AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas A&M Aggies saw their 2016 campaign come to a close with a 3-0 loss to the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the NCAA Championship at Gregory Gym. The Mustangs completed the sweep by scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-18.Making their sixth consecutive and 24th NCAA Championship appearance, the Aggies ended the season with a 21-9 record.Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake led the Aggies attack with a .500 attack percentage and 11 kills. Senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers posted a .304 attack percentage and 11 kills, and freshman outside hitter Hollann Hans notched a team-high 13 kills while hitting .250. Junior setter Stephanie Aiple closed out the match with 38 assists and nine digs.SMU (26-7) started the first set on a 7-3 run with kills by four different players. After trading points to get to 9-5, the Mustangs extended the lead out to 13-5 after a pair of attack errors by the Aggies. Texas A&M, which outhit the Mustangs, .244 to .224 in the frame, went on a 6-1 run to stabilize the match and cut the SMU lead to 14-13. The spurt featured two kills apiece by junior hitters Kiara McGee and Ashlie Reasor.The Mustangs stretched the advantage back to five points at 18-13 with a surge bracketed by Janelle Giordano kills. The squads exchanged the next four points to give SMU a 20-15 edge. The Aggies went on a 5-1 run with two kills by Babers and one kill each by Hans and Blake to pull within one point again at 21-20. The Mustangs extended the lead to 24-21 when Blake fought off a set point with a pair of kills before Lauren Mills put down the final kill of the stanza for SMU.The second set was tightly contested with the largest margin for either team being three points. The squads played on an even keel for the first 18 points with the score tied on nine occasions before SMU went on a 3-0 run to take a 12-9 lead. Babers and Blake each put down two kills as the Aggies drew even at 14-14, and Reasor floored a spike as the Maroon and White staked claim to a 15-14 margin.The score was knotted six more times in the second set on the way to a 22-22 tally. In the waning moments of the set, SMU, which outhit A&M, .239 to .204 in the set, took advantage of two attack errors by Texas A&M to take a 24-22 lead. Hans fended off one set point with a kill before Mills successful attack handed SMU the set, 25-23.The third set was once again a teeter-totter affair early on with teams playing to nine tie scores en route to a 10-10 score. The Mustangs broke away with a 7-1 run featuring two kills apiece by Kristen Stehling and Katie Hegarty. The Aggies, who were outhit, .289 to .075, made a run with two kills by Hans on a 4-0 run to cut the gap to 17-15. It would be the last time the Maroon and White would be within two points of the Mustangs and SMUs Giordano ended the match with a kill.In her last career match, Babers moved past Amy Cumings (1987-90) for 12th place on Texas A&Ms career kills list with 1,139. Junior libero Amy Nettles, who led the Aggies with 18 digs, passed Kelsey Black (2008-11) for 15th place on the career digs list with 1,113.Blake led A&M with four blocks, including three block assists to give her 145 for the season, tying for the third most in a season in program history and only nine short of the all-time recordIn addition to Babers, the all-time career leader in both total blocks and block assists, the match also was the last for senior outside hitter Emily Hardesty, defensive specialists Victoria Arenas and Katelyn Labhart and setter Kaysie Shebeneck. Randy Dobnak Twins Jersey . 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Trevor May Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Frank Viola Twins Jersey .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Shrink it and pink it is a phrase that rings all too familiar with female athletes and sports fans alike. When it comes to both performance and casual gear, often were left with shrunken versions of mens models with no thought paid to our body types -- or sneakers so wide and flat that were forced to add our own insoles. And lets not get started on all the glitter and rhinestones that often accompany womens gear.This issue even extends to World Cup champions and Olympic gold medalists. Until now, members of the U.S. womens national soccer team wore cleats that were made on a male last (a mechanical shoe form in which shoes are built upon). The arch placement, height, traction and cleat size were all built for a male athlete and merely shrunk down to womens sizes.But on Tuesday, Adidas launched two new cleats -- the X and the Ace -- engineered specifically for the female soccer player, and developed thanks to direct research and feedback from national team members. U.S. co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn wears the Ace cleat, and has been working with Adidas on the new design. She talked to us about what the new cleats will mean to soccer players, both on the field and off, and gave us an update on what shes doing this offseason.espnW: How does it feel to finally have not only one, but two, female-specific cleats to play in?Sauerbrunn: It feels a little like about time! Ive been working with Adidas for a few years and theyve always empowered female athletes. This was a logical next step in the evolution of the womens game -- a cleat made exclusively for the female foot and adapted for our movement on the field.espnW: What were the most important areas of the cleat that you felt needed to be changed to make it more tailored to the female athlete?Sauerbrunn: Up until this point, womens cleats were built on a mens last. They were simply sized smaller and given a different colorway to distinguish them as a womens cleat. The physiology of our feet and our bodies are completely different! The new cleats have a lowered silhouette and collar height. They have shorter studs which are in a different configuration to better match how we move on the field.Ive been providing feedback on Adidas cleats since I began working with the company. I always had a critique or two on every iteration of the Ace and X up until now. I frequently told them the cleats were too wide and my feet were slipping, or that the collar was too high and cut into my ankle bones. The womens Ace, the style I wear, fits snug around my foot, and the lowered collar gives me the freedom of movement I want when I play.espnW: Have you noticed a change in your performance in these versus the previous models that you played in?Sauerbrunn: I train and play pickup soccer at Adidas and they oftentimes want me to try out new boots. Usually I warm up in them and then go back to my latest broken-in pair. When I wore these for the first time I didnt have to change them out. They felt game-ready from the beginning. When Im on the field I dont want to be wworrying about my cleats.ddddddddddddI want them to enhance my playing style. That allows me to focus on the game and on giving my best performance.espnW: Youve chosen to wear the Ace cleat -- why is it the right fit for you?Sauerbrunn: Its a boot built for control, so the cleats mimic my playing style. The leather forefoot provides comfort while also helping my first touch. The X is built for speed. The synthetic upper is more lightweight and helps players feel like theyre not wearing any cleats at all.espnW: Of all the new and specifically engineered parts of the Ace cleat, what do you think makes the biggest difference?Sauerbrunn: The different stud configuration has added a new level of comfort. As women, we put pressure on our feet differently than men do. The adjusted stud configuration accommodates those pressure areas and more evenly distributes it throughout the outsole. A lot of sport is being comfortable with being uncomfortable. We push our bodies so hard, its nice to have a little added comfort.espnW: When you train off the pitch, what sort of sneaker do you like to wear?Sauerbrunn: I tend to rock the womens Ultra Boost for longer runs. I have a pair designed by Stella McCartney that are running shoes but feel more like slippers. If Im doing cross-training with multi-directional movements I wear the PureBoost X.espnW: Whats your typical offseason training routine like?Sauerbrunn: A lot of everything! Its a time to develop and add elements to my game. During the season the team focuses more on the next opponent and less on individual development. So I take offseason time to watch game film, notice any patterns or repetitive mistakes, decide if Im making those mistakes because of my decision-making or technique, and then work on correcting those things.I continue to lift and work on movement skills, but my focus on conditioning goes way down. So less physical impact and more mastery of technique and tactics.espnW: Your team is so synonymous with greatness -- do you like that pressure to perform?Sauerbrunn: The womens national team is a very successful team, and that success has given us a platform to speak on gender equity issues. Millions of young women play soccer in this country and its empowering for them to see that our contribution to the game is valued. That if they aspire to the highest level of their craft, their efforts are as inspiring as any mans and not just an afterthought.Thats what Im proud to showcase with these womens cleats. We arent an afterthought. We play different, move different. We deserve a boot that reflects that. Success doesnt motivate me as much as integrity does. Everyone loses. I enjoy the pressure of showing up every single day, being focused, putting forth my best effort, getting the best out of my teammates and enjoying the journey. Weve been so successful because we have players who value that over everything else. ' ' '
