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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2004)
CAMp ^st 30. ) Ii ollnv i2ot i Side notes 2nt he annii} n Fridaj, )kenaif ting sing mi board, lent data an enrol Tom last J Asiamil- mtenro!- 371 icangrad nti lent angesaa sityj inuetor \&M wil ' siblesep? makinp way to; ily oncei say, ngc ister or ersitys i i is turi a " dl T tg aware 1 Sports The Battalion Page 7A • Monday, August 30, 2004 Page Design: Jordan Meserole Section B An 8-page, in-depth osition-by-position preview of the 2004 A&M football team. nd loofe Coming Tuesday A&M mauled by Tigers Clemson serves up reality check to Aggies with 4-1 win A preview of the A&M men’s golf m that finished 14th at the NCAA lampionships last year and are determined to win it this year. Briefly d to pro architect se on Ii pus-o« i-has 11 of tty of k aty of h sentedatl deft The Baltimore Orioles snapped 12-game losing streak with a win over the Texas Rangers, e loss dropped the Rangers i games behind West division der Oakland. Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION A&M senior midfielder Cristina Echavarry chases after Clemson’s Jenny Anderson. Echavarry scored A&M’s only goal of the game. By Jon Gilbert THE BATTALION The Texas A&M soccer team opened its 2004 sea son this past weekend on an up-and-down note. Yet, the down note will more than likely remain in the players’ mouths much longer, after Clemson blasted the Aggies 4-1 Sunday night at the Aggie Soccer Complex. The Tigers executed their game plan to near perfec tion as they survived an A&M onslaught in the be ginning of the game, which included a goal by junior Becky Olson, but the goal was negated after the ball rolled slightly out of bounds before going into the net. That proved to be a momentum change, and Clem son slowly took the crowd out of the game. The Tigers took the lead for good on senior Lindsay Browne’s unassisted goal at 33:17 of the first period. “Our players tactically executed our game plan well,” said Clemson head coach Todd Bramble. “We wanted to weather the storm in the first 15 minutes and take the crowd out of the game.” The Tigers’ efficiency in the first half set the tone. Clemson scored twice on just three shots, the second by junior Lydia Vandenbergh on an assist from senior Paige Ledford. Vandenbergh snuck through the mid dle of A&M’s defense, caught the pass and blasted a shot into the net just left of the right cross bar. For the game, the Aggies outshot the Tigers 25-10. “They were a great finishing team,” said A&M head coach G. Guerrieri. “They broke at the right time and made the most of their opportunities. This is a wake-up call. If we’re going to have a chance to win the Big 12 and contend for the National Championship, we have to bounce back. We need to take care of business. It will be good for this team to go through this.” The Aggies came out in the second half with new energy and attempted to match the Tigers’ intensity. Yet, almost halfway through the second half, a head- on collision between A&M senior Emma Smith and Clemson freshman Ashley Phillips silenced the crowd of 4,049. Both walked out on their own pow er, although Phillips suffered a concussion. Clemson senior Paige Ledford, clearly the fast est player on the field, had her way with the Ag gies’ defense as she repeatedly penetrated it, set ting up scoring chances. “We just kept the crowd out of our heads,” Led ford said. “The first 15 minutes we had to weather the storm. We kept our heads cool and made some good things happen. These are the two biggest road wins (University of Texas and Texas A&M) our program has ever had.” The Aggies know they have an uphill battle ahead of them. “This is not the way we wanted to start the sea son,” said A&M senior Christina Echavarry. “We’re going to keep our heads up and bounce back. This is a good team, and we know what we can do.” On the upside, the Aggies opened the season Fri day night with a 2-1 victory over No. 15 Michigan before a record crowd of 4,403. Echavarry again provided all the scoring for the Aggies’ offense with a goal in each half. After the capacity crowds that watched A&M the first two home games, Guerrieri promises Ag gie fans that there will be better soccer to come. “The fact that the crowd was there the whole time was great,” Guerrieri said. “We are going to play much better in the future and repay them for their generosity.” cl iwing, The Houston Astros are still at a playoff spot after eating the Chicago Cubs 10-3. the win, the Astros are only oir games behind wild-card leader Atlanta. dtheBcS ^ amar N a ti° na l League vill makt im f rom Ric,1rriond ' Texas ’ ng moot ' eatecl the Linda Vista team from or ^ jj adalupe, Mexico, 5-0 in the mpusma nso ' ation Championship of the men ( gi tie League World Series. Pabao iex l y, tie League of Curacao took first ertM.Gj ice in the series. A&M volleyball team in position to spike 2004 foes udy for Four walk-on members of the :M football team received schol- ihips Friday. Recipients were: ike Kendrick, Jacob Young, Ty lanyon and Marques Thornton. By Jonathan Wall THE BATTALION When junior outside hitter Laura Jones was asked.to describe this year’s volleyball team in one word, Jones pon dered the question for a second and then replied: “mysterious.” The Texas A&M volleyball team is ranked No. 15 in the coaches’ poll and will be looking for veteran presence. The team returns only three starters and six others from last year’s squad, and with the transfer of one player and the retirement of two-year starting setter Lexy Beers due to a back injury, the Aggies will look to bench players and newcomers for much needed support. Coach Laurie Corbelli doesn’t seem to mind the challenge that this year’s team brings to the table. “We’ve been looking very physical,” Corbelli said. “We do have experienced players on this team, and that’s why 1 feel confident that this team can succeed.” The Aggies will need to feed off their three re turning starters from last year’s team. Senior out side blocker/middle hit ter Melissa Munsch will be called on this season to lead the squad and improve last season’s stellar performance that earned her All-Ameri can second-team hon ors. Munsch believes that while this year’s team isn’t as seasoned as teams in the past, it has a special bond that a lot of people don’t know about. “We are all really close friends; we all 44 ii, ...I have no doubts that this team can make a run at the Big 12 Championship... — Laurie Corbelli A&M head volleyball coach come in with a very positive attitude and strong work ethic each day,” Munsch said. “I think we will do really well.” Munsch isn’t the only player who is going to be called on to step up her play. Junior outside hitter Laura Jones and junior mid dle blocker Kendra Felder will need to play key roles for the Aggies. Jones has led the Aggies in kills over the last two seasons, and Felder was the teams lead ing blocker last season. Without some of the key players from last year’s team, the Aggies will look to a strong freshman class to provide some support. Meghan Kainz, a freshman setter from Austin will most likely see the most time of the incoming group. “Meghan is capable of attacking and be ing a blocker,” Corbelli said. “She definite ly has a chance to push some of the older players and see some time on the floor.” The Aggies will get a chance to see how battle-ready the team is when it meets pre season No. 3 UCLA in the final game of the McDonald’s Invitational Tournament. Af ter the tournament, the team will hit the road for a West Coast swing that will pit the Ag gies against two of the top 15 teams in the nation: UC-Santa Barbara and California. This Aggie squad should be up to the task though, and Corbelli believes that this team could have what it takes to sur pass last season’s sweet 16 finish. “We have the talent, team work and work ethic. If they can unite as a single cohesive group, then I have no doubts that this team can make a run at a Big 12 Championship and a Final Four berth,” Corbelli said. Incense, Skateboards, Shirts, Stickers, Body Jewelry, Door Beads, Tobacco Products and Accessories 3517 S. Texas Ave., Bryan 260-1636 (Next to Libation's) 6 YOUTH Sat) lion or an te: 40* by ioo* of never before seen quality A&M merchandise! XPH $5 aCm T-SHIRTS Below wholesale w " ft A&M gifts for the whole family! September 9th - 12t orner of Southwest Plcwy. and Texas Av Thursday, September 9th - Saturday, September txth loam Sunday, September 12th loam - 6pm 8pm (lit the Lack's, 4.0 & GO and Bourbon Street Bar & Grill parking lot) For more details call 979*680-6760