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LAURIE CORBELLITEXAS A&M HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH

L aurie Corbelli is beginning her 17th

season as the head volleyball coach at Texas A&M. After coaching stints at the University of San Francisco and Santa Clara University, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist was hired by then-athletic director John David Crow in March 1993 to take over a promising women’s volleyball program eager to contend for a conference title and return to the NCAA tournament.

Corbelli’s husband, John, an assistant coach for the ’84 Olympic Team, was hired as assistant coach, forming one of most highly respected coaching duos in the country. The couple utilized their elite playing experiences and coaching knowledge to rebuild a program and rapidly develop it into a top national contender that has for the most part been a permanent fixture in the NCAA tournament.

It didn’t take long for Laurie to earn the honorable distinction of being the winningest coach in the history of the A&M volleyball program. Laurie, who sports an overall 23-year career record of 443-264 (.627), enters the 2009 campaign with a 343-158 record and a .685 winning percentage in 16 seasons at A&M.

The Corbellis directed the Aggies to within one match of reaching the Final Four in both 1999 and 2001 and have led A&M to the NCAA regional semifinals five times. Overall, the Corbellis’ teams have reached the NCAA tournament 13 times in the last 16 years.

Furthermore, the Aggies have reached the 20-win milestone 11 of 16 seasons with the Corbellis at the helm, and A&M has been ranked in the final Top 25 Poll nine of the past 14 years. With the addition of this year’s 18th-ranked recruiting class to the 2006 class that was ranked an all-time high No. 4 nationally, extraordinary feats will undoubtedly continue to accumulate.

UNIV. OF SAN FRANCISCO Overall ConferenceYear W L Pct. W L Pct. Finish Postseason

1986 8 24 .250 2 10 .167 7th

1987 16 13 .551 9 5 .642 3rd

1988 10 16 .385 7 7 .500 3rd

1989 5 18 .217 4 10 .285 7th

SANTA CLARA1990 14 13 .519 5 9 .357 T-5th

1991 26 11 .703 10 4 .714 2nd NIVC (3rd)

1992 21 11 .656 13 1 .929 1st 0-1 NCAA (1st Round)

TEXAS A&M1993 27 8 .771 7 3 .700 2nd 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

1994 19 14 .576 6 4 .600 3rd 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

1995 23 7 .767 8 2 .800 2nd 1-1 NCAA (Regional Semifinal)

1996 25 8 .758 15 5 .750 3rd 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

1997 26 8 .765 15 5 .750 4th 2-1 NCAA (Regional Semifinal)

1998 21 9 .700 13 7 .650 4th 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

1999 28 6 .824 16 4 .800 2nd 3-1 NCAA (Regional Final)

2000 20 9 .690 14 6 .700 T-2nd 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

2001 26 6 .813 16 4 .800 2nd 3-1 NCAA (Regional Final)

2002 21 10 .677 12 8 .600 5th 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

2003 23 10 .697 13 7 .650 T-3rd 2-1 NCAA (Regional Semifinal)

2004 19 9 .679 14 6 .700 T-3rd 1-1 NCAA (2nd Round)

2005 16 14 .533 9 11 .450 T-6th 0-1 NCAA (1st Round)

2006 12 16 .423 5 15 .250 T-8th

2007 21 10 .677 10 10 .500 T-6th

2008 16 14 .533 11 9 .550 T-4th

CAREER TOTAL — 23 YEARSOVERALL 443-264 .627 CONFERENCE 234-152 .606

TEXAS A&M TOTAL — 16 YEARSOVERALL 343-158 .685 CONFERENCE 184-106 .634

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THIS IS TEXAS A&M

PLAYING CAREER1975 & 1976 ... AIAW National Championship, Texas Lutheran

1978-84 ..........United States Women’s National Volleyball Team

1978 ...............World Championships

1979 ...............Pan American Games

1980 ...............U.S. Olympic Team (Boycott)

1981 ...............World Cup Competition

1982 ...............World Championships, Bronze Medalist

1983 ...............Pan American Games, Silver Medalist

1984 ...............U.S. Olympic Team, Silver Medalist

1987-89 ...........Major League Volleyball, San Jose Golddiggers

PLAYING HONORS1976 ...............Most Valuable Player, National AAU Junior Olympics Championship Tournament

1977 ...............USVBA Rookie of the Year, National Tournament, Hilo, Hawaii

1980 ...............Congressional Gold Medal

1984 ...............Silver Medalist, 1984 Olympic Games, Los Angeles, Calif.

1987 ...............Most Valuable Player, Major League Volleyball

1987-89 ..........Major League Volleyball All-Star and All-Pro Team

1989 ...............Most Valuable Player, Major League Volleyball All-Star Game

1992 ...............USVBA Player of the Year, National Tournament, Senior DivisionThree-time USVBA All-American (1985, 1986, 1992)

1998 ...............USA Volleyball/Flo Hyman All-Time Great Player Award

COACHING CAREER1986-89 ...........Head Coach, University of San Francisco (record 39-71)

1990-92 ...........Head Coach, Santa Clara University (record 61-35)

1993-Present ... Head Coach, Texas A&M University (record 343-158)

COACHING HONORS1987 ...............West Coast Athletic Conference Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year

1991 ...............West Coast Conference Co-Coach of the Year

1992 ...............West Region Coach of the Year

1992 ...............West Coast Conference Coach of the Year

1994 ...............Southwest Conference Co-Coach of the Year

1995 ...............District VI Coach of the Year

1995 ...............Southwest Conference Coach of the Year

2000 ...............Texas A&M Coach of the Year

OTHER HONORS1989 ...............Garland Sports Hall of Fame

1994 ...............Texas Lutheran College Athletic Hall of Honor

1994 ...............NAIA Hall of Fame

1998-2000 ......Honorary Co-Chair of the Children’s Miracle Network for the Brazos Valley

2002 ...............USA Volleyball/George L. Fisher “Leader in Volleyball”

2006 ...............L.V. Berkner High School Hall of Honor

ALL-AMERICANS1995 ...............Suzy Wente (Volleyball Magazine, honorable mention)

1996 ...............Kristie Smedsrud (Volleyball Magazine, third team)

1997 ...............Stacy Sykora (AVCA second team; Volleyball Magazine honorable mention)

1998 ...............S tacy Sykora (AVCA second team)

1998 ............... Jenna Moscovic (All-American Freshman Team, Volleyball Magazine)

1999 ...............Amber Woolsey (AVCA first team; Volleyball Magazine second team)

2000 ............... Jenna Moscovic (Volleyball Magazine, honorable mention)

2001 ............... Jenna Moscovic (AVCA first team; Volleyball Magazine third team)

2003 ...............Melissa Munsch (AVCA third team)

2004 ...............Laura Jones (AVCA second team, Volleyball Magazine honorable mention)Melissa Munsch (AVCA third team)

2005 ................Laura Jones (AVCA first team; Volleyball Magazine first team)

OLYMPIANSStacy Sykora, Libero, 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney, Australia

Stacy Sykora, Libero, 2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece

Stacy Sykora, Libero, 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China (Silver Medalist)

MEMBERSHIPS / COMMITTEESUSA Volleyball Executive Committee, National Player Representative (1991-97)

USA Volleyball Board of Directors, Player Representative (1990-98)

American Volleyball Coaches Association, District VI All-District and Coach of the Year Awards Committee (1993-98)

USA National Team Committee (1997-98)

USA National Team Coach Selection Committee (1996)

AVCA Division I Head Coaches Committee – Big 12 Conference representative (2000, 2005-08)

USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Voter (2000-02)

Rock Prairie Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, Board of Directors, Public Relations Chair (2002-03)

NCAA Certification Committee on Academic Integrity (2005-06)

AVCA TV Committee (2005-06)

City of College Station Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (2006-08)

T H E L AU R I E C O R B E L L I F I L EHigh School: L.V. Berkner High School,

Richardson, Texas

College Education: University of San Francisco, Bachelor of Arts, Physical Education, 1988

When the Corbellis came to A&M in 1993, the twosome took over a program that had never placed higher than a second-place tie in the six-team Southwest Conference, had never won 20 or more games in a season, nor had advanced to the NCAA playoffs in the six years preceding their hiring. In only their first season at the helm of the Aggies, however, the Corbellis turned around a team that had finished in a fourth-place tie in league play with a 3-7 record and 19-17 overall mark the previous year to a 7-3, second-place showing in conference play and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Championships. A&M ended the season with

an impressive 27-8 record, making Laurie the winningest first-year coach in the history of the program.

The triumphs have continued to multiply. After ending the 1994 season with a reappearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament and a 19-14 record, A&M began the 1995 campaign with a vengeance by defeating defending national champion and top-ranked Stanford in the second match of the season. At the time, the victory marked only the second time in the history of A&M men’s and women’s athletics that an Aggie team defeated a No. 1-ranked team during the regular season.

Name: Laurie Flachmeier Corbelli

Born: January 28, 1957 in Detroit, Michigan

Hometown: Garland, Texas

Husband: John Corbelli

Children: Rachel (5/9/91) and Russell (6/28/94)

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The Aggies finished second in the SWC behind eventual national runner-up Texas with an 8-2 record and appeared in the NCAA tournament for an unprecedented third consecutive season. After advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, A&M finished the season with a 23-7 record and was ranked No. 15 in the final coaches poll, a then all-time high for the A&M volleyball program.

The Aggies broke into the national top 10 for the first time in the history of the program in 1996 and held the No. 10 spot for four weeks. They finished third in the inaugural season of the Big 12 Conference with a 15-5 record and ended the season with a 25-8 mark after advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year.

A&M took another step forward in 1997 as the Aggies won first and second-round matches in the NCAA Championship’s expanded 56-team field. It marked the first time A&M had won two matches in the tournament. Despite dropping a tight five-game battle against sixth-ranked BYU in the East Regional semifinal, the Aggies finished 26-8 and ranked No. 13, another record-high in the season-ending poll.

The Corbellis’ 1998 recruiting class was ranked sixth in the nation, and the group promptly played an integral part in another successful season for the Aggies. With three freshmen — Jenna Moscovic, Michelle Cole and Brandi Mount — in the starting lineup, the Aggies snapped No. 3 Nebraska’s 36-match regular-season winning streak and were the only Big 12 team to defeat the league champion and Final Four-bound team that year. The victory against the Huskers helped bolster A&M to a season-ending eight-match conference winning streak, equaling the longest conference winning streak in school history. The Aggies advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and finished with a 21-9 record and ranked 18th in the coaches final Top 25 Poll.

In 1999, the Corbellis guided the Aggies to their first NCAA Elite Eight appearance, stunning No. 3 Hawai’i in Honolulu in the round of 16. A&M finished the season 28-6 and ranked an all-time high ninth in the final coaches Top 25 Poll. In addition, senior middle blocker Amber Woolsey became the first Aggie to garner first-team All-America laurels by the AVCA.

Another home victory against the higher-ranked Huskers earlier in the ’99 season helped boost the Aggies to their all-time high second-place finish in the Big 12 standings, one win behind three-time champion Nebraska. Furthermore, the Aggies completed the season 16-0 in the friendly confines of G. Rollie White Coliseum, including two home victories in the NCAA tournament, marking the first time an A&M team finished a season undefeated at home with the exception of the 1978 team, which went 4-0.

Laurie became the all-time winningest coach in Texas A&M volleyball history on Oct. 18, 2000, posting the 181st victory of her Aggie career as the Aggies defeated rival Texas and posted their first win in Austin since 1979. The Aggies went on to tie for second in the Big 12 behind eventual national-champion Nebraska

with a 14-6 mark and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament despite returning only two starters from A&M’s then-most celebrated season in the program’s 25-year history.

Moscovic earned All-American honorable mention from Volleyball Magazine as A&M set all-time season records and ranked second in the national statistics in both kills and assists per game. The Aggies finished the year ranked 23rd in the final national Top 25 Poll with a 20-9 record.

The Corbellis’ 2001 Aggies equaled the most successful season in A&M volleyball history, reaching the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time. The Aggies ranked 11th in the final poll in 2001 after upsetting No. 6 Wisconsin in the regional semifinals and finishing the season with a 26-6 record. Four of the six losses were to Final Four teams, including two setbacks to eventual national champion Stanford.

In her final season, Moscovic led the nation in triple-doubles and became only the second Aggie to capture first-team All-American laurels by the AVCA. In addition, she directed the 2001 squad to a No. 2 ranking in the national statistics in both kills and assists per game for the second consecutive season. In the competitive Big 12, Moscovic and the Aggies placed second to Final Four-bound Nebraska for the third consecutive season and tied the school record for league wins with a 16-4 mark.

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GO TO JOHN’S COMPLETE BIO

C O R B E L L I ’ S R E C O R D V S . A L L O P P O N E N T SAlabama ..............................2-0

Alcorn State .........................1-0

American .............................1-0

Appalachian State ................1-0

Arizona ................................0-1

Arkansas-Little Rock .............3-0

Arkansas State .....................1-0

Auburn ................................2-0

Baylor ................................27-6

Boise State ...........................1-0

BYU ......................................3-4

BYU-Hawaii ..........................1-1

California .............................3-6

UC Riverside ........................0-1

UC Santa Barbara .................0-3

Cal-Poly Pomona ..................2-0

Cal-Poly SLO .........................4-2

Cal-State Chico .....................1-0

Cal-State Fullerton ...............3-1

Cal-State Los Angeles ...........1-0

Cal-State Northridge ............1-2

Cal-State Sacramento ...........1-3

Centenary ............................2-0

Clemson ...............................0-1

Cleveland State ....................1-0

Colorado ............................19-9

Colorado State .....................1-3

Creighton .............................1-1

DePaul .................................1-0

Drake ...................................1-0

Duke ....................................2-1

Eastern Kentucky .................1-0

Eastern Washington .............1-0

Florida .................................0-3

Florida State ........................2-0

Fresno State .........................2-1

George Mason .....................1-0

Georgia ................................2-2

Georgia Southern .................1-0

Georgia Tech ........................1-0

Gonzaga ...............................8-6

Hawaii .................................1-5

Hofstra .................................1-0

Houston .............................12-4

Illinois State .........................2-1

Iowa ....................................2-0

Iowa State ..........................23-4

James Madison ....................1-0

Kansas ...............................22-4

Kansas State ....................10-16

Kentucky ..............................0-1

Lamar ..................................3-0

Lehigh ..................................1-0

Long Beach State..................0-1

Louisiana-Lafayette ..............1-0

Louisiana Tech......................1-0

LSU ......................................4-2

Louisville ..............................1-0

Loyola-Chicago .....................2-0

Loyola-Marymount ............5-10

Marquette ...........................1-0

Maryland .............................2-0

McNeese State .....................2-0

Michigan ..............................2-2

Michigan State .....................2-2

Minnesota ...........................1-1

Mississippi ...........................1-0

Missouri.............................19-7

Missouri State ......................4-0

Montana ..............................1-2

Montana State .....................2-0

Morgan State .......................1-0

Murray State ........................1-0

Nebraska ...........................2-24

Nevada-Reno .......................4-3

New Mexico .........................1-2

New Mexico State ................0-1

Nicholls State .......................1-0

North Carolina .....................3-0

Northeast Louisiana .............1-0

Northern Illinois ...................2-0

Northwestern ......................0-1

Notre Dame .........................1-2

Ohio State ............................0-1

Oklahoma ..........................23-6

Oral Roberts.........................1-0

Oregon State ........................0-1

Pacific ..................................0-3

Pennsylvania ........................1-0

Pepperdine ........................3-12

Pittsburgh ............................1-0

Portland ...............................7-6

Portland State ......................1-1

Prairie View A&M ................2-0

Providence ...........................0-2

Rice......................................9-1

Saint Louis ...........................1-0

St. Mary’s ..........................13-4

Sam Houston State...............5-1

Samford ...............................1-0

San Diego ...........................11-3

San Diego State ....................1-1

San Francisco .......................6-0

San Francisco State ..............2-2

San Jose State ......................1-5

Santa Clara ...........................5-5

Siena ....................................1-0

Sonoma State ......................1-0

South Carolina .....................2-0

Southern California ..............0-5

Southern Mississippi ............1-0

Southwest Missouri State ....3-0

Stanford ...............................1-6

Stephen F. Austin .................3-0

Temple .................................1-0

Tennessee ............................1-1

Texas ................................12-24

Texas-Arlington ....................7-0

Texas-Pan American .............1-0

Texas-San Antonio................5-0

Texas A&M ...........................0-1

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ....1-0

Texas State .........................13-0

Texas Tech ..........................25-8

Toledo ..................................1-0

UCLA ....................................0-2

U.S. International .................1-2

Utah ....................................2-0

Utah State ............................4-0

Villanova ..............................1-0

Virginia ................................1-0

Virginia Tech ........................0-2

Washington .........................1-0

Washington State .................2-2

Weber State .........................3-0

Western Illinois ....................0-1

Western Michigan ................0-1

Wichita State .......................1-0

William & Mary ...................2-0

Winthrop .............................1-0

Wisconsin ............................2-2

In 2002, the Aggies were rebuilding after losing five starters following one of the most successful seasons in the history of the program. Despite the inexperienced lineup, A&M managed to reach the second round of the NCAA tournament for the 10th consecutive year before being eliminated by the national-champion Women of Troy. Freshman phenom Laura Jones and sophomore Melissa Munsch led the youth movement as the Aggies went 21-10 overall and 12-8 in the Big 12.

The Aggies entered the 2003 season unranked; nonetheless, the Corbellis managed to direct A&M to its third NCAA regional appearance in five years and a No. 16 final ranking. A&M, which was eliminated by eventual national-champion USC for the second consecutive year, finished the season 23-10 overall after tying for third in the Big 12 with a 13-7 mark. In addition, Munsch made her first appearance on the AVCA All-American team as she was selected to the second team.

The Aggies became one of only six teams to make a 12th consecutive appearance in the NCAA second round in 2004. A&M ranked No. 20 in the final poll after finishing the year with a 19-9 mark, including a 14-6 record in the Big 12. And for the first time in A&M history, two Aggies were named All-America in the same year as Jones was named to the AVCA’s second team and senior

Munsch was named to the third team. In addition, Munsch was named the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player, a first by an A&M player.

A&M made its 13th straight NCAA appearance in 2005 but was eliminated in the first round for the first time in the Corbellis’ 13-year tenure after falling to Northwestern in five games and finishing with a 16-14 record. Jones, who broke more than 30 A&M records in her final season, led the nation with 6.09 kills per game and capped her illustrious career by becoming the third player in A&M history to be named to the AVCA first team. It marked the eighth AVCA All-America honor bestowed to a Corbelli-coached player in nine years.

Despite having four freshmen, sometimes five, on the court, A&M began 2006 with a 7-1 record, including a win against Loyola in the Aggies’ home opener on Sept. 8 which gave Laurie her 400th career victory and her 300th win at A&M. The youth-laden Aggies struggled to a 5-15 mark in the extremely competitive Big 12 and finished the season 12-16 overall and missed the NCAA Championships for the first time under the Corbellis’ tenure.

The Aggies got off to a promising start in 2007, setting a school record by winning their first 10 matches. A&M finished the regular season 21-10 and was baffled when the Aggies did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The team was even more

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stunned to not receive a berth in 2008 after ending the regular season on a six-match winning streak to go 16-14 and tie for fourth place with Iowa State, which reached the NCAA regional finals.

Stacy Sykora (1995-98) was the Corbellis’ first player to earn All-America distinction from the AVCA, earning second team honors in both 1997 and 1998. The charismatic Sykora went on to earn the ultimate honor of being named Olympian, becoming the first Aggie to play on an Olympic volleyball. The former A&M outside hitter honored her collegiate coach by donning the No. 5 jersey -- the same number Laurie wore at the ’84 Olympic Games – and was Team USA’s starting libero at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Sykora went on to earn “Best Digger” laurels at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. In 2008, Sykora became A&M’s first-ever varsity athlete in any sport to be a three-time Olympian and won a silver medal in Beijing.

The Corbellis have had at least one student-athlete receive All-America recognition in 10 of the last 14 years. Senior setter Suzy Wente was named All-America honorable mention by Volleyball Magazine in 1995 and also captured SWC Player of the Year accolades, a first by an A&M player. Outside hitter Kristie Smedsrud, the 1994 SWC Freshman of the Year, was selected to the 1996 Volleyball Magazine All-America third team as a junior.

Sykora also received All-American honorable mention by Volleyball Magazine as a junior in 1997. Woolsey garnered both AVCA and Volleyball Magazine All-America honors in 1999, and Moscovic, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a member of Volleyball Magazine’s All-American Freshman team in 1998, earned All-American status from the publication in 2000 and 2001, in addition to receiving AVCA first-team honors in 2001. And with Jones also receiving All-America Volleyball Magazine honorable mention in 2004 and first-team honors in 2005, Aggies have earned a total of 16 All-American awards during the Corbellis’ 16-year tenure. In addition, A&M volleyball athletes have received 28 all-region/all-district citations and 26 first-team conference awards under the Corbellis’ direction.

Student-athletes also have been recognized for their accomplishments in the classroom and in the community throughout the Corbellis’ reign. Kim Mitchell earned GTE Academic All-America first-team honors and was the Texas A&M/Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the 1993-94 academic year.

Defensive specialist and medical-school bound Beth Weynand was named to the Verizon Academic All-American first team in 2001 after being named to the academic All-American third team and receiving the Texas A&M/Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in the 2000-01 academic year. Senior defensive specialist/libero Rebecca Wynalda, the 2003-04 Texas A&M/Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was a member of the academic All-American third team in 2003.

Christi Hahn, who was a member of the 2005 The ESPN Magazine Academic All-America third team as a junior, was a first-team academic All-American in 2006 and was named the 2006-07 Texas A&M/Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A three-time Gathright Scholar Academic Excellence Award recipient, an honor given annually to the outstanding sophomore, junior and senior of each academic college at Texas A&M, Hahn also

was a member of the academic all-district team from 2004-06 and joined a long list of Aggies who have represented A&M on the Academic All-District VI Volleyball Team.

A&M student-athletes have received 59 Volleyball Academic All-Big 12 certificates since the conference was formed in 1996. In addition, Aggie Jennifer Wells was the Big 12’s female winner of the 1997 Budget AwardsPlus Sportsmanship Award.

Laurie also has collected the hardware and in 2002 received USA Volleyball’s distinguished George L. Fisher “Leader in Volleyball” award, recognizing her for her exceptional endeavors on behalf of the sport. She received SWC Coach of the Year honors in both 1994 and 1995 and was named AVCA District VI Coach of the Year in ‘95. In addition, Laurie was voted the Texas A&M Coach of the Year for 1999-2000 by the Aggie student-athletes.

The Corbellis form one of several current husband-wife coaching tandems in NCAA Division I volleyball. They first

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coached together as members of the staff of the 1984 U.S. Women’s National Team that toured the Far East. With John as the head coach and Laurie as the assistant, the team competed in tournaments in Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Before coming to A&M, they earned recognition for being the only husband and wife to serve concurrently as head coaches of Division I volleyball programs. They coached against each other in California, with Laurie at Santa Clara and John at San Jose State.

Though Laurie is 1-3 versus her husband in the head-to-head series, she has proven that she is a winner. In her three years at Santa Clara, she posted a 61-35 record and was twice honored as the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year.

In 1992, she led Santa Clara to a 21-11 record and collected WCC and West Region Coach of the Year honors as the Broncos won the league title and made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA postseason tournament. In 1991, she was named WCC Co-Coach of the Year after directing the Broncos to a 10-4 second-place conference finish. Santa Clara went on to earn its first-ever postseason appearance, where the Broncos finished third in the National Invitational Volleyball Championships. Santa Clara ended the season with a 26-11 record, the best finish in school history.

Raised in Garland, Texas, the former Laurie Flachmeier first served as a head coach in 1986 at the University of San Francisco. During her f our years at USF, the Lady Dons posted a 39-71 ledger. In 1987, USF finished third in the competitive WCC, and Laurie was named WCC Coach of the Year. While coaching, she also was pursuing her bachelor’s degree in education, which she completed at USF in 1988.

Along with the successes she has achieved on the sidelines, Laurie also has tasted success on the court and in 1998 was presented the prestigious Flo Hyman All-Time Great Player Award by USA Volleyball. After playing three years for Texas Lutheran College, Laurie played for the

United States Women’s National Volleyball team from 1978-84 and was a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic Team. After the boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Laurie returned to help lead the U.S. team to a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She also was a member of the National Team that competed in the ‘78 and ‘82 World Championships, the ‘79 and ‘83 Pan American Games and the ‘79 World Cup Competition.

In 1987, Laurie played Major League Volleyball for the San Jose Golddiggers and was named the Most Valuable Player in the league’s inaugural season. She also was named MVP of the MLV’s season-ending all-star game in 1989.

Laurie has participated in volleyball competitions in more than 25 countries and has served as an instructor in more than 50 national volleyball clinics around the country. In addition, she has served on numerous committees for USA Volleyball and the American Volleyball Coaches Association and also has served as a motivational speaker for numerous organizations.

In the spring of 1993, A&M officials were looking for an experienced leader for the Aggie volleyball program, and the Corbellis were seeking to fulfill the one dream that had eluded them -- the chance to coach together once again. In the process, A&M secured two coaches who have achieved feats that dreams are made of, while the Corbellis reached their dream of working together to rouse a program they classified as a sleeping giant.

Laurie and John provide similar coaching philosophies to form what they describe as a complimentary partnership that sees eye-to-eye. They also contribute equally impressive backgrounds to A&M. They were successful as a coach-player combo in the Pan American and Olympic Games and as a coaching duo in the Far East. Both have compiled resumes that speak for themselves, and the combination of the two continues to prove victorious for Texas A&M volleyball.