COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M volleyball annual awards were presented at the team's end-of-the-season celebration dinner, held this evening at the Kay and Jerry S. Cox Diamond Club at Blue Bell Park.
Shelby Sullivan, a junior middle blocker from Richardson, Texas, took home top honors, receiving the team's MVP award after leading the Aggies to a 21-9 record in 2014 and a fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers (Bowling Green, Ohio) and freshman setter Stephanie Aiple (Round Rock, Texas) shared the team's Best Offensive Player award, and freshman libero Amy Nettles (San Antonio) received the Best Defensive Player award.
In addition, sophomore Katelyn Labhart (Whitesboro, Texas) was the recipient of the Most Improved Player award, and sophomore setter Kaysie Shebeneck (Racine, Wis.) was presented the Most Inspirational Player award.
Head coach Laurie Corbelli also presented junior outside hitter and co-captain Angela Lowak (New Braunfels, Texas) the newly created Aggie Excellence award, recognizing the player who best represents Texas A&M's core values of respect, integrity, leadership, excellence, loyalty and selfless service.
Sullivan collected numerous awards throughout the season, including AVCA Honorable Mention All-America and All-South Region Team accolades. The SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year also was named All-SEC for the second consecutive year.
Sullivan broke several school records in 2014, including kills (20) and points (25) in a three-set SEC match in A&M's SEC season opener against Auburn. She also hit .826 against the Tigers, setting an A&M SEC record and a Reed Arena record for hitting percentage when making 10 or more attack attempts. In addition, Sullivan set an A&M record with 12 solo blocks in SEC matches only.
The team co-captain played in every match, starting 29 of 30, and posted double-figure kills in a team-leading 19 matches. Sullivan led the Aggies in kills (2.84) and points (3.57) per set for the full season, ranking in the top 11 in the SEC in both categories. She also ranked in the top eight in the SEC and was second on the team in both hitting percentage (.374) and blocks (1.01) per set.
Aiple, the most decorated freshman in Texas A&M volleyball history, directed an A&M offense that ranked 22nd in the nation in hitting percentage (.263) and set a school record with a .283 conference hitting percentage. She became the first Aggie freshman to earn AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors and is the second player in school history to be named AVCA Region Freshman of the Year. A member of the SEC All-Freshman team and a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week, Aiple also became the first A&M player to be named the ESPNW national player of the week, receiving the honor after leading A&M to back-to-back wins against No. 6 USC and No. 13 San Diego.
Aiple, who averaged 10.76 assists per set, led A&M with seven double-doubles and broke the A&M record for assists in a three-set SEC match with 48 against Kentucky. Her 48 assists were the most by an SEC player in a three-set match in 2014.
Babers, an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, All-South Region and All-SEC honoree, led the Aggies and tied the all-time school record for hitting percentage in a season, hitting .400 to match the record set by former Aggie two-time All-American Sherri Brinkman in 1984. Babers, the only player to appear in the starting lineup in all 30 matches, averaged 2.63 kills and 3.30 points per set for the full season, posting double-digit kills in 16 matches, including in 12 of the final 14 matches. Defensively, Babers led A&M with 1.20 blocks per set and set an A&M-record with 13 block assists against UTSA.
Although Nettles didn't become the team's starting libero until the 20th match of the season, her contributions to the Aggies' defense were such that she ended the season as the team leader in digs per set for both the full season and in SEC matches only. Nettles had made four starts at defensive specialist early in the season and made her first appearance as libero in the third set against Florida State on Sept. 20. She would continue to periodically make appearances in the back row until a breakthrough performance after being moved to the libero position for the last four sets of the Aggies' five-set victory over Georgia. Contributing 18 digs along with pinpoint passing in the Aggies' crucial come-from-behind victory against the Bulldogs, the rookie secured her spot as A&M's libero for the remainder of the season. The San Antonio Churchill product made her first start as libero in the ensuing match and responded with 26 digs in the Aggies' nationally televised 3-1 victory over No. 16 Kentucky. It marked the most digs by an A&M player in a four-set match in 2014. Nettles finished the weekend averaging 4.88 digs per set in the two wins to garner SEC Defensive Player of the Week laurels.
Nettles tallied four 20-plus dig performances over the last 11 matches of the season, including a career-high 27 digs at Alabama. For the season, she posted double-figure digs 12 times over the last 13 matches of the season. Nettles, who ranked 13th in the SEC with 3.03 digs for the full season and eighth in the league with 3.75 digs per set in conference matches only, led or tied for the team lead in digs in 10 matches overall, second most on the team.
Labhart developed into a mainstay in the Aggie lineup over the last 13 matches of the season. The defensive specialist, who appeared in 14 matches overall, made her first career start in the 3-1 victory over No. 16 Kentucky and responded with a career-high 13 digs. She would play in every match and all but one set for the remainder of the season. Labhart tallied 10-plus digs in four consecutive matches, taking match-high honors in digs with 12 in the 3-1 win at Missouri on Nov. 2. In addition to her defensive play, Labhart led A&M with 0.21 aces per set for the full season and 0.19 aces per set in conference matches only.
As voted by the players and coaches, Shebeneck was presented the prestigious inspirational award for her unwavering spirited passion for her teammates, Aggie volleyball and Texas A&M. Shebeneck's positive attitude, determination and work ethic were always obvious during practices and matches, as well as in the weight room and in the classroom.
Lowak, a co-captain, starter and academic honor student, was recognized for her overall selfless service and leadership, as well as her dedication to athletics and academics. In addition to being named MVP at the Texas A&M Invitational, Lowak earned several honors throughout the season recognizing her efforts and accomplishments off the court. She was named to the SEC Community Service Team for the second consecutive year, and she also was named the National Consortium for Academics and Sports' November NCAS PlayMaker of the Month, recognizing those who exemplify the NCAS motto of “Changing Lives Through the Power of Sport” through academic achievement and community service. Furthermore, Lowak was a semifinalist for the prestigious Coach Wooden Citizen Cup award.
The banquet concluded with the showing of the season highlight film, produced by Chad Terrell and 12th Man Productions, along with some closing remarks by Corbelli.
The following is the complete list of the 2014 Texas A&M volleyball team awards:
MVP: Shelby Sullivan
Co-Best Offensive Players: Stephanie Aiple and Jazzmin Babers
Best Defensive Player: Amy Nettles
Most Improved Player: Katelyn Labhart
Most Inspirational Player: Kaysie Shebeneck
Aggie Excellence: Angela Lowak
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