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Texas A&M Set for Midweek Match at ArkansasTexas A&M Set for Midweek Match at Arkansas
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Texas A&M Set for Midweek Match at Arkansas

Texas A&M will attempt to avenge a home loss to Arkansas earlier this season as the Aggies face a rematch against the Razorbacks Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. The match will be televised on the SEC Network.

Complete Match Notes

Texas A&M at Arkansas
Wednesday, November 19, 6 p.m.
Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
SEC Network

Texas A&M-Arkansas All-Time Series Record: A&M leads 3-1 (3-1 SEC)
At Barnhill Arena: A&M leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Arkansas won, 3-1 (20-25, 25-12, 25-21, 27-25), Oct. 15, 2014, Reed Arena, College Station, Texas

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M aims to extend its win streak to three and also avenge a home loss suffered against Arkansas earlier this season as the Aggies face a rematch against the Razorbacks Wednesday in Fayetteville, Ark. First serve is at 6 p.m. at Barnhill Arena, and the match will be televised on the SEC Network with Adam Amin and Missy Whittemore calling the action.

The Aggies are 17-8 overall and in fifth place in the SEC standings with a 9-5 mark in league play. A&M, which had a bye last week, enters the match at Arkansas riding a two-match win streak, having swept last-place Tennessee on Sunday at Reed Arena in College Station in the Aggies' last outing.

Arkansas (14-13, 8-6 SEC) is one game behind the Aggies and in sixth place in the SEC standings. The Razorbacks are riding a three-match win streak, equaling their longest win streak of the season and tying for the second longest current win streak in the SEC. Most recently, Arkansas defeated South Carolina, 3-2 (25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 20-25, 15-11) on Sunday in Fayetteville to improve to 9-5 in home matches.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS:

  • After reaching a season-high No. 15 in last week's NCAA RPI, A&M dropped to No. 19 this week following a win against Tennessee (8-21, 1-14 SEC) in the Aggies' only match last week.
  • The average RPI of A&M's last four opponents of the regular season is 119.75. With a No. 70 rating, Arkansas has the highest RPI among A&M's remaining opponents, while Mississippi State is the lowest at No. 229. Others are Ole Miss (75) and Missouri (105).
  • Three of A&M's last four regular season matches will be played on the road. The Aggies play at Arkansas on Wednesday, close out their home schedule on Sunday against Missouri and then conclude the regular season at Mississippi State and at Ole Miss on Nov. 26 and 28, respectively.
  • A&M is 5-3 in away matches, including 3-3 in away SEC matches.
  • With a 9-5 conference ledger and four matches remaining, A&M needs one victory to equal its total number of SEC wins last year. In 2012, A&M's first year in the SEC, the Aggies went 16-4 and won the SEC Western Division.
  • As a team, A&M is third in the SEC with a .269 hitting percentage in conference matches.
  • Texas A&M redshirt sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers leads the SEC with a .444 hitting percentage in conference matches only. She also is ninth in blocks (0.96 and 11th in both points (3.46) and kills (2.91) per set in SEC matches.
  • Junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan ranks seventh in the SEC with a .395 hitting percentage in league play. She also is 10th in both blocks (0.96) and points (3.56) and 16th in kills (2.85) per set in SEC matches only
  • Four A&M players are averaging more than 2.0 kills per set. Junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan leads the Aggies and is 12th in the SEC with 2.90 kills per set for the full season. Babers is averaging 2.58 kills per set, and junior outside hitter Angela Lowak and freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor are averaging 2.52 and 2.15 kills per set, respectively.
  • A&M is 9-0 when an outside hitter -- Lowak, Reasor or sophomore Emily Hardesty -- leads the team outright in kills and 12-0 when an outside hitter leads or ties a middle blocker for the team high in kills.
  • Sullivan has led or tied for the team high in kills in a team-best 10 matches. She has posted double-figure kills in a team-leading 16 matches, including in seven of the last nine matches. She is hitting .399 and averaging 3.20 kills and 3.92 points when posting 10 or more kills in a match.
  • Babers, who has led the team in kills in six matches, has posted double-digit kills in eight of the last nine matches and in 12 matches overall. She is hitting .457 and averaging 3.04 kills and 3.65 points per set when posting 10 or more kills.
  • Setter Stephanie Aiple leads all freshmen setters in the SEC and ranks fifth in the league with a 10.72 assist average for the full season.
  • Aiple directs an A&M offense that ranks fourth in the SEC and 35th in the nation with a .256 hitting percentage for the full season.
  • In SEC matches only, A&M is third in the conference with a .269 hitting percentage and also is third in opponent hitting percentage (.211).
  • Since Oct. 24 when Amy Nettles moved to the libero position for the final four sets against Georgia, the freshman is averaging 4.30 digs per set over the last seven matches, posting three 20-plus dig during that span. Prior to the Georgia match, Nettles was averaging 1.63 digs per set for the full season and 1.75 digs per set in SEC play, having seen action in only 12 sets in four SEC matches leading up to the Georgia match.
  • Nettles, the SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27, now leads the Aggies and is ninth in the league with 3.57 digs per set in conference matches only. She is 20th in the SEC with 2.76 digs per set for the full season.
  • Freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor, the only lefty on the team, led the Aggies with 10 kills in the sweep against Tennessee and has posted double-figure kills in five of the last seven matches. She is hitting .238 and averaging 2.15 kills and 2.53 points per set for the full season.
  • Outside hitter Emily Hardesty leads A&M with 14 double-figure dig performances this season. The sophomore, who has three double-doubles, is 15th in the SEC with 2.80 digs per set in conference matches only. She is averaging 2.83 digs per set for the full season.
  • 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 on Oct. 26.
  • Four of A&M's losses this season were against teams ranked in the top 15 when the match was played. The Aggies lost two at home against No. 6 Florida State and also suffered road losses at No. 9 Florida and No. 13 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 560-326 overall and 460-220 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 949-523-2 all-time.

A&M SERIES RECORD VS. ARKANSAS:

  • A&M leads the all-time series, 3-1, including 1-0 in matches played at Barnhill Arena, where the Aggies have not played since Oct. 12, 2012, when A&M defeated the Razorbacks, 3-2, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
  • In all four meetings, the team that won the first set lost the match.
  • The Aggies won the first three meetings, and Arkansas picked up its first win in the series with a 20-25, 25-12, 25-21, 27-25  decision on Oct. 15 in College Station.
  • In the most recent meeting, Arkansas took advantage of Texas A&M's offensive woes and defeated the 20th-ranked Aggies, 20-25, 25-12, 25-21, 27-25, at Reed Arena. It was Arkansas' first win against a ranked opponent since 2012.
  • A&M, which entered the match 9-0 when winning the first set, was outhit .265 to .178 in the match. Jazzmin Babers led A&M with 12 kills, and Shelby Sullivan added 11. Senior outside hitter Sydney Wilhelm took match-high honors in digs with a career high 17, and Emily Hardesty also posted double-figure digs with 12. Aggie setter Stephanie Aiple, who dished out 38 assists, tied Babers and Sullivan for the team lead in blocks with three.
  • Arkansas' Meredith Hays, who entered the match as the SEC leader in both kills and points per set, led all players with 23 kills and 23.5 points as Arkansas bettered A&M in kills, 62-48.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS:

  • Arkansas, 14-13 overall and 8-6 in SEC matches, is in sixth place in the SEC standings, only one game behind the Aggies.
  • The Razorbacks have won their last three matches. It is the third time Arkansas has put together three consecutive victories, and a win against A&M will mark the Razorbacks' longest win streak of the season.
  • In each of its last two outings, against Georgia (Nov. 9) and South Carolina (Nov. 14), Arkansas won the first two sets but had to hold on to win in five sets. The Razorbacks are 4-6 in five-set matches for the full season and 3-2 in SEC five-set matches.
  • Against South Carolina, the Razorbacks got a career-high 19 kills from Liz Fortado as Arkansas led the Gamecocks in kills, 70-49. Chanell Clark Bibbs had a match-high seven blocks, and libero Monica Bollinger had 20 digs.
  • Outside hitter Meredith Hays, the lone senior on the team, leads the SEC and is 24th in the nation with 4.35 kills per set. She is second in the SEC and 35th in the country with 4.78 points per set. She also leads Arkansas with 10 double-doubles, including six in SEC matches.
  • Arkansas associate head coach Carol Price-Torok is Texas A&M Class of '04. She played middle blocker and right side for Aggie coach Laurie Corbelli from 2000-03. A&M reached at least the NCAA second round every year during Price-Torok's career, reaching the regional finals in 2001 and the regional semifinals in 2003. Price-Torok also lettered in basketball in 2003-04, Gary Blair's first year as head coach of the A&M women's basketball team.
  • Robert Pulliza (Ball State, 1996) is in his seventh season as head coach of the Razorbacks. Earlier this season, he celebrated his 100th career victory in the 3-2 win against Georgia on Oct. 12.

TEXAS A&M: BY THE NUMBERS:

  • A&M is 14-2 when hitting above .200. The Aggies also are 12-3 when winning the first set and 14-1 when winning the second set.
  • A&M is 16-1 when leading in attack percentage, 11-0 when leading in points, 11-0 when leading in kills and 7-1 when leading in aces.
  • In A&M's SEC season opener against Auburn on Sept. 28, junior middle blocker Shelby 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.
  • In A&M's seven matches vs. top-16 opponents only, Sullivan hit a combined .382 and averaged 2.88 kills, 1.04 blocks and 3.56 points per set.
  • Jazzmin Babers leads A&M and ranks fifth in the SEC with 1.13 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 56 consecutive starts dating back to the 2013 season opener. Sullivan has played in 56 consecutive matches, having started 55 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; Shebeneck, S) and one freshman (Reasor, OPP). Freshman Amy Nettles was the starting libero for the sixth consecutive match.
  • 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, who had made 21 consecutive starts before getting a well-deserved rest during the Tennessee match on Sunday, dished out 48 assists against No. 13 Kentucky on Oct. 5, an A&M record for a three-set SEC match.
  • Entering the week, Babers was 21st in the nation in hitting percentage (.396) and Sullivan was 41st (.374). Aiple was 56th in the country with 10.72 assists per set. As a team, A&M was 35th in the nation with a .254 hitting percentage.
  • Texas A&M Recent Results:
  • Texas A&M closed out a three-match home stand with a 25-21, 25-14, 25-23 victory against Tennessee, Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena.
  • A&M sophomore setter Kaysie Shebeneck directed the Aggie offense to a .312 hitting percentage with 38 assists. She also pitched in on defense, tying her career high and tying for match-high honors with six blocks as A&M held the Lady Vols to a .164 hitting efficiency.
  • A&M freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor led all players with 10 kills while hitting .381, and sophomore outside hitter Emily Hardesty and sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers added nine kills apiece for the Aggies.
  • Babers tied Shebeneck with six blocks and led all players with 12.5 points. Freshman libero Amy Nettles had a match-high 14 digs, and Hardesty and junior outside hitter Angela Lowak added 13 and 11 digs, respectively.

UPCOMING:

  • Texas A&M closes out its regular-season home schedule on Sunday as the Aggies play host to 2013 SEC champion Missouri. First serve is at 3 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
  • Sunday will be “Senior Day”, and A&M's lone senior, Sydney Wilhelm, will be honored following the match against the Tigers.
  • Earlier this season, the Aggies defeated Missouri, 3-1 (17-25, 25-13, 25-13, 25-16), on Nov. 2 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
  • Shelby Sullivan led the charge against the Tigers with a match-high 13 kills without an error in 17 swings for a .765 hitting percentage. Jazzmin Babers added 11 kills while hitting at a .474 pace and Ashlie Reasor also reached double figures in kills with 11. Setter Stephanie Aiple finished with 48 assists as A&M outhit the Tigers, .348 to .154.

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.