I hope we’ll be able to spread the success around.” Hullett sees a real synergy among her teammates this year. “I think we have a great team this year,” Hujlett said. “Everybody gets along and we have a lot of fun together, which is important because we spend a lot of time together practicing.” See Hullett, Page 8 Rachel Redington, The Battaugn Junior Jamie Hullett practices her driving at the A&M Golf Course Monday afternoon. You've been part of the SOLUTION for too long pa presentation cf MSC Town Hall dedicated to the glorious [rug$re for free expression, free performance art, and free r e ,or a " TvIffiM ^CiW^tLOthiag v> need you. We need Singers, actors, musicians, jugglers. comics, psychics, poets, fsre contortionists, retro acts, piercers, wrestlers, songwriters, puppeteers, magicians, aeccrdian players, garage bands, ventriloquists, dancers, snake 4 , ,, Call today! Ask for Chris or Novey! uartfts,,plate spinners, sword swallowers. ' J farmers, ,stri ivllV vOU O'ljan grinders, rappers, skankers, tribute bands, yodelers, [rag queens, filmmakers, ...... t . get the idea? Ra'i — o-aa-? Iw ^3- dr %■» f TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 23-25 September 23 - 7:00pm Reception at the Hilton September 24 - 9:00am - 4:00pm Recruiters in the halls of Wehner 7:00pm Banquet at the Hilton September 25 - 9:00am - 4:00pm Recruiters in the halls of Wehner *Tickets for the Reception and Banquet may be purchased the week of September 16 outside of room 159 Wehner