Battalion
Sports
Page 7 • Friday, September 25, 1998
ggies try to forget distractions,
ke out frustrations on Eagles
BY JEFF SCHMIDT
The Battalion
bnhadkl
ivved ra: : j
hers had :
sarily hik
i the air |
window I
I they ha:f
sweat-K.
imanitv : H
ify. the' ftxas A&M offensive coordinator Steve
s huih: ragihorpe probably wishes he had taken
tse. Thctelead football coaching position at the
pleted thniversity of North Texas.
tinaiiirMfter all, A&M is ranked 108th out of
teir own: 2 Division 1A teams in total offense and,
e A& jetoa suspension, will not have senior
with (lining back D’Andre "Tiki” Hardeman.
n chapte instead, Kragthorpe will be coaching
every kBist North Texas Saturday, as the No.
lunteersBggies host UNT.
ite. Wagthorpe, who was North Texas’ offen-
nyak, hHcoordinator from 1994-95, was offered
Habitai ,e l 1 NT job last season but said he turned
there ;:Kvn out of loyalty to coach R.C. Slocum,
iredthai. “1 just felt that at this point of time it
>n atJu;.;Bbest for me to stay at A&M,” Kragth-
ey are Msaid. “1 really like the situation where
es helpnn. 1 think R. C. made a leap of faith
d they:/jumping out there and naming me co-
d two rMiator. I felt loyalty to him. I think a lot
Bin as a head coach and enjoy work-
i ting bee; ig lor him.”
ople in ilBragthorpe will not have the services of
yak sa ardeman this season, recently suspend-
forthe season because he did not meet
A satisfactory progress requirements.
Hardeman was allowed to play
|a|ist Florida State and Louisiana Tech
naflfie to a clerical error in the posting of
pCIii-ades at the registrar’s office.
..Ms a result of playing an ineligible
layer, A&M forfeited the win over
"uisiana Tech.
Soccer team prepares for SMU
BY AARON COHAN
The Battalion
On paper, it looks like a lopsided game as
the favored Texas A&M Soccer Team pre
pares to host the Southern Methodist Uni
versity Mustangs. The game will begin at 7
p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Complex.
The offensive struggles
that SMU has faced this
year, after losing four top
players, have made them
dig deep to find that talent
core that has traditionally
been there.
Yet earlier games this
year are forgotten in the
players’ minds for this
grudge match. Both
Texas rivals look forward to facing each
other every year.
“It’s the same thing every year,”
ELLIOT
sophomore defender Claire Elliott said.
“The match is very physical and de
mands full concentration on both offense
and defense.”
The Mustangs bring a speedy front, both
in forwards and midfielders that can easily
wreak havoc on the A&M defense.
Junior defender Ashley Fendley said
Jamie Campanaro, a senior midfielder and
leading scorer for SMU, is a top priority for
the A&M defenders.
“She, like the rest of their front, are
great offensive threats that are very
quick,” Fendley said. “We cannot allow
them to cross midfield a lot.”
The defense is the main aspect the Ag
gies have worked on this week just in case
the SMU offense resurfaces.
A&M coach G. Gurrieri said not to over
look SMU.
see Soccer on Page 8.
A&M begins conference play at Tech
Greg McReynolds/Tiik Battalion
Junior wide receiver Chris Cole catches a pass against Southern Mississippi Saturday.
Cole has 12 catches for 162 yards, leading the Aggies’ 108th-ranked offense.
■xas, ant
inual e’
S ocum said he does not think the sus-
1 one oi IE
'.'Y erlion will have an effect on his team.
a w jjj j^B don’t think it’s going to be a bad dis-
of knoi
lout the
action at all,” Slocum said. “Players
on’t read newspapers very much, so oth-
tihan that it’s not going to be a big deal.
' l l ! : ; I"! think he’s proven that he’s a good
m ‘J 1 ack. You lose a considerable amount of
e 8 0in ' £ ®rience. With [fullback] Jason Bragg
hurt we really don’t have any expe-
e to lose at that position. ”
that we:
e also sei
offense can not afford a drop
ves tin ff in production. The Aggies are averag-
jture. ||
for the n
ing only 111 rushing yards a game.
Hardeman, averaging 52 yards a game,
also scored four of A&M’s six touchdowns
this season.
A&M will turn to junior running back
Dante Hall to pick up the ground game
with Hardeman sidelined.
Hall rushed for 76 yards on nine car
ries and two touchdowns against South
ern Mississippi.
Despite the loss, Slocum said he does
not consider losing one player a problem.
“One of the foundations of building a
team is trying to get everyone to under
stand that it’s not about one guy,”
Slocum said.
“It’s about the overall group. Whatev
er the situation, you have 100 guys out
there. You try not to let the loss of one
player be that big of a distraction.”
The Aggies had better not look past the
Mean Green or they could see a sequel to
last season’s game.
UNT took a 10-10 tie into halftime
against A&M, before A&M scored 26
unanswered points for the win.
Hardeman scored two of the Aggies’
four touchdowns against UNT.
“Last year. North Texas was coming off
a win over Texas Tech and we struggled
with them for a good while,” Slocum said.
“Our players remember playing this team
just a year ago. They know it’s going to be
a challenge for us. ”
BY ROBERT HOLDER
The Battalion
The No. 17 Texas A&M
Volleyball Team (7-1) con
cluded its preseason match
es with a dominating win
over Houston.
In that game, junior mid
dle blocker Amber Woolsey
had the best game of her ca
reer with a career-high in
kills with 18 and a hitting
percentage of .654.
The Aggies have a five-
match winning streak, but
they have not played since
their home-opener against
Houston Sept. 15.
The Aggies will try to
increase their winning
streak to six when they
travel to Lubbock to face
No. 25 Texas Tech (10-2)
Friday at 7 p.m.
A&M is 9-7 all-time in
its conference openers, but
is 2-5 when they open on
the road.
The Aggies are 2-1 as
they open their Big 12 con
ference schedule against
the Red Raiders.
Coach Laurie Corbelli
said every win counts
when competing in one of
the toughest conferences in
the country.
“Given our youth and in
experience, a big goal for
this group is to finish in the
top four in the (Big 12) con
ference and battle for that
top notch,” Corbelli said.
“In a conference like this, a
lot of the teams have the
same goal, and it would be
very satisfying for us to
achieve that mark. ”
After the Aggies play
Tech, they return home to
host Baylor (6-5) on Sun
day at 3 p.m. at G. Rollie
White Coliseum.
In the all-time series, the
Aggies are 39-5 against
Baylor and the Aggies de
feated the Bears both times
last year.
Despite the Aggies’ re
cent dominance over the
Bears, Corbelli said the team
cannot get overconfident
with so many tough confer
ence matches still ahead.
“The Big 12 is going to
be incredibly tough,” Cor
belli said. “I think eight or
nine teams could battle for
the top four spots. Every
outcome of every match
will be a mystery. The
championship is going to
be up for grabs.
“I am confident that the
quality of our game will con
tinue to improve, and de
pending on how quickly our
athletes respond to the sys
tem and the competition, I
do believe that things could
turn out very much in our
favor many times through
out the season.”
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[T
{ELL
TA
XAS,
THIS IS THE LAST DAY!
Student Organization Contracts for the 1999
Aggieland yearbook are still available! NO LATE PENALTY
will be charged until Friday, September 25 after 5:00 pm!
Please come to the Reed McDonald Building in Room 004
or call 845-2681 for more information. Contracts will be available
through Friday, October 2 with a late penalty. Don’t miss your
chance to be in the last yearbook of this century!
Call 'n*
otlilH 1 *
/ebsi ,e:
ttp://
tam 11 '
GET MUGGED!
CLASS OF 1999! NOW ISTHETIMETO GETYOUR SENIOR PICTURE FORTHE
1999 AGGIELAND YEARBOOK. AR PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOW TAKING
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TERRACE CENTER IN BETWEEN JASON’S DELI AND ACADEMY
REGULAR AND EXTENDED SITTINGS ARE AVAILABLE.
HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 9:00-12:00 AND 1:30-5:00.
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