Volleyball Hosts Texas A&M to Open Key Stretch
10/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 10, 2006
Volleyball Preview: Baylor vs. Texas A&M
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BAYLOR (13-6, 2-5 Big 12) vs. Texas A&M (8-7, 1-6 Big 12)
Wednesday, Oct. 11 - 7 p.m.
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas
Live video broadcast: BaylorBears.com
Baylor volleyball returns home for four of its next five matches, first hosting Texas A&M Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears have lost five of their last six matches, including losses in their last four. Baylor's recent stretch has been tough, however, with its last four matches against ranked opponents and three of its last four on the road.
Baylor is led by senior outside hitter Nicole LeBlanc, who leads the team with 3.73 kills per game and also averages 3.28 digs per game. Senior middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference with a .388 hitting percentage and ranks second with 1.53 blocks per game. Freshman setter Taylor Barnes paces the offense, averaging 11.23 assists, 1.20 kills, 2.31 digs and 0.66 blocks per game, while ranking third in the league with 0.58 aces per game. Junior libero Kristen Schramek leads the Bears defensively, ranking fifth in the conference with 4.37 digs per game.
In their last match, the Bears dropped a tough 3-2 decision on the road to No. 11 Texas Friday night, marking the first time in history a Baylor squad has went to a fifth game with the Longhorns in Austin. Freshman middle blocker Anna Breyfogle led the Bears with 20 kills, while Guilliard-Young added 17.
Texas A&M is led by freshman Mary Batis, who ranks ninth in the Big 12 with 3.81 kills per game, while Christi Hahn and Sarah Ammerman also average more than three kills per game. Kelly Stanton ranks fifth in the league with 1.47 blocks per game, and Lindsey Yon leads the team with 3.12 digs per game.
The Aggies were swept in their last match against top-ranked Nebraska Saturday in College Station. Ammerman led Texas A&M with 14 kills, while Courtnee Rhodes had 14 digs.
Wednesday's match marks the 53rd meeting between Baylor and Texas A&M, with the Aggies leading the all-time series, 44-8. Texas A&M has won 12 of the last 13 meetings. The two teams split last year's meetings, with each team claiming road victories. Baylor's win last year at G. Rollie White Coliseum was the Bears' first victory in College Station since Nov. 11, 1992. Texas A&M won the last meeting in four games on Nov. 2, 2005, in the Ferrell Center.
This weekend, the Bears hit the road to face Kansas Saturday at 7 p.m. in Lawrence, Kan., before returning home for three in a row against Colorado, Iowa State and Missouri, respectively. The Colorado match will mark the halfway point of the round-robin Big 12 schedule.
