COLLEGE STATION -- Texas A&M takes a break from Big 12 action as the Aggies take on non-conference foe Sam Houston State, Tuesday at G. Rollie White Coliseum. First serve is at 6:30 p.m.
A&M is 14-6 after defeating Colorado, 3-1 (26-30, 30-22, 30-25, 30-17) Saturday at G. Rollie. The Aggies hit .314, their second highest hitting percentage in a conference match this season, and had four players reach double figures in kills. Mary Batis led A&M with 16 kills, and Jillian Phillips had a career-high 14 kills, along with Sarah Ammerman. Kelsey Bryant added 13 kills while hitting a career-high .812 as the Aggies concluded the first half of the Big 12 schedule with a 4-6 record.
Phillips, a junior middle blocker, leads the Aggies with a .389 hitting percentage and 1.33 blocks per game, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big 12 full season statistics. Ammerman, a sophomore outside hitter, leads A&M and is ranked seventh in the Big 12 with 3.92 kills per game. She also is averaging a team-high 4.42 points per game.
As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .280 to .192, while Sam Houston trails its opponents in hitting efficiency, .190 to .173, for the full season.
The Bearkats are 9-10 and mired in a three-match losing skid after falling to Southland Conference-leader Stephen F. Austin, 3-1, Friday in Huntsville. SHSU, 3-4 in Southland Conference matches, was led by Cynthia Yarotsky, who had 12 kills and 21 digs. The senior outside hitter leads SHSU and the Southland Conference with 4.09 kills per game for the full season, including 4.45 in conference matches only.
Texas A&M is 28-7-1 in the all-time series against SHSU, including 13-2 in matches played at G. Rollie. The teams last met Sept. 6, 2005, in Huntsville, Texas, where the Aggies defeated the Bearkats, 3-1 (30-25, 30-20, 27-30, 30-21). It was A&M’s third consecutive win against SHSU, which last posted a win against the Aggies on Sept. 7, 1994, in Huntsville. The last time A&M suffered a home loss to the Bearkats was Aug. 31, 1991.
A&M begins the second half of the Big 12 schedule Saturday as the Aggies travel to Lubbock to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders. A&M held off the Red Raiders, 3-2, when the teams met earlier this season in College Station. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at United Spirit Arena.
