“Reed Arena is a great volleyball venue for television because of the electric atmosphere and the tremendous noise generated by our great crowds,” A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said. “Anytime A&M can get that kind of visibility and exposure, it helps our program and our recruiting, and it is just a real treat and a great avenue to showcase our university, the sport and our great athletes. Nothing beats the Spirit of Aggieland and the 12th Man.”
The SEC, in conjunction with ESPNU, SportSouth and Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS), will broadcast a total of 18 live volleyball matches this season. ESPNU will feature SEC volleyball on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons, while SportSouth and CSS will broadcast matches on Sundays. In addition, SportSouth, whose footprint includes FS Southwest and FS Midwest, will broadcast two Friday night matches on October 5 and October 19.
“The SEC has always had more matches on TV than other leagues over the years, and that was one thing that I was really thrilled about going into the SEC, just the visibility for volleyball not only for A&M but for all of the great teams in the SEC,” Corbelli said.
A&M's home matches against South Carolina and Mississippi State on Friday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 7, respectively, will be broadcast by SportSouth. The match against the Gamecocks will be at 8:30 p.m., and first serve against the Bulldogs will be at 3 p.m.
The A&M-Florida match, one of the most highly anticipated contests of the season, will be televised by ESPNU live from Reed Arena on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. Florida came within one win of reaching the Final Four in 2011, and its No. 11 final ranking was the highest in the SEC.
“I'm especially excited to see the response from the 12th Man and the community that weekend,” Corbelli said. “We will have top SEC matches both nights with defending SEC champion Tennessee coming to Reed on Friday and Florida here for an ESPNU televised match on Sunday. Soccer also is home with some huge match-ups that weekend and football is here against LSU, so that is going to encourage the fan bases for all those sports to really show their pride and their love for the university. It's hopefully going to be an unforgettable weekend for the Aggies, and I think it is really important that everybody recognizes how important it is for these athletes to have their support and make this first season in the SEC is a great introduction to what A&M is going to bring in future years.”
A&M's fourth televised match will be against Georgia on Sunday, Nov. 11. Comcast will televise the match from Athens, with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT).
Areas covered by Comcast will see matches on CSS, while areas covered by Cox (LSU, Arkansas and Florida) will see the matches on CST.
Every ESPNU match will be available on WatchESPN. SportSouth and CSS matches will also be made available on ESPN3.
ESPNU reaches over 73 million homes. The SportSouth telecasts will be distributed to over 30 million homes in the FOX regional footprint and the CSS package will be available in more than 10 million homes.
2012 SEC Volleyball TV Schedule
ESPNU
Wednesday, 9/12 Tennessee at Missouri 7 p.m. CT
Wednesday, 9/26 Tennessee at Kentucky 7 p.m. CT
Wednesday, 10/3 Georgia at LSU 6 p.m. CT
Wednesday, 10/10 Tennessee at LSU 7 p.m. CT
Sunday, 10/14 Mississippi State at Missouri 12 p.m. CT
Sunday, 10/21 Florida at Texas A&M 1 p.m. CT
Wednesday, 10/24 Missouri at Georgia 6 p.m. CT
Wednesday, 11/21 Arkansas at LSU 8 p.m. CT
SportSouth/FS Southwest/FS Midwest
Friday, 10/5 South Carolina at Texas A&M 8:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, 10/7 Mississippi State at Texas A&M 3 p.m. CT
Friday, 10/19 Missouri at Ole Miss 7:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, 10/28 Alabama at Tennessee 12 p.m. CT
Sunday, 11/11 Kentucky at Arkansas 12 p.m. CT
CSS (Comcast)
Sunday, 10/21 South Carolina at Ole Miss 1 p.m. CT
Sunday, 10/28 Mississippi State at LSU 1 p.m. CT
Sunday, 11/4 Tennessee at Florida 1 p.m. CT
Sunday, 11/11 Texas A&M at Georgia 1 p.m. CT
Sunday, 11/18 Auburn at Alabama 1 p.m. CT