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Aggies defeat Colorado

Volleyball team drops game but rallies for win

By DAVID CAMPBELL
Eagle Staff Writer

Texas A&M had to build its way up to a winning effort Saturday against last-place Colorado.

A&M junior Jillian Phillips, who had a career-best 14 kills, provided a spark as the Aggies rebounded from a rare opening-game loss and beat Colorado 26-30, 30-22, 30-25, 30-17.

"I think my team put a lot of pressure on themselves," Texas A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "They had to win because they weren't going to be the first to get beat by Colorado. The self-imposed pressure made them a beat off, a step behind."

Phillips played a pivotal role when the Aggies pulled away in the second game, and it was her kill that started a late Texas A&M run in the third. Phillips' 14 kills were her most as an Aggie. She also had a block and assisted on four others.

"We came back in the second game on fire and played the way we know we need to play," Phillips said. "Schevi [setter Kristen Schevikhoven] did a great job distributing the ball. She was getting it to the hitters quick. I think it was just a decision by ourselves to pick it up and play our game."

Corbelli said Phillips has made a transformation as a player in her junior season.

"[Phillips] is so physical and this has been the season where she has come out and believes she can be a great volleyball player," Corbelli explained. "It's been a combination of her mental game and how strong she is.

"She gets yelled at, corrected and challenged. Now, she's very quick to respond to that."

It was the first time this season that the Aggies (14-6 overall, 4-6 in Big 12 play) rallied to win a match after losing the opening game. It was only the fourth time overall that A&M had lost the first game.

The Aggies appeared flat from the beginning against the Big 12's last-place team. Colorado (5-12, 0-9) ran off six straight points on the strength of left-hander Alexandra Buth's serve. That put the Aggies on their heels, and Buth never let A&M get into an offensive rhythm. Colorado took an 8-2 lead and held on to it, stretching the advantage to 19-10 with Buth getting two kills in the string.

As the match progressed, so did A&M's hitting. The Aggies' .314 hitting percentage was their second-best in the Big 12 this season. They hit .403 in a three-game win at Kansas.

"Early in the match, our attack didn't have a punch to it," said Corbelli, whose Aggies rebounded from a three-game loss at Missouri. "I thought the team looked really tired and slow, but we started moving our hitters around a little more. Once we got the blocking going, the team got a little more confidence and started to roll with it."

Phillips led an Aggie run in the second game with seven kills in the frame. Phillips teamed with Marty Batis on a back block that sent A&M on a run from a 12-11 advantage to a 20-14 lead. Phillips recorded three kills in that stretch and he finished off the win with the one of the hardest spikes of the match.

The seesaw third game, which saw 14 ties and nine lead changes, turned A&M's way when Phillips' spike gave the Aggies a 25-24 lead before Kelsey Bryant served back-to-back aces.

A&M's Sarah Ammerman answered the early Buth serving during the clinching fourth game, where the Aggies breezed to victory. A&M won nine consecutive points on her serve, which included back-to-back aces.

Setter Kristen Schevikhoven finished the match with 51 assists, seven kills and seven digs. Batis, who led A&M with 17 kills, finished off three of the points during that nine-point string to complement Ammerman's serve.