Biete - Kristall » Schottenheimer, his former coach in San Diego

DENTON, Texas - In a back-and-forth slugfest between top 20 teams, No. 15 Ohio State held off No. 16 Texas A&M, 21-25, 32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13, at the North Texas Challenge at the Mean Green Volleyball Center.?Texas A&M led in kills, 65-61 with four Aggies posting double-figure kills. Junior outside hitter Kiara McGee had a team-high 17 kills, and senior outside hitter Emily Hardesty pitched in 14. Junior opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor contributed 11 kills, and junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake added 10 while hitting .471 in the loss.As a team, the Aggies outhit the Buckeyes, .278 to .192, with junior setter Stephanie Aiple dishing out 50 assists to give her 2,346 for her career, moving her into 10th place in the Texas A&M career records.Blake, Aiple and senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers tallied six blocks apiece as Texas A&M outblocked Ohio State, 12.5 to 11, and junior libero Amy Nettles had 10 digs to help lead the Aggies to a 45-44 advantage in team digs.The Aggies, however, were unable to stop Buckeye All-American middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe, who carried her team to the victory with 26 kills while hitting at a .605 clip. Audra Appold and Luisa Schirmer had 13 and 11 kills, respectively, but both hit under .200 for the match.Another notable difference was at the service line, where Sandbothe had three of Ohio States 10 aces. The Aggies managed only three aces and also committed 13 service errors while the Buckeyes had 12 service errors. Ohio State remained undefeated on the season at 3-0 to capture the tournament title.The Aggies, who went 7-0 in five-set matches in 2015 and also had won 15 consecutive regular season matches dating to last year, dropped to 1-1. It was their first regular-season setback since a 3-0 loss at then-No. 17 Florida on Oct. 9, 2015. The Aggies conclude the North Texas Challenge tonight at 6:30 p.m. as they face the host Mean Green.Texas A&M returns to the road again next week as the Aggies compete in the Puerto Rico Classico. A&M will face No. 17 Florida State on Thursday, No. 3 Minnesota on Friday and Virginia Tech on Saturday.Raul Mondesi Blue Jays Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Trent Thornton Blue Jays Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/1156h-lourdes-gurriel-jr-jersey-blue-jays.html . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Kelvim Escobar Blue Jays Jersey . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Pat Hentgen Jersey . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose.METAIRIE, La. -- Bad memories of Saints quarterback Drew Brees completing 32 of 39 passes against his team on a Super Bowl Sunday back in 2010 have come flooding back to Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell this week.More than half a decade has passed since Brees and the Saints beat Caldwells Indianapolis Colts in the NFLs championship game. Brees had just turned 31. He was in his prime then -- and still is.Hes still obviously performing great, Caldwell said Wednesday, as the Lions prepared to visit New Orleans on Sunday.He spreads it around quite a bit, you know, and hes accurate as a day is long. You can tell by his numbers hes difficult to manage, difficult to handle.Brees play might not be generating as much attention as it would if the Saints (5-6) werent a game below .500 and struggling to stay relevant in the NFC playoff picture.But the fact is he might very well break his 2011 completion rate record of 71.2 percent, and could very well wind up leading the NFL in yards and touchdowns passing while hes at it.After completing nearly 80 percent of his passes in New Orleans past two games, Brees has a season-long completion rate of 71.5 percent.Last Sunday, Brees completed nearly 78 percent of his passes (28 of 36) for 310 yards and four touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams, who entered the game with the sixth-ranked pass defense in the league.That marked the fourth time this season Brees has completed 77.1 percent or more of his throws in a game this season.Accuracy is part of it, but thats nothing new. Brees has been known to orchestrate accuracy competitions with fellow Saints QBs throughout training camp.In one appearance on 60 Minutes he stood on the 20-yard line and fired a ball off the crossbar. In a Sports Science episode, he hit a target with accuracy similar to that of an archer.Apparently, hes still got it.I feel like Ive become smarter, wiser through experience, Brees said. I work hard at my craft. The stats dont always tell the story.Theres certainly areas where Im continuing to try to improve. But I think, all in all, I feel good. I feel good about my preparation, about my process, and thats all I really focus on.Meanwhile, New Orleans has run the ball better lately, which forces defenses to respect play-action fakes.Also, Brees trio of young receivers has been blossoming, and running back Mark Ingram, who learned a thhing or two about catching passes from his ex-NFL receiver father, has been a reliable option on screens and check-downs.ddddddddddddWhen a quarterbacks completion rate is as high as Brees is, there are a lot of things that go into it,Lions safety Glover Quin said. For one, if youre running the ball well, then youre probably going to have a lot of wide-open throws.You can mix in play-action, mix in quick screens, you can mix in quick (outs) because (defenders) are so concentrated on stopping the run, Quin said.You can mix in a max-protect and take a shot down the field. Then if the guys are catching the ball, the completion percentage is probably going to be high.The offensive line has played pretty well, too, giving up 18 sacks, which is tied for sixth fewest in the NFL.We have a generational player at quarterback. Like, you hope you get the one in five -- thats the level hes at. For some reason he doesnt get that type of recognition, Saints right tackle Zach Strief said.You see lists and hes not in the top five. I mean, its just like preposterous, right? If you can give that guy time, I dont care who your receivers are and who the defense is, he will get it to some open guys.Brees leads the NFL with 3,587 yards passing and 30 TDs, putting him on pace for 5,217 yards and about 44 TDs, which would be marginally below career highs he set in both categories in 2011.A key to his completion rate this season, Brees said, has come down to decision-making, such making multiple reads and often opting for the easiest throw. The veteran QB recalled an expression he hear from Marty Schottenheimer, his former coach in San Diego, who told him, You never go broke taking a profit.At the end of the day, even if a completion gets you 2 or 3 yards, its better than taking that sack or having to throw the ball away, Brees said. Its the difference between third-and-5 and third-and-7 or third-and-8. Thats a big difference.Completions are good. Positive plays are good, Brees added. Plus I think theres a flow and a rhythm (for the offense) that goes into that as well.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Allen Park, Michigan, contributed to this report. ' ' '