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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1996)
y™>g The Battalion Spo / • December-. Page 7 Wednesday • December 4, 1996 345-1742. >ad Programs ! an information he Internationa Relations Stutf. from 1010:31 tall West. gies: The Iasi ster will begin artment. Form ans call Julieij m at 693-4641 ident Associal alcome to icussion titled 'e you prepared at 7:30 p.m. nore informa:: 260-9764 oi amu.edu. tudent Assoc: a general mee: Rudder. Fonra tgustin at IN ;-6740. aological Soci! ons will be a 202 Francis. :nnis at 69M 7266. tudent Asset e a meeting li :ernational Wef 1 Rudder Ti nation call] L. 1 ne Student Is a will be agi 5:30 p.m. in5J e information! >089. agby: Cornel) ience necessa S0-7:30 p.m.c For more info at 693-3710 Round One A&M volleyball goes toe-to-toe with Arkansas-Little Rock nners: There from the RecO so, a 34mi( ollie White Col ifferent levels come. Formes ao at 2602441 Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion ennifer Wells serves a ball against Oklahoma Nov. 1 7. By Ross Hecox The Battalion Batters swing two bats in warm-up before they step up to the plate. Run ners strap weights to their ankles so when its time for the real race, their legs feel lighter. After bumping up against No. 5 Ne braska (a three-game loss) to end its regu lar season Saturday, the 15th-ranked Texas A&M Volleyball Team will face a lighter substance in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in first-round action of the NCAA Tour nament. The Lady Aggies play the unranked Trojans tonight at 6 p.m. in G. Rol- lie White Coliseum. Senior middle blocker Page White said in addi tion to the Huskers, the grinding 10-match tour of the Big 12 Conference this season prepared A&M for the post-season. “I don’t think there is anything else we can go through,” White said. “We’ve been through the highs and the lows. We’ve experienced a lot of things and a lot of good teams.” With a 24-7 record and a third place finish in the Big 12 Conference with a 15-5 mark, the Lady Aggies were disap pointed not to be one of the 16 teams in the tournament receiving a first-round bye. Now A&M hopes to use tonight’s match to gain some momentum for the “We can get a match under our belt and get some momentum.” Kristie Smedsrud Outside hitter rest of tournament, junior outside hitter Kristie Smedsrud said. “We’re taking this as a positive,” Smedsrud said. "It’s nice to get a bye, but that didn’t happen. We can get a match under our belt and get some momentum. So I’m glad we’re playing on Wednesday.” UALR totes a 29-7 and 7-2 league record in the Sun Belt Conference. The team averages 14 kills and 2.4 blocks per game while hitting for a .258 percentage. A&M is hit ting .237 as a team with 16.64 kills and 2.9 blocks a game. A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli said she is not concerned about adjusting her game plan for the Trojans. She said she wants her players to regain their lllll>^ll,llllllll^lll ^ poise after the loss to Nebraska. “We’re not going to change a lot in our game because it’s really effective,” Corbelli said. “It will be more about building their confidence.” If the Lady Aggies defeat UALR, they will play at No. 7 Michigan State Univer sity this weekend. White said A&M’s prospects for the tournament are good. “I think we can compete with any one in the nation physically, except we might not be as tall,” White said. “But we are very well-rounded. We just need to get some more confidence.” ility to adapt keeps Lake from going dry By Sara Duesing The Battalion » a Battalion!^F 1 seems t00 obvious to even say that experience is a *n oftt studfl va ^ ua * 3 * e key to success. Whether it is sports, academics ’ ’ p . .^TBor life in general, those who have experience are usually h^ratter off than those who do not. Guard Christy Lake is ; mi e no ^ge asset to the Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Team be cause she has experience. ■ la her third collegiate program, Lake has ad- ices f r ® n0 justed to different teams, coaches 4 ,eru, \ n .Md systems, and has gained the ^ e d8 e an d skills that have led ^ i at 845-33WB r tQ success jB“Christy adapts pretty well,” Assistant . Mach Tracy Stewart Lange said. “She is an experienced 1 ll mm j )l!l; , all lete who understands the system and uses that to n me plan ■jp ot | lers on t h e team, especially the youth.” people, k e g an pi a yi n g basketball when she was just 8 . . Bars old, after her father, who also played basketball, an-AmeHcaji^ked her interest dd look to ill “I didn’t get competitive in basketball, though, until ns, Quant a jj (iut j un j or high,” Lake said. “That was when I knew it ''ks ,iau T was something I wanted to work hard for.” gs and sav 'MLake’s father not only introduced the sport to her but rests than tDmpj rec ] her to continue throughout school as well. iicl - B“My dad has just always been a big influence,” ot allow oujkg sa j f j «j doing } t (basketball) and enjoy its to sleep •>' c|mpetitiveness.” he rea.l culpiJBf) escr ib> ec i as a deceptive player by senior culpiits aa c Jp ta j n h ana Tucker, Lake is known for her Biooth ball-handling and passing. B "Christy sometimes isn’t seen as a threat blcause the stats don’t show that,” Tucker ^ ^Etid. “Yet she knows the floor so well and Bakes everyone around her play better that Hthe other teams don’t stop her penetration, GHTSYSJt terwood Aif usive lnteg(< ns, dight Systems, rwood Airpof ge Station, 260-632 LCt 99 »tock rsity Drive n Campus) Used CD* HEY AGS VOTE TODAY!! December 4 for The Student Center Complex Fee Referendum From 8:00 am - 6:00 pm at Evans Library, Kleberg, MSC, Zachry, Wehner, Sbisa, Commons and Rec Center Expose Yourself to 22,000 Students. Each semester, over 20,000 students at tend MSC Open House. Register your table today at the MSC Box Office. Only $22 for recognized student organizations. Make sure you're there. Jt Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your (EL special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities. Sponsored By ^fr MSC Public For more information call 845-1515 Relations Women’s basketball aims to beat SMU By Jamie Burch The Battalion The Texas A&M Women’s Bas ketball Team (1-1) will try to turn things around and climb back into the win column when it battles former Southwest Conference foe Southern Methodist University (1- 2), at G. Rollie White Coliseum af ter the conclusion of the NCAA first-round volleyball game. The game will start 30 min utes after the A&M-University of Arkansas at Little Rock match. The anticipated , start time for the basketball game is 8:30 p.m. Coming off a 96-76 loss to the University of Ari zona Nov. 25, A&M will face a tough squad in the Lady Mustangs. SMU is led by 5-foot-ll- inch senior for ward Kim Brandi. Brandi scored 23 points along with six rebounds against the Univer sity of Colorado (Nov. 30), and 19 points and six assists against the University of Louisville (Nov. 29). Brandi’s 19.8 points per game leads the team. A&M Head Coach Candi Har vey said the Lady Aggies will have to contain the prolific scor er — so prolific, in fact, that Har vey has a nickname for Brandi. “Doctor Brandi is still there,” Harvey said. “She’s a post player and a perimeter player. It will be a challenge for us to handle her.” The Lady Aggies will also have to defend against senior point guard Shawna Ford. Ford’s 10-of-21 three-point percentage leads the squad and is second to Brandi with 15 points a game. Harvey said Ford’s shooting ability is an asset to the team. "Shawna Ford is back at the point guard posi tion,” Harvey said. “She gives them leadership and good outside shooting.” Harvey said she realizes the Lady Aggies will have to play their best possi- “On paper, they're a better basketball team. Fm hoping the home court will help out.” Candi Harvey A&M head coach hie game to defeat the Mustangs. “On paper, they’re a better bas ketball team,” she said. “I’m hop ing the home court will help out. And I’m hoping that we will play over our heads, because that’s what we need to do.” Correction: In the Dec. 3 sailing story, Julie Dalton was misidentified as the team captain. Scott Sharpies is the captain and Dalton is the public relations chair. NFL Suspension she can really hurt them.” In her sophomore year at A&M, Lake finished the sea son with a 84.6 free-throw percentage and was fourth on the team with 54 assists. Previously, Lake attended Southwest Texas State University for a semester before transferring to Weatherford College where she averaged 11 points a game. “Christy has excellent one-on-one skills,” Lange said. “She is a very unselfish player and works to get other people £* involved. Sometimes, though, ^ s j le too jjj-jggifjgjq an( j m isses some open shots.” With the Lady Aggies considered the underdog in the new Big 12 Conference, the senior from Dun canville has made it her personal goal to give 100 per cent for every game. “A lot of people aren’t expecting us to do well,” Lake said. “I want this to be a good season, so we really need to do the best we can in order to prove them wrong.” Before competing, Lake studies the scouting reports of her opponent and visualizes what she needs to do to be effective. She relaxes by listening to music and focusing on the task before her. As for the future, Lake said basketball is not like- w ly to be a major factor. “I’m majoring in sports management but I don’t f really know what I want to do,” Lake said. “I think, though, that I would like to manage a health club or something.” For now, however, Lake concentrates on enjoying the sport and the teammates and friends she has made by participating. “One thing Christy has taught us is to realize that basketball is fun and it is just a game,” Tucker said. “She keeps it light on the court and, with jokes, keeps everyone in a good mood.” Lett to sit out one year YORK (AP) — Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett was suspended a minimum of one year — effective immediately — by the NFL on Tuesday for vio lating the league’s drug policy. Lett was suspended for four games in 1995. At the time, he was informed that any further viola tion would result in a minimum one-year suspension without pay. Lett is Dallas’ best defensive lineman and a former Pro Bowl starter. The defending Super Bowl champion Cowboys (8-5) are tied for first place in the NFC East, and his loss creates a huge hole in their defense. The 28-year-old Lett is the second high-profile Cowboy to receive a drug-related suspen sion this season. All-Pro wide re ceiver Michael Irvin was sus pended for the first five games of the season after pleading no contest to drug charges stem ming from an arrest. Lett was recently informed that he had violated the policy, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. Lett appealed the penalty to NFL commissioner Paul Tagli- abue, who denied the appeal. Lett was not immediately available for comment. His agent, Jim Steiner, was traveling and not in his office, his secre tary in St. Louis told The Associ ated Press. Lett has been tested up to 10 times per month since the NFL suspended him last season. According to the NFL’s sub stance policy, a suspended play er may not participate with his team in any way during the time he is out. A player suspended for one year may apply for re-in statement no sooner than 60 days prior to the one-year an niversary date of his suspension. In addition to his drug histo ry, Lett may be best known for two gaffes during games. With the Cowboys leading comfortably in the 1993 Super Bowl, Lett recovered a fumble, and holding it in one hand, re turned it 64 yards only to have Buffalo wide receiver Don Beebe catch him from behind at the goal line and strip the ball be fore Lett could score. In a 1993 Thanksgiving Day game played in the snow, Lett bungled an attempted fumble recovery in the closing seconds, giving the Miami Dolphins a second chance to kick a game winning field goal. ABOVE AND BEYOND TRAVEL AGENCY Spring Break Aggie Special from $ 438.95 tax included from $ 388.95 tax included Acapulco Trip Includes *Roundtrip Airfare 'Airport Transfers * 4 Nights Lodging 'Hotel Taxes 4001 E. 29th Street, Suite 114 Bryan, Texas 77802 409-260-1267 or 1-800-229-7033