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JP Beato III - The Battalion
Aggie outside hitter Christi Hahn goes for a kill against the Texas Longhorns Wednesday night.

Aggies try to keep win streak going against Colorado Buffs

By: Todd Heath

Posted: 10/14/05

After grabbing two much-needed conference road wins, the No. 24 Aggie volleyball team will return to G. Rollie White Coliseum to host the Colorado Buffaloes as they try to get back in the hunt for a Big 12 title.

Colorado (6-7, 3-6) is coming off of a big win over No. 20 Kansas State where the Buffaloes mounted a comeback in the fourth game that sucked the wind right out of the KSU squad and led to the Wildcats scoring only five points in the final game. That same Kansas State team swept the Aggies just two weeks ago in Manhattan, Kan.

The Buffaloes haven't beaten the Aggies in almost two years and haven't won a match in G. Rollie since 2001, but they have fought the Aggies into five-game matches five times since 2000.

"Every year, we battle with Colorado," said Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli. "We're very similar in our styles and in our philosophies. We're very similar in that we both like quick attacks and both are known for having great defense. So we'll be battling for a couple of hours, and it's always a very spirited type of match ... it's a battle of strategy. They always play well here; of all the teams that come through here, they seem to be the least affected by playing on the road."

A&M leads the overall series 14-5, but this season's six-game slump and injury woes may make the challenge even greater.

"I'm not happy that (Kendra Felder) is out, but I'm happy in one sense that it forces our young players to play, and they're getting a lot of valuable experience right now," Corbelli said. "Even if our seniors are back in there, we've got more depth. There's a plus to everything, and I really think the youth on our team, the freshmen and sophomores, are getting better every day. Jillian Phillips starting against Texas in her first Big 12 match is hard ... that was a gutsy performance."

Corbelli said that even with the injuries, she still has some viable senior options that should take up the challenge.

"We have (Laura) Jones and Kari Kelley and Holly Clay; those are reliable and great players," Corbelli said. "You couple it with our youth that's getting better and better, and I just see our season going up from here."