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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1998)
Ags look to avoid Stillwater scare ootball cruises to Oklahoma for Halloween rumble with OSU Cowboys Sports Page 7 • Friday, October 30, 1998 ROBERT MCKAY/The Battalion in A&M’s 17-10 win Saturday. BY JEFF SCHMIDT The Battalion Oklahoma State University (3-4, 2-3) will eschew typical Halloween garb and dress up as the spoiler when they host the No. 8 Texas A&M Football Team (7-1, 4-0) on Halloween, Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m and will be broad cast nationally on Fox Sports. The Cowboys may have visions of last season’s game against A&M. OSU dominated the Aggies for 55 minutes before A&M rallied for 15 points in the last five minutes to tie the game. Ineligible running back D’Andre “Tiki” Hardeman rumbled six yards for the winning score in A&M’s 28- 25 overtime victory. It was the first overtime game in A&M history. Senior quarterback Branndon Stewart, the forgotten man this sea son, went 9-of-13 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown in the fourth quarter. A&M coach R. C. Slocum presented Stewart with the game ball, the first time Slocum has ever awarded a player with a game ball. “I think they [OSU] will be motivated because of several factors,” Slocum said. “They’re coming off a big confidence-building win over Oklahoma. They get us up there. We played an evening game last year and won it in overtime, so I’m sure there’s some motiva tion to replay the game. “We’re ranked in the nation and we’re leading the SLOCUM South Zone, so there’s a whole lot of motivation there. We know they will be ready; we don’t have any doubt about that.” OSU had a Cinderella season last year. While most preseason prognosticators ranked the Cowboys near the bottom of the Big 12, OSU reeled off an eight-win season and earned a trip to the Builders Square Alamo Bowl. The clock may have struck midnight for the Cow boys this season. OSU was stunned by the University of Tulsa earlier and lost nail-biters to the University of Nebraska and Texas Tech University. The Aggies come into Saturday’s game as the mas ters of their domain. A&M sits alone atop the Big 12 South standings. A win over a tough OSU team and a University of Texas loss to Nebraska could cement A&M’s stranglehold on the South Zone. “This is a big game,” Slocum said. “We have to go on the road and play a tough team. I know as sure as I’m sitting here that it’s going to be a tough ballgame. If you can come out of that then you feel better about coming home and having to play Missouri, which is a probable bowl team.” However, Slocum is quick to point out that there are plenty of games left in the conference schedule and that the Big 12 race is not over. “What concerns me is that we’re only halfway through the conference schedule. That’s my biggest concern,” Slocum said. “It’s way too early. We’re only halfway through the eight-game conference schedule, so to me it’s way too early to start worrying about any thing except what we have to do this week.” vss country prepares t conference meet Volleyball plays BU> Tech BY TOM KENNEDY The Battalion When freshmen Brandon |ey and Melissa Gulli signed the Texas A&M Men’s and en’s Cross Country Teams last ai| they were busy setting high- iool records and advancing to ill cross country and track and Id meets. Both individuals were solthe senior members on their tms with the most high-profile cefexperience. A \ r ear later, they find them- s in team-leading roles once , but this time they are short e experience of racing against jollegiate elite. js both squads head into the 2 Conference Meet at Pioneers jin Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, the grience factor has not gone un fed. Coach Dave Hartman, e traveling roster of 18 run ts, consists of 15 freshmen and omores, feels this could be a starting point for the young ers to gain experience, e’ve got a young team with freshman (on each squad),” an said. “There are so many man on the team that it will be experience to get in a nation- iliber] field like this. That way] in the years in the e, we can be one of the teams ngin the top two or three.” ie Big 12 is one of the top con- ices in the nation, so the fresh- will need to adjust early in the in order to compete, nthe men’s side, the Universi- [ Colorado will try to remain the ly school to win a Big 12 title, ig won the first two in ’96 and he Buffs are currently ranked nationally and are expected :ain the title; their main com- or is ninth-ranked Oklahoma University. The University of Missouri, ranked 17th, and the University of Texas, which is receiving votes, should battle for third and fourth. Colorado’s Adam Goucher is the dear-cut favorite for the individual title and should have no problem repeating last year’s win in Stillwa ter, Okla. Beasley said he is eager to run against the high level of competition. “I haven’t ran against [Col orado] yet,” Beasley said. “But I look forward to it, and it definitely will be a fast pace.” Freshman Chris Lee is opti mistic about the Aggies’ chances this weekend. “I think, since the level of compe tition is so great, that we’ll run a lot harder,” Lee said. “We’ll definitely step up to [the ranked teams.]” The women’s race has no clear favorite, but Colorado, ranked 20th after peaking at No. 4 this season, has also won the first two Big 12 Championships and remains in ti tle contention. Kansas State University, the highest-ranking women’s team in the conference at No. 18, and Baylor University, ranked 21st, are also expected to fend for the team championship. Oklahoma State and Texas are the dark horses of the conference, and either team could take the title. The individual title also has no clear-cut favorite, but Baylor’s Sherri Smith, Oklahoma State’s Hanna Smedstad, and the Univer sity of Nebraska’s Jeannette Zim mer are among those expected to be in the front pack. Gulli feels that the Big 12 meet is a good tune up for the regional meet, which will decide what teams will advance to the NCAA Championships. see Harriers on Page 8. •A&M humbled by four- game losing streak and loss of All-American Stacy Sykora. BY AARON COHAN The Battalion The 19th-ranked Texas A&M Volleyball Team is seeking to get back on track after a series of tough road trips. The Aggies, currently tied for fifth with Texas Tech University in the Big 12, have lost a sea- son-high four games in a row to a respected group of top-25 teams. After losing to Colorado (12th), Nebraska (3rd), and Texas (13th), Coach Laurie Corbelli said she is not the least bit worried. “As young as we are, I am really pleased with what we took home from these losses,” Corbelli said. The one thing Corbelli said she is not pleased about is losing All-American outside hitter Sta cy Sykora to a sprained ligament in her left foot against Kansas State University last Saturday. Sykora has led the team all year in hit average, kill average and dig average. In place of Syko ra will be redshirt freshman Erin Gibson. Gib son, making her first career start, will give A&M three freshman in the starting line-up. “Initially, the loss of Stacy affected our chem istry,” Corbelli said. “But during these last few practices this week, the team has really jelled and come together.” The Aggies face Baylor University tonight in Waco ending their five-game road trip. The Bears, currently on a three-game winning streak, are currently tied for seventh in the Big 12 with the University of Kansas. Earlier in the season, the Aggies man-handled the Bears in College Station for a 3-0 win. Baylor is led by power-hitter Elisha Polk. When the Aggies come home on Sunday, the Red Raiders will be waiting to avenge a loss ear lier in the season. Tech, led by junior Lori Gar ber and senior setter Lisa Helgers, is 0-7 against Top 25 teams this year. The Aggies seem to be well prepared for both of these matches even without Sykora at the helm. Coach Corbelli feels the team is ready to break out of its slump. “All the girls are stepping up and meeting the challenge (with Sykora out),” said Cor- ERIC NEWNAM/The Battalion Junior middle blocker Amber Woolsey digs in A&M’s win over the University of Kansas. belli. “We feel like we are ready to start play ing well again.” Aggie soccer team travels to Oklahoma for two-game set BY AARON COHAN The Battalion The Texas A&M Soccer Team has the mind-set to finish the season strongly this Halloween weekend. The 24th-ranked Aggies play a young and tough Oklahoma State University Friday in Stillwater Okla., and then finish up the road trip Sunday with a match against the University of Oklahoma. The Aggies are coming off an impressive 2-0 win against arch ri val the University of Texas, which marked their final home game of the season. With the win, the Aggies clinched at least the third seed in the Big 12 Tournament next week end in San Antonio. The team might have lost a top player. Junior defender Ash ley Fendley was injured in Wednesday’s match. Her knee may have been hy per-extended. A game-time deci sion will be made on her ability to play. Coach G. Guerrieri said the match against OSU is pivotal because they want to keep their current winning streak of three games alive. “OSU is a very tough team that believes in themselves,” Guerrieri said. “They have nothing to lose and everything to gain playing a ranked team like us. ” Of the seven losses OSU has this season, three have been in overtime, and four have been by a goal. “They are a very gritty team that sticks it to you till the end,” Guerrieri said. The Cowgirls post an impres sive 5-1-1 record at home this sea son, led behind goal keeper Chry- tal Emerson. Currently ranked fifth in the conference with a 1.47 goals against average, Guerrieri said Emerson will give the Aggies a hard fight. “We are going to battle a very physical team that will play us ex tremely hard,” Guerrieri said. Sophomore forward and lead ing scorer Nicky Thrasher said she believes that this weekend will give the team a chance to fin ish the season with a bang. “We have to go into these games tough,” Thrasher said. “It’s a big weekend because we want to finish off strong before the Big 12 tournament begins. ” The Aggies, who boast an 11- 6 overall record, need all the con fidence and poise they can muster out of OSU and OU to de fend the Big 12 title they claimed last season. NOW AVAILABLE 1998-99 Texas A&M Campus Directory STUDENTS: If you ordered a 1998-99 Campus Directory, stop by 015 Reed McDonald from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday—Friday to pick up your copy. (Please bring Student ID.) If you did not order a Campus Directory as a fee option when you registered for Fall ’98 classes, you may purchase a copy for $3 E lus tax in room 015 Reed McDonald uilding (by cash, check or credit card). pARTMENTS: If you ordered Campus Directories and requested deliv- jy,deliveries will be made within the next few days. If you did not order Impus Directories, you may charge and pick them up at 015 Reed IcDonald. Cost is $3 per copy. (Please bring a work request with your number, FAMIS account number, account name, billing address, con- let person and phone number where the directories should be billed.) Ie Texas A&'M University Directory includes listings of departments, administrators, fac- §y,staff,students, other information about A&M, plus yellow pages. tHexas JV&Aftft (UoIIpgh ai ^eteviimv^ (Elass of 2002 presents i/®® Thursday, October 29, Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31 9:00 - 1:00 a.m. Kids Hours (lights on, candy, face painting) 7-8:30 all nights Room 89, old Large Animal Hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine Admission s 3.00/person, s 5.00/couple Special thanks to Lowes, Target, Kinko’s, Furrow MSC Film Society presents . . . 1 The Silence of the Lambs Friday, Oct. 30 9:30 pm Film on Video presents I Shot Andy Warhol Wed. Nov. 4 @7:00p.m MSC Forsyth Galleries (Free Admission) Tickets: $3.00 at the door or $2.50 in advance at the MSC Box Office. (845-1234) All films shown in the Rudder Theatre Complex. Persons with disabilities (K please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three]3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilitv. Questions? Call the Aggie Cinema Hotline 847-8478. Website: http:// films.tamu.edu