November 1, 2008
Aggies fall to ‘Belles on Senior Day
LAWTON, Oklahoma (November 1) – In their final home match of the season the Cameron Aggie volleyball team (13-12, 4-7 LSC) fell to the Angelo State Rambelles (18-13, 6-5 LSC) in a very competitive match. ASU defeated CU 3-1, and the sets were scored 18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 16-25. Today’s loss just about eliminates the Aggies from postseason contention, but depending on how the rest of the Lone Star Conference matches go this afternoon CU still may have a chance. The Aggies have two matches remaining this season.
“I think what really hurt us was that our offense could never get on the same page,” Head Coach Brianne Smedley said. “At times our hitters would do great while the blockers would struggle, then the opposite would happen. We couldn’t get them all on at the same time. It’s tough when only 50% of your offense is working.”
The Aggies and Rambelles battled back and forth throughout the match as both teams put up impressive numbers for much of the contest. CU out-blocked ASU 9-8, but the ‘Belles recorded more kills than the Aggies, 60-51. Both Angelo State and Cameron are vying for the final spot in the LSC Championship tournament.
Today’s match was preceded by a brief ceremony honoring this year’s three seniors: middle blocker Whitney Long, and liberos Veronica Reeks and Haley Hatch. After today’s match all three Aggie women have played their final match for Cameron in the Aggie Gym.
“I think it’s always nice to take a moment to honor the seniors for their hard work,” Coach Smedley said. “Our three seniors will definitely be missed. It’s always tough to lose players that are established within the volleyball program.”
Hatch led the Aggies defensively as she posted a match-high 18 defensive digs. She also recorded an assist in the match.
Long had a great game offensively after contributing 12 kills (7 errors) on 37 attacks for a .135 attack percentage. Her kill total was the third-highest of the entire match. Long also recorded an ace, a block-assist and a match-high 2 block-solos.
Reeks also put together a solid performance today both offensively and defensively. She added 5 defensive digs and a pair of assists
“We look to our seniors to set an example,” Coach Smedley said. “We are going to miss their leadership and how vocal they were on and off the court.”
Leading the Aggies offensively tonight was junior right-side hitter Lindsay Paziuk who recorded a match-high in kills. Her 15 kills (5 errors) on 33 attacks were good for a .303 attack percentage. Paziuk also contributed an assist, 2 block-assists, and 15 defensive digs for the second-highest total on the team.
Cameron’s volleyball team now hits the road for their final two matches of the season. Next Thursday (November 6) the squad travels to Commerce, Texas, to take on the Lions of Texas A&M University-Commerce at 7:00pm. The 2008-2009 season comes to an end next Saturday (November 8) in Denton, Texas, against the Pioneers of Texas Woman’s University. The CU-TWU match begins at 2:00pm.
“We are going into next week wanting to beat those two teams and show the conference that we can play strong and that we are a good team,” Coach Smedley said. “Some of our losses this season were very close and we were more than capable of winning them. Our goal all season has been to have a winning season so that’s what we are looking for.”
Should the Aggies qualify for the postseason, the LSC Championship Tournament will most likely be held in Canyon, Texas, on the campus of the nationally-ranked #3 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs. The tournament is scheduled for November 13-15.