A&M takes bite out of Bears in three-game victory
Mike Fuentes/The Battalion
than:!: nior outside hitter Celia Howes spikes the ball in
aid the s three-game win over Baylor Saturday.
BY ROBERT HOLDER
The Battalion
Despite an upcoming showdown against No. 13
Texas this Wednesday, the No. 17 Texas A&M Vol
leyball Team (9-1, 2-0) did not look past Baylor in
its conference home opener Sunday at G. Rollie
White Coliseum.
Coming off a victory over Texas Tech Friday, the Ag
gies wasted little time, taking care of the Bears in three
games 15-10, 15-7, 15-9. With the loss, Baylor falls to
6-7 and 0-2 in the Big 12.
In the first game, the Aggies opened with a quick 1-
0 lead on a service ace from junior outside hitter Sum
mer Strickland, but Baylor responded with seven of the
next 10 points.
Trailing 7-4, the Aggies would reel off five straight points
to take a 9-7 lead. With the Bears making a comeback, the
momentum went back to the Aggies on a tremendous dig
by Strickland that gave the Aggies a 13-10 lead.
A&M put the game away on two straight kills by
sophomore middle blocker Heather McWhirter and se
nior outside hitter Stacy Sykora.
Strickland led the team on the defensive side of the
ball with five digs and a block. She had 19 digs and
four blocks in the match.
“Summer (Strickland) is one of the best blockers
I’ve ever coached,” Aggie Volleyball coach Laurie Cor-
belli said. “No one knows about her, and she showed
you can’t attack her. Her game is so complete. She has
great technique and timing.”
Game two was more of the same for the Aggies
as they jumped out to a commanding 7-0 lead, in
cluding a service ace by junior middle blocker Am
ber Woolsey.
Baylor rallied with four early points and three points
late in the game, but A&M was too strong in the end,
scoring three straight points. A&M’s final point came
on a kill by Sykora, her ninth of the game.
'We struggled early on getting
our offensive rhythm going, but
you have to give Baylor credit.
... they are well-coached/'
— Laurie Corbelli
A&M Volleyball coach
The Aggies asserted their defense in game two,
holding Baylor to a .033 hitting percentage. The Aggies
also blocked eight shots in the game. Baylor only
blocked four A&M attacks. The Aggies had a .297 hit
ting percentage.
Baylor jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in game three
before the Aggies rallied to tie the game.
The Aggies would dominate the rest of the way, scor
ing eight points for a commanding 13-5 lead. The Bears
responded with four straight points before the Aggies put
the final two points down for the victory.
Baylor coach Bryan Hosfeld said his team was ready
to play, but just ran into a team hitting on all cylinders.
“The Aggies were quite impressive today,” Hosfeld
said. “They didn’t hit the ball as well as they did
against Texas Tech, but they were still very good. They
have good ball control, and their defense is solid. Syko
ra also does a good job of keeping the freshmen under
control on the court.”
Corbelli said she was impressed with the way the
team played but wanted to see a sharper performance
early in the match.
“We had some momentum coming into the Baylor
game,” Corbelli said. “We struggled early on getting
our offensive rhythm going, but you have to give Bay
lor credit. They always play excellent defense and they
are well-coached.
“Our blocking wasn’t as dominant and our timing was
off. Early, I thought we were impatient, but our middles
hung in there and kept their focus. Once the team settled
down, our blocking and our hitting came around.”
The Aggies out-hit and dominated the net the en
tire match.
A&M held the Bears to a .108 hitting percentage in
the first game and a .069 percentage in game three.
Despite strong performances on both sides of the
net, All-American Sykora said the team still has some
work to do before it reaches its peak.
“We are starting to come together more as a team,”
she said. “We still have to come together more,
though. Our coach can’t be out there with us all the
time, and the players have to look to each other more
on the court.”
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