The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, November 06, 2002, Image 5

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The Battalion
Page 5 • Wednesday, November 6, 2002
olleyball team looks for third win Johnson gets
Young award
By True Brown
THE BATTALION
A winning streak has been hard to come by for
ABC stio, k Texas A&M volleyball team.
I Since conference play began, it lias been a
ELES (AP) - J battle for the Aggies, who have struggled
nt he going it jj, L ut together a string of victories in the ultra-
'ew ABC late-', ^petitive Big 12 Conference. Until last week-
nd. A&M’s longest win streak in league play
,as two games. The Aggies (15-7, 7-6 Big 12)
latched that by upending Colorado last week-
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A&M will have a chance to earn its first three-
latch conference win streak tonight against the
laylor Bears.
“It’s a very important match for us” said
l&M head coach Laurie Corbelli.
I The match may present some problems for the
Iggies, who have struggled on the road. The
Iggies are 1-5 in conference road games, and
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nedy Central's'll “It’s important that we continue to work on
is takingovett) iur r oad game,” Corbelli said. “New environ-
once heldkfi nents and new courts can’t influence our game
olitically Incoro; he way it has, and we’re really working in matur-
off the air last to ng that way.”
Continued dominance by A&M outside hitter
Jarol Price will play a big role in the Aggies abil-
t)'to obtain some wins on the road.
Price was named Big 12 Player of the Week
astweek, the first A&M player to earn the honor
liis year. The honor came after Price posted
lecord numbers against Oklahoma and Colorado.
I Against the Buffaloes, Price broke the career
liigh in kills she set four days earlier against the
boners. She hit a combined .561 in the two
atches, with 40 kills and just three errors.
“It’s really helped our offense become more
ieceptive,” said Price, who hits from the right
side. “We can mix it up a lot more. We’re really
naking the other teams worry about where we
are going to go now since everyone is hitting and
:veryone is playing good.”
Price’s success has taken the pressure off of
A&M’s left side attack of Melissa Munsch and
Laura Jones. Munsch and Jones made up the
majority of Aggie attacks until Price’s recent per
formances. The duo is responsible for 44 percent
I jof A&M’s kills.
BRIAN RUFF • THE BATTALION
A&M junior Carol Price goes for a kill against Oklahoma. Price has 114 kills this season.
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“1 can’t tell you how many hours we have
spent trying to figure out who could be in that
spot,” Corbelli said. “To have (Price’s) rhythm
going and her confidence and power is so over
whelming. It’s opened up a lot of the net for the
middles and the left side, and it’s that time of year
that that is exactly what’s needed.”
A&M swept Baylor (9-14, 2-10) two weeks
ago in College Station. The Bears have struggled
since losing outside hitter Stevie Nicholas.
Nicholas was leading the Big 12 in kills, aces and
points when she was lost for the season with a
torn medial meniscus in September.
The Bears slide has left them mired in a six-
match conference losing streak, but with No. 20
Missouri visiting Aggieland this weekend, A&M
will have to guard against a letdown to Baylor.
“We have to go in there knowing that they will
play us tough,” said A&M setter Lexy Beers. “It’s
their home court, and they want to beat us real
bad. (Tonight’s) game will prepare us for
Missouri. We need to play good (against Baylor)
before we can play good against Missouri.”
First serve is at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.
Titans win 3 straight to top AFC South
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NASHVILLE, Term. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans may be the most
thankful team in the NFL for realignment.
They dug themselves an early 1-4 hole, but now have won three
straight games to climb back to 4-4. That is good enough to put them
atop the new AFC South tied with the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL’s
only division where .500 is good enough.
“I feel like ’Thank God’ we’re back in the mix,” Titans linebacker
Keith Bulluck said.
Other Titans aren’t quite as exuberant.
Eddie George said the Titans need to worry
about winning another game Sunday against
expansion Houston (2-6).
By no means are we back or thinking
about the playoffs. We’re just focused on being
abetter football team, and we have to contin-
ao to improve in order to finish strong in mid-
November and into December,” George said.
Coach Jeff Fisher is taking a much more
Measured approach with his Titans, who beat
too Colts (4-4) 23-15 Sunday and now have the
0% in tiebreakers with a 2-0 record in the
division.
“We’ve battled back a little bit. It’s halftime, and we’ve got a big half
o ball to play,” Fisher said Monday. “We look like we’re starting to
oal up a little bit. That’s a positive sign.”
The Titans' three-game winning streak is their longest since a four-
Samc stretch at the end of the 2000 season in which they went 13-3 and
w on the AFC Central. George, criticized as worn out a month ago, has
^hed for 314 yards over the past three games.
Penalties, turnovers and other mistakes are down. Fisher credited his
'tans, w ho feature 1 1 rookies and had three starting on defense against
e Colts, for understanding what coaches are doing in game plans and
u
We’re just focused on being a
better football team, and we have to
continue to improve in order to
finish strong in mid-November and
into December.
— Eddie George
Titans running back
then applying it when they take the field for the game each week.
“Basically, what we’ve done is said, ‘Each one of you three groups
take care of your own business. Don’t worry about what the other side’s
doing.’ It doesn’t minimize the importance of the team,” he said.
He said the offense had worried too much about trying to score on
every drive when the defense struggled early and that only increased the
pressure if they went three-and-out. The defense played its best game
against the Colts despite allowing 378 yards by
forcing three turnovers, and the offense held the
ball for more than 31 minutes.
Fisher isn’t happy yet. The Titans still ran a
wrong pass route. Drew Bennett dropped a ball
when grabbed by a defender and Kevin Dyson
was tripped up on a screen play where he could
have scored.
“It’s certainly a lot more enjoyable to correct
little things after a win than a loss. We’re still not
doing all the little things correct. There would’ve
been many more points scored in that football
game,” he said.
The good news is that Titans may get defen
sive end Jevon Kearse back against Houston for
the first time since he broke his left foot on the second play of the sea
son. Running back Robert Holcombe also may be back from a cracked
hip.
Pittsburgh (5-3) is their only opponent remaining with a winning
record, although the New York Giants, Colts and New England all are
currently at 4-4 just like the Titans.
“It’s not like we’re relaxing right now,” quarterback Steve McNair
said. “We still have a long ways to go. You have to go out there each and
every week to prepare yourself to win. Every Sunday is different and
every team is a great team.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Randy Johnson won yet
another Cy Young Award and then he teed off.
No, not on baseball. The Big Unit was getting
ready to play Pebble Beach Golfs Links when his lat
est honor was announced Tuesday, and rather than
delay his round, Johnson grabbed a cell phone and
talked about his fastballs and sliders while deciding
among woods and wedges.
“I’m trying to make a putt on No. 2 right now,” he
said, the California coast off to his side.
No doubt, his score Tuesday was far lower than
his perennially high strikeout total.
Johnson was a unanimous pick over Arizona
teammate Curt Schilling, winning a record-tying
fourth straight National League Cy Young and fifth
overall — one short of Roger Clemens’ record.
The Big Unit, who will earn an additional $4 mil
lion because of the award, received all 32 first-place
votes and 160 points from a panel of the Baseball
Writers’ Association of America.
“The big picture, obviously, is to get to the World
Series. If you remain consistent and have a good year,
it’s kind of a bonus,” Johnson said, referring to the
award. “This has come from maintaining consisten
cy, hard work and dedication, and my teammates
being very supportive offensively, defensively and in
the bullpen.”
Schilling was runner-up for the second straight
season, getting 29 second-place votes and three thirds
for 90 points. Atlanta closer John Smoltz was third
with 21 points.
Johnson matched Greg Maddux (1992-95) as the
only pitchers to win four straight Cy Youngs and
became the NL’s 11th unanimous winner, the first
since Maddux in 1995. Johnson and Schilling
became the first pitchers to finish 1-2 in Cy Young
voting in consecutive years.
Johnson, who has won the award in all four sea
sons since signing with the Diamondbacks as a free
agent, earned his first Cy Young with Seattle in 1995.
“I’ve got them in my office, and they’re dis
played nice,” he said. “I’m a very simple person,
and I work hard, and I push myself, and this is the
reward.”
Jerry Colangelo, the Diamondbacks managing
general partner, signed Johnson hoping the left-han
der’s best days were ahead.
“He’s just done an incredible job. He’s an extraor-
dinary individual,” Colangelo said Tuesday. “He has
a tremendous work ethic. The fact that he’s been able
to maintain this intensity level for as long as he has is
amazing.”
Johnson went 24-5 with a 2.37 ERA and 334
strikeouts, becoming the first major leaguer since
Boston’s Pedro Martinez in 1999 and the first NL
player since the Mets’ Dwight Gooden in 1985 to win
pitching’s triple crown.
The 39-year-old Johnson set a career high for
wins, led the major leagues in strikeouts for the ninth
time and became the first pitcher to reach 300 in five
straight seasons. He also led the majors in innings
(260) and complete games (eight), and led the NL in
opponents’ batting average (.208).
Schilling went 23-7 with a 3.23 ERA, 316 strike
outs and just 33 walks in 259 1-3 innings. Schilling,
who has never won a Cy Young, was 21 -5 with a 2.77
ERA though Aug. 31, while Johnson was 19-5 with a
2.63 ERA.
Johnson sealed the award by going 5-0 with an
0.66 ERA in September as Schilling was 2-2 with a
6.19 ERA. On Sept. 20, Schilling allowed eight
earned runs for only the third time and a career-high
14 hits in 9-4 loss to Colorado at Coors Field.
Arizona, the NL West champion, was 55-15 when
Johnson or Schilling started, 43-49 the rest of the
time. The defending World Series champions were
swept by St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs.
Last year, Johnson and Schilling were co-MVPs
of the seven-game World Series win over the New
York Yankees. Johnson called that the “top of the
mountain” and recalled the thrill of having his fami
ly at the Diamondbacks’ parade.
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Student Health Services
is offering a limited number of
free flu $Hon
Thursday, Nov. 7 and
Friday, Nov. 8
to all currently enrolled A&M students
Meningitis shots ore also available for a fee of $85
Rec Center Lobby
11am - 7pm
MSC Flagroom
9am - 5pm
Commons Lobby
11am - 7pm
Wehner
9am - 5pm
Special thanks to the following TAAAU departments for their donations:
Athletics
Recreational Spni-ts
Memorial Student Center
Residence Life
Corps of Cadets
VP of Student Affairs
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