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No. 23 Texas A&M Begins Second Half of SEC Play at Alabama, MissouriNo. 23 Texas A&M Begins Second Half of SEC Play at Alabama, Missouri
Volleyball

No. 23 Texas A&M Begins Second Half of SEC Play at Alabama, Missouri

No. 23 Texas A&M kicks off the second half of SEC play on the road at Alabama and Missouri this weekend. On Friday, the Aggies square off against the Crimson Tide at 7 p.m. at Foster Auditorium. The teams are tied for fourth in the SEC standings.

Complete Match Notes

Friday, October 31
No. 23 Texas A&M at Alabama, 7 p.m.
Foster Auditorium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
SEC Network +

Sunday, November 2
No. 23 Texas A&M at Missouri, 3 p.m.
Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.
SEC Network

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – With nine SEC matches in the books and nine more remaining, the 23rd-ranked Texas A&M volleyball team kicks off the second half of conference play on the road at Alabama and Missouri this weekend. On Friday, the Aggies square off against the Crimson Tide at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The two teams are tied for fourth place in the SEC standings, with the winner moving into sole possession of third place if LSU loses to South Carolina.  First serve is slated for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on SEC Network +, available on WatchESPN through participating TV providers.

The Aggies then travel to Columbia, Mo., to face the Missouri Tigers on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Hearnes Center. The match will be televised on the SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Nell Fortner calling the action.

The Aggies (14-6, 6-3 SEC) are riding a three-match win streak, their longest in SEC play this season, after defeating both Georgia and No. 16 Kentucky last weekend at Reed Arena.

Alabama is 18-5 overall and 6-3 in SEC play and  has won three of its last four matches. The Tide is coming off a 3-1 home victory on Sunday against Arkansas, a team that defeated A&M earlier this season in College Station.

Missouri, the defending SEC champion, is 13-11 overall and tied with Ole Miss for eighth place with a 4-5 ledger in SEC matches entering a home contest against Arkansas on Friday. The Tigers enter the weekend having lost four of their last five matches, including a 3-1 loss at South Carolina on Sunday.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS:

  • Texas A&M moved up one spot to No. 23 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll following victories against both Georgia and No. 16 Kentucky last week.
  • This marks the seventh consecutive week the Aggies have been in the Top 25, having broken in at No. 21 on Sept. 15 following consecutive wins against No. 6 USC and No. 13 San Diego. This is the first season A&M has appeared in the Top 25 since 2009, and the Aggies' No. 19 showing on Oct. 6 is their highest since a No. 15 ranking on Sept. 12, 2005.
  • A&M is No. 18 in this week's NCAA RPI rankings and No. 46 in the Pablo rankings.
  • Freshman libero Amy Nettles is the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 4.89 digs per set in A&M's wins against Georgia and No. 16 Kentucky. Nettles, who celebrated her 19th birthday on Tuesday, has posted a career high in digs in each of the last three matches, and her 26 digs against Kentucky is the most by an A&M player in a four-set match this season.
  • A&M is 7-4 in home matches, 4-2 in away matches and 3-0 at neutral sites. In SEC matches only, A&M is 4-1 at home and 2-2 in away matches.
  • The Aggies are 3-4 against ranked opponents. Wins were against No. 6 Southern California and No. 13 San Diego on back-to-back days at the USC Classic on Sept. 11-12 in Los Angeles, as well as No. 16 Kentucky in A&M's most recent outing.
  • Four of A&M's six losses this season were against teams ranked in the top 15. The Aggies lost two at home against No. 6 Florida State and also suffered road losses at No. 9 Florida and No. 13 Kentucky. The other two losses were against UTSA and Arkansas at Reed Arena.
  • Texas A&M redshirt sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers leads the SEC with a .424 hitting percentage in conference matches only, and junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is third, hitting .408.
  • Both Babers and Sullivan have posted double-figure kills in each of the last four matches.
  • Sophomore outside hitter Emily Hardesty has tallied double-digit digs in each of the last four matches and leads the team with 11 double-figure dig performances this season.
  • Freshman setter Stephanie Aiple leads A&M with five doubles-doubles, with three of them occurring over the last four matches.
  • Freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor is coming off a career-high and team-leading 15-kill performance in the 3-1 victory against No. 16 Kentucky on Sunday.
  • Freshman defensive specialist Katelyn Labhart, who had appeared in only one set this season prior to A&M's current three-match win streak, has played in each of the last three matches, drawing her first career start in the win against No. 16 Kentucky. She has recorded or tied her career high in digs in each of the last three matches, including back-to-back 13-dig performances against both Georgia and Kentucky.
  • 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. The 1984 Olympic silver medalist is 557-324 overall and 457-218 at A&M, where she has directed the Aggies to 17 NCAA tournaments, including each of the last three years.
  • 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 four 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.
  • 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 a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
  • The 2014 season marks the 40th season of volleyball as an intercollegiate varsity sport at Texas A&M. The Aggies are 943-521-2 all-time.

Texas A&M Recent Results:

  • No. 24 Texas A&M used a balanced offensive attack and solid defensive play in a stunning 25-22, 26-24, 17-25 25-16 victory over 16th-ranked Kentucky Sunday at Reed Arena. The win snapped A&M's seven-match losing skid against the Wildcats.
  • Freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor had a career-high 15 kills to lead a contingent of four Aggies who posted double-figure kills. A&M had five players reach double figures in digs, including freshman Amy Nettles who was the starting libero for the first time in her career and scooped up 26 digs, the most by an A&M player in a four-match set this season. Sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers, who contributed 10 kills without an error, had a match-high seven blocks to lead the Aggies to a 12-6 advantage in blocking, and freshman setter Stephanie Aiple, who set A&M to a .295 to .189 advantage in hitting percentage, had her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, dishing out 50 assists and tallying 11 digs.
  • Katelyn Labhart, a sophomore defensive specialist who drew the first start of her career, had 13 digs for the second consecutive match to tie her career high and help the Aggies to an 82-67 advantage in team digs. Junior outside hitter Angela Lowak added 11 digs to go along with her 14 kills to complete her second double-double of the year, and sophomore outside hitter Emily Hardesty pitched in 14 digs.
  • Junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan finished with 11 kills, marking the fourth consecutive match she has reached double figures in kills.
  • Senior outside hitter Lauren O'Conner led the Wildcats with 19 kills, and libero Jackie Napper led the Kentucky in digs with 20.

A&M SERIES RECORD VS. ALABAMA:

  • Texas A&M leads the all-time series against Alabama, 5-1, including 3-1 in SEC match-ups.
  • The series is tied, 1-1, in matches played in Tuscaloosa, while A&M leads, 3-0, in matches played in College Station and 1-0 at neutral sites.
  • The teams last met on Oct. 10, with No. 19 Texas A&M rallying from a 2-1 set deficit to defeat Alabama, 20-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-20, 15-5, at Reed Arena. It marked the first time  in the series that the match was decided in five sets.
  • The Aggies, who had five of their season-high 10 aces in the decisive fifth set, outhit the Tide, .347 to .191, and led in blocks, 12-6.
  • A&M freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor had a career-high 18.5 points and led a trio of Aggies in double-figure kills with 14, tying her then-career high. Junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan added 13 kills, and senior outside hitter Sydney Wilhelm pitched in 10 kills. Junior outside hitter Angela Lowak and sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers nearly reached double digits, finishing with nine kills each as freshman setter Stephanie Aiple dished out 49 assists
  • Freshman Kat Hutson was a one-man show for the Tide, finishing with 27 kills, the most by an A&M opponent this season, while hitting .365. Brittany Thomas added 12 kills but was held to a .185 hitting efficiency. No other Alabama player had more than six kills. Krystal Rivers had a rare off night, posting five kills with eight errors for a -.158 hitting efficiency.
  • Alabama picked up its only victory in the series the last time the teams met in Tuscaloosa, defeating A&M, 33-31, 25-22, 25-23, on Oct. 18, 2013.
  • The Aggies won the first four meetings of the series dating back to 1993, Laurie Corbelli's first year as head coach at Texas A&M.

A&M SERIES RECORD VS. MISSOURI:

  • Texas A&M leads the all-time series against Missouri, 25-13, including 2-1 in SEC matches only.
  • Missouri leads, 9-8, in matches played in Columbia.
  • Over the last 10 meetings, the overall series is tied, 5-5.
  • In the 16 years as members of the Big 12, A&M led the conference series, 21-11.
  • In the most recent meeting (Oct. 27, 2013), Missouri snapped a three-match losing skid against the Aggies as the 11th-ranked Tigers defeated A&M, 25-17, 29-27, 25-20 in College Station to improve to 9-0 in SEC play and 25-0 overall.
  • Shelby Sullivan led all players and tied her then-career high with 16 kills while hitting a then-career-high .682. Jazzmin Babers joined Sullivan in double-figure kills with a then-career-high 10 while also hitting a then-personal-best .529. Babers led all players with five blocks, and freshman defensive specialist Victoria Arenas led A&M with 13 digs. Missouri, which had entered the weekend with a nation-leading .374 hitting percentage, outhit A&M .347 to .235. The Tigers also led in kills, 59-41, with senior Lisa Henning leading the Tigers with 15.

 SCOUTING ALABAMA:

  • Alabama is riding a two-match win streak after defeating Arkansas, 3-1 (28-30, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20) on Sunday to improve to 18-5 overall and 6-3 in SEC play.
  • Alabama is 7-1 in home matches with its only loss being a 3-2 setback to Ole Miss on Oct. 19.
  • Alabama is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, falling at No. 13 Kentucky, 3-1, on Oct. 3 and losing to No. 19 Texas A&M, 3-2, on Oct. 10 in College Station.
  • Redshirt sophomore Krystal Rivers was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 4.86 kills while hitting .431 in wins against Arkansas and Auburn.
  • Rivers entered the week second in the SEC and 39th in the nation with 4.11 kills per set for the full season while hitting .311. She also ranks third in the conference and 23rd in the country with 4.89 points per set. In addition, she is second in the SEC and 43rd in the nation with 0.36 aces per set.
  • Junior setter Sierra Wilson entered the week leading the SEC and ranked ninth in the nation with 11.53 assists per set.
  • Junior middle blocker Bruna Evangelista who played junior college ball at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, approximately 40 miles from College Station, entered the week ninth in the SEC and 70th in the nation with a .379 hitting efficiency.
  • As a team, Alabama is outhitting its opponents, .265 to .188 for the full season and .255 to .231 in SEC matches only.
  • Alabama entered the week leading the SEC and ranked 19th in the nation with 1.63 aces per set.
  • Alabama was picked to finish fifth in the SEC according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches. Last year, Alabama tied Georgia for fourth place with a 11-7 record. The Tide went 24-10 overall, falling to Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA tournament
  • Ed Allen (Ball State, 1988) is in his fourth season as head coach of the Tide.

SCOUTING MISSOURI:

  • Missouri entered the week 13-11 overall and tied with Ole Miss for eighth place in the SEC with a 4-5 conference record.
  • The Tigers are 5-4 in home matches entering a home match against Arkansas on Friday.
  • Missouri is 0-1 against ranked opponents, falling at No. 8 Florida, 3-0, on Oct. 24.
  • The Tigers have lost their last two matches, equalling their longest losing streak of the season.
  • Most recently, Missouri fell, 3-1, at South Carolina. The Tigers outhit the Gamecocks, .370 to .358, and led in blocking, 12-5, but committed 13 service errors.
  • Sophomore outside hitter Carly Kan, who entered the week fifth in the SEC with 3.48 kills per set, led the Tigers with 16 kills while hitting .424. She leads the SEC with 14 double-doubles for the full season.
  • Senior Whitney Little entered the week ranked 10th in the nation and third in the SEC with a .404 hitting percentage.

 TEXAS A&M: BY THE NUMBERS:

  • A&M is 11-1 when hitting above .200. The Aggies also are 11-1 when winning the first set and 11-1 when winning the second set.
  • A&M is 13-0 when leading in attack percentage, 9-0 when leading in points, 9-0 when leading in kills and 6-0 when leading in aces.
  • Shelby Sullivan has posted double-digit kills in a team-leading 13 matches -- including each of the last four -- and is hitting .390 and averaging 4.04 points per set when recording 10 or more kills in a match.
  • In A&M's six matches vs. top-15 opponents only, Sullivan hit a combined .382 and averaged 2.88 kills, 1.04 blocks and 3.56 points per set.
  • In A&M's SEC season opener against Auburn on Sept. 28, Sullivan hit a career-high .826, setting an A&M SEC record and a Reed Arena record for hitting percentage when making 10 or more attack attempts. She also broke A&M records for kills (20) and points (25.0) in a three-set SEC match in the sweep against the Tigers.
  • Jazzmin Babers leads A&M and ranks fifth in the SEC with 1.14 blocks per set for the full season. 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.
  • Babers has made 51 consecutive starts dating back to the 2013 season opener. Sullivan has played in 51 consecutive matches, having started 50 of them.
  • Outside hitter Sydney Wilhelm, who is in her first season with the team after playing the last two seasons on the A&M club team, has been the only senior to appear in the starting lineup this season, having started five matches.
  • A&M's most recent starting lineup consisted of two juniors (Lowak, OH; Sullivan, MB), three sophomores (Babers, MB; Hardesty, OH; Labhart, DS) and one freshman (Aiple, S). Freshman Amy Nettles was the starting libero for the first time.
  • After starting the first 12 matches of the season at outside hitter, 6-3 sophomore Emily Hardesty spent the next five matches at libero, making her the tallest libero in the SEC. Hardesty returned to the starting outside hitter position against South Carolina and has remained at the outside.
  • Freshman setter Stephanie Aiple has started each of the last 17 matches and is fifth in the SEC with 10.67 assists per set for the full season. The Round Rock, Texas native is sixth in the league with 10.63 assists per set in SEC matches only.
  • Aiple dished out 48 assists against No. 13 Kentucky on Oct. 5, an A&M record for a three-set SEC match.
  • Entering the weekend, Sullivan was 46th in the nation in hitting percentage (.374), and Babers was 49th (.371). Aiple was 61st in the country with 10.67 assists per set, and Babers was 109th in blocks per set with a 1.14 average. As a team, A&M was 52nd in the nation with a .249 hitting percentage.

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.