Things are looking good for the Texas A&M women’s volleyball team, who will test their 9-0 start to the season as they travel to Ann Arbor for the Michigan/adidas Invitational.
“We see the number stats of the teams we will be playing and they seem to be very quick teams and very efficient,” head coach Laurie Corbelli said. “They are going to be tough matches and definitely a huge challenge.”
The Xavier Musketeers are slated as the first contest for the Aggies on Friday with a team hitting percentage of .239. They are 6-3 on the season and have several players that can be a threat.
A defensive threat for Xavier is junior libero Stephanie Vorherr, who was named the Atlantic 10 Libero of the Year in her first two seasons and will continue to dig anything that comes her way.
Offensively, sophomore outside hitter Sarah Brown is averaging 3.34 kills per set and was named the Atlantic 10 offensive player for this week.
For A&M, senior outside hitter Kelsey Black received the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday, which will set up a highly competitive and talented matchup.
On Friday night, the Aggies will face the Toledo Rockets, a team with a losing record but a lot of fight on the court. The Rockets are hitting .244 this season, however they allow their opponents to hit .255. Although the record may not show it, Toledo has some weapons of its own.
Sondra Parys is swinging for 3.27 kills per game but no other Toledo player has numbers to match. Five players are averaging over two kills per game, so the offense is spread evenly among several players.
In A&M’s last game of the tournament, the Aggies will play the undefeated home team — No. 18 Michigan. The Wolverines have several offensive players who can get the
job done.
Alex Hunt, a senior outside hitter, earned tournament MVP honors last week and leads Michigan with 3.48 kills per set. Several other Wolverines are hovering around the three-kill mark, including senior Courtney Fletcher and redshirt junior Claire McElheny.
Both the Aggies and Wolverines are hitting .297, are undefeated, and have explosive offenses. Michigan will most likely be the toughest match of the season thus far, but junior Alisia Kastmo said A&M is prepared.
“There’s definitely a lot more experience with our team this year,” Kastmo said. “We used last year to improve and move a lot of things around. This year we are just so much more comfortable with each other and working together.”
With much-needed experience on both offense and defense, Corbelli knows the improved Aggies can compete with anyone.
“Kastmo and Lindsey Miller getting better position with the ball and getting more quality looks really has been one of the biggest x-factors for our team,” Corbelli said. “Also Tori Mellinger has been excellent on the outside with her power and knowledge of the game.”
A&M volleyball instructor Bill Coady said the Aggies will be a challenge for any team in Ann Arbor with their positive attitudes and tremendous abilities.
“This is such a talented team with experience and guts,” Coady said. “They all listen to the coaches so well and really take criticism and utilize it to their best abilities.”