Both matches against the Seminoles will be shown on SEC Network +, available with the WatchESPN app, with Casey Richardson providing the play-by-play and Rachel Corbelli and Chelsea Reber splitting color commentary duties. In addition, GameTracker stats will be available at 12thMan.com, and other updates and information regarding Texas A&M matches can be found by following AggieVolleyball on Twitter.
PLETHORA OF PROMOTIONS:
Friday vs. Florida State, 6 p.m.
- Chalk Talk: Free pre-match chalk talk with Aggie volleyball head coach Laurie Corbelli in the volleyball practice gym 40 minutes before the start of the match. Coach Corbelli will go over the team's game plan against Florida State, as well as discuss how she expects the momentum from last week's ranked wins against USC and San Diego to carry over.
- Social Media Night: Arrive early and head to the 12th Man table to redeem a coupon for a free Texas A&M “BE the 12th Man” T-shirt while supplies last. Just show the marketing representative at the 12th Man table the social media coupon shown on Aggie Volleyball Facebook and Twitter pages.
- Fish Camp Night: Always one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year, Texas A&M Fish are encouraged to wear their official Fish Camp T-shirts. Additional TAMU ID scanners will be positioned at the Reed Arena student entrance in order to better accommodate the expected influx of students who purchased the 12th Man all-sports pass.
Saturday vs. Florida State, 11 a.m.
- Prior to the match, Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to learn the basic fundamentals of volleyball in the volleyball practice gym and also get a free tour of the facilities at Reed Arena.
- Volleyball BINGO cards will be given out, and prizes will be given to those who present a winning card at the 12th Man table located on the concourse.
- Post-match autograph session on the court with the team. Autograph cards will be provided.
TICKETS:
Regular-price individual match tickets are $9 for reserve seating, $7 for adult general admission and $4 for youth, high school age and under. A&M students without a sports pass also can purchase tickets for $4 each. Tickets may be purchased at Reed Arena beginning one hour before match time or in advance at 12thManFoundation.com. Students who purchased a sports pass should enter Reed at the student entrance.
UPCOMING:
- A&M hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Reed. It is the final tune-up for SEC play, which opens Sunday, Sept. 28 as the Aggies host Auburn at 1 p.m.
- All A&M home matches will be broadcast on either SEC Network or SEC Network +, available on WatchESPN.
TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS:
- The 2014 season marks the 40th season of volleyball at Texas A&M. The Aggies are 939-516-2 all-time.
- Texas A&M broke into the AVCA Top 25 Poll at No. 21 earlier this week, marking the Aggies' first top 25 ranking since a No. 21 showing in the 2009 final poll.
- A&M is riding a five-match win streak, having gone 3-0 at the Baymont Inn & Suites Invitational after defeating host Ohio, Virginia Tech and VCU in Athens, Ohio, and then upsetting both No. 6 USC and No. 13 San Diego last week at the USC Classic in Los Angeles.
- Freshman setter Stephanie Aiple became A&M's first player in program history to be named the ESPNW national player of the week, and she was selected SEC Freshman Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after directing A&M to back-to-back wins over No. 6 USC and No. 13 San Diego.
- Junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan and Aiple made the all-tournament team at both the Baymont Invitational and the USC Classic.
- The Aggies played in three pre-conference tournaments. They won the season-opening Texas A&M Invitational, August 29-30 at Reed Arena. A&M tied Iowa and UTSA with a tournament-best 2-1 record but was awarded the championship based on sets won-lost ratio. A&M also won Ohio's Baymont Inn & Suites Invitational, Sept. 5-6 in Athens, Ohio. Although A&M went 2-0 at the USC Classic, a tournament champ was not crowned.
- Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli is in her 22nd season at the helm of the Aggies and the 29th year of her head coaching career. She is 550-319 overall and 450-213 at A&M, where she has directed the Aggies to 17 NCAA appearances.
- Corbelli returns four starters -- juniors and team captains Angela Lowak (6-0, OH) and Shelby Sullivan (6-2, MB) and sophomores Jazzmin Babers (6-2, MB) and Emily Hardesty (6-3, OH) -- and five other letterwinners from last year's team that went 19-12 and made a third consecutive appearance in the NCAA second round before being eliminated by Texas for the second straight year.
- There are eight newcomers on the A&M roster, including a six-person freshman recruiting class that was recognized by both Volleyball Magazine and PrepVolleyball.com. High school All-Americans Stephanie Aiple (6-1, S/OPP), who joined the team in January, and lefty Ashlie Reasor (6-1, OPP), as well as Kiara McGee (5-11, OH), Amy Nettles (5-4, L/DS), Olivia Thorpe (5-11, OH) and Uche Ukadike (5-11, MB) make up the freshman class.
RECENT RESULTS:
- Texas A&M spoiled No. 6 USC's home season debut, stunning the Trojans, 3-2 (25-23, 15-25, 25-27, 25-13, 16-14) in the teams' USC Classic opener last Thursday.
- It was A&M's first victory against USC in nine all-time meetings, and the Aggies became only the second non-Pacific 12 Conference team to defeat the Trojans at Galen Center.
- It also marked A&M's highest ranked win since a home victory over No. 6 Nebraska in 2009. It is the Aggies' highest win away from College Station since 2001, when A&M swept sixth-ranked Wisconsin in an NCAA regional semifinal at Stanford in 2001, and it is A&M's highest ranked win against a hosting team since the Aggies shocked No. 3 Hawaii in Honolulu in the 1999 NCAA regional semifinals.
- A&M outhit USC, .319 to .233, and outblocked the Trojans, 13-7.
- Aggie setter Stephanie Aiple dished out a career-high 56 assists while running an offense that generated double-digit kills performances by four players. Middle blocker Shelby Sullivan hit .462 with 15 kills, one shy of her career high. Outside hitter Angela Lowak tied Sullivan for the team lead with 15 kills and added 11 digs to notch her first double-double of the season. Middle blocker Jazzmin Babers had a career-high 14 kills with no errors for a .583 hitting percentage, and opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor also pitched in a career-high 14 kills while hitting at a .300 clip.
- Defensively, outside hitter Emily Hardesty tied her career with 19 digs, tying libero Victoria Arenas for match-high honors. Babers had seven blocks to finish with a career-high 18.5 points, and Sullivan contributed six blocks and led the Aggies with 19.0 points.
- On Friday, A&M posted its second consecutive victory over a top-15 team and extended its win streak to five, defeating No. 13 San Diego, 25-22, 25-22, 16-25, 25-17, to go 2-0 at the USC Classic at Galen Center.
- Sullivan and Reasor led A&M with 13 kills apiece, hitting a combined .460. Aiple, who had a career-high eight kills while hitting at a .500 clip, dished out 43 assists while directing the A&M offense to a .304 hitting percentage.
- Defensively, Arenas scooped up a match-high 23 digs. Sullivan posted a career-high seven blocks, and Babers added six to lead A&M to a 13-3 advantage in blocks.
SERIES VS. FSU:
- A&M leads the all-time series against Florida State, 6-3, and has won the last three meetings, all of which were in College Station with Laurie Corbelli as head coach of the Aggies.
- A&M is 5-1 overall in home matches against FSU.
- Last year, A&M stunned then-16th-ranked FSU, 3-0 (27-25, 27-25, 25-22) at Reed Arena at the Texas A&M Invitational. A&M's Angela Lowak tied FSU's Nicole Walch with a match-high 14 kills. A&M outhit the Noles, .234-.194, but FSU outblocked A&M, 11-7.
- FSU's most recent victory over A&M was in 1992 in Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles swept the Aggies and former head coach Al Givens, 15-7, 15-8, 15-3.
SCOUTING FSU
- Sixth-ranked Florida State is 9-0 and entered the week as one of 15 Division I teams still undefeated this season.
- The Seminoles are coming off a stirring 3-2 (25-17, 26-28, 17-25, 15-16, 15-8) victory over Auburn to improve to 3-0 against SEC teams.
- FSU, which moved up one spot to No. 6 in this week's AVCA Top 25, is 2-0 against ranked opponents, having defeated then-No. 7 Nebraska, 3-1, in the season opener, and then-No. 11 Florida, 3-2, on Sept. 3.
- Senior libero Katie Mosher posted her second 30-dig effort of the season against Auburn and leads the team with 4.19 digs per set.
- Junior Nicole Walch, who leads the team with 4.06 kills per set, led FSU with 16 kills against the Tigers, and Sarah Burrington and Kiara Wright also reached double figures in kills with 14 and 11, respectively, while hitting a combined .442.
- Burrington added nine blocks as FSU outblocked Auburn, 14-11, and also outhit the Tigers, .244 to .176
- FSU entered the week ranked 20th in the nation and first in the ACC with a .277 hitting percentage. The Seminoles enter the A&M match hitting .273 and averaging 12.43 assists, 12.41 digs and 2.65 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .173, and averaging 10.62 assists, 12.41 digs and 1.78 blocks.
- Chris Poole is in his seventh season as the Seminoles' head coach after leading the University of Arkansas for 14 seasons. While at FSU, he has garnered his 700th career win, and he has led the Noles to the finals of the 2009 NCAAs, the 2011 Final Four and the 2013 NCAA regional semifinals, as well as NCAA second round trips in 2010 and 2012.
TEXAS A&M: BY THE NUMBERS:
- Texas A&M entered the week ranked 34th in the nation with 2.65 blocks per set. Jazzmin Babers leads the Aggies, is second in the SEC and 23rd in the nation with 1.42 blocks per set. Earlier this season, the redshirt sophomore set a school record with 13 block assists against UTSA (Aug. 30). Her 14 total blocks against the Roadrunners ties for second in the A&M record books.
- Stephanie Aiple entered the week ranked 41st in the nation and fifth in the SEC with 10.74 assists per set. She had a career-high 56 assists in the 3-2 victory at No. 6 USC.
- As a team, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .249 to .178. The Aggies are averaging 12.94 kills, 12.00 assists, 1.03 aces, 14.58 digs, 2.65 blocks and 16.61 points per set. Opponents are averaging 12.81 kills, 11.55 assists, 1.26 aces, 15.61 digs, 1.74 blocks and 15.81 points per set.
- Shelby Sullivan leads the Aggies with 2.68 kills and 3.50 points per set and is second on the team with 1.16 blocks per set. She also leads the starting attackers with a .330 hitting percentage. She has posted double-figure kills in a team-leading five matches, all within the last six matches overall.
- Libero Victoria Arenas has posted 20 or more digs in two of the last three matches and three times overall. She had a career high and a team season-high 28 digs in a 3-2 loss to UTSA. Arenas, who has been A&M's designated libero in every set this season, leads the Aggies with 4.26 digs per set for the full season.
- Angela Lowak leads the Aggies with 0.27 aces per set. She is second on the team with 2.67 kills and 3.18 points per set.
- A&M is 7-0 when winning the first set. The only match the Aggies dropped the first set resulted in a 3-2 loss to UTSA.
- A&M has used three different starting lineups over eight matches. Middle blockers Jazzmin Babers and Shelby Sullivan and outside hitters Angela Lowak and Emily Hardesty have started every match. Opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor has started seven matches with freshman defensive specialist Amy Nettles starting in the back row for Reasor against VCU. Sophomore Kaysie Shebeneck started the first three matches at setter, and freshman Stephanie Aiple has started each of the last five. Sophomore Victoria Arenas has been the designated libero in all eight matches.
- Babers and Sullivan, both AVCA All-South Region honorable mentions in 2013, have made 39 consecutive starts dating back to the 2013 season opener. In addition, Sullivan has played in 142 consecutive sets.
RANDOM NOTES:
Aiple Named ESPNW National Player of the Week:
Honors continue to accumulate for Texas A&M freshman setter Stephanie Aiple, who on Wednesday was named the espnW national volleyball player of the week for her performances in the Aggies' back-to-back victories over then-No. 6 USC and then-No. 13 San Diego last week at the USC Classic in Los Angeles. Aiple, the first Texas A&M player to earn the espnW national honor, also was named to the USC Classic all-tournament team following the victories over the favored Trojans and Toreros, and earlier this week she became the two-time reigning SEC Freshman Volleyball Player of the Week.
The 6-1 Round Rock, Texas, native averaged 11.00 assists per set and directed a balanced A&M offense that hit a combined .312 over the two-day tournament while holding opponents to a combined .219 hitting efficiency.
In the Aggies' tournament opener, Aiple dished out a career-high 56 assists as A&M hit .319 and defeated No. 6 USC, 3-2 (25-23, 15-25, 25-27, 25-13, 16-14), spoiling the Women of Troy's home season debut. It marked A&M's highest ranked win against a host team since 1999, when the Aggies won at No. 3 Hawaii in the NCAA regional semifinal. It also was the Aggies' first-ever win against the Trojans in nine meetings, and A&M became only the second non-Pacific 12 Conference team to ever defeat USC at Galen Center.
Against No. 13 San Diego, Aiple posted 43 assists as A&M hit .303 and defeated the Toreros, 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 16-25, 25-17).
In addition to her setting prowess throughout the tournament, Aiple pitched in on offense with her attacking, recording back-to-back career highs in kills while hitting a combined .476. She posted four kills and hit .429 against USC and then doubled her kills with eight in four sets while hitting .500 against San Diego. She also set a career high with nine points against the Toreros.
Freshman Recruiting Class Recognized:
Texas A&M volleyball's freshman class received honorable mention in Volleyball Magazine's list of the nation's top 10 recruiting classes. A&M is the only Texas school mentioned in the listing, which recognized 15 classes as honorable mention in addition to the top-10 ranked teams. High school All-Americans Stephanie Aiple (6-1, S), and Ashlie Reasor (6-1, OPP) headline the Aggies' six-member freshman class, which was ranked 17th in the nation by Prepvolleyball.com earlier this year. Kiara McGee (5-11, OH), Amy Nettles (5-4, L), Olivia Thorpe (5-11, OH) and Uche Ukadike (5-11, MB) complete the heralded class.
SEC Preseason Poll:
Texas A&M, which tied for sixth place in the SEC standings last season with a 10-8 mark, is picked to finish sixth this year, according to a preseason vote of the league coaches. Florida is picked to win the team championship, having received the maximum 12 first-place votes for 144 points. Kentucky is projected to finish second, having received 129 points. Defending SEC champion Missouri received the only other first-place vote and is picked to place third with 114 total points, followed by LSU (105 points) and Alabama (102 points). A&M received 89 points and Arkansas is seventh with 87 points. Georgia (65 points), Auburn (54), Ole Miss (50) and Tennessee (33). South Carolina (29) and Mississippi State (13) round out the 13-team poll. Vanderbilt does not sponsor volleyball.
Sullivan Named to Preseason All-SEC Team:
Texas A&M junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan was named to the 2014 Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team, announced by the conference office earlier this month. Sullivan, who earned All-SEC Team honors as a sophomore after hitting .386 and averaging 2.75 kills per set, is one of nine members on the star-studded team, which was voted on by the league's 13 head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players. Preseason league-favorite Florida led all schools with three selected to the team: Alex Holston, ?iva Recek and Taylor Unroe. Others named to the preseason team are Carly Kan and Whitney Little of Missouri, Krystal Rivers of Alabama, Brianna Holman from LSU and Kentucky's Morgan Bergren, who is the only player on the 2014 preseason team who was not on the 2013 season-ending All-SEC Team.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.