Texas A&M Returns to the Road to Face No. 20 Kentucky, Tennessee

Friday, October 30

Lexington, Ky.

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

Kentucky

Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics

Oct 29, 2015 | Volleyball

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M Aggies (13-7, 6-2 SEC) vs. No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (15-6, 8-1 SEC)
Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Ky.
SEC Network

Texas A&M Aggies vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. CT)
Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.
SEC Network +

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&M, which has won each of its last four matches to equal its longest win streak of the season, hits the road this weekend to take on No. 20 Kentucky and Tennessee. The match against the league-leading Wildcats begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network. The match against the Volunteers is Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. CT) at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., with live streaming of the match available on SEC Network +.

The Aggies (13-6, 6-2 SEC), which entered this week tied with Missouri for second place in the SEC standings, are coming off an undefeated three-match homestand in which A&M swept Alabama, Mississippi State and LSU. A&M has not played since two-time reigning SEC Setter of the Week Stephanie Aiple and SEC Offensive Player of the Week Kiara McGee led the Aggies to a 25-19, 25-22, 25-18 victory over LSU on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Reed Arena, marking the first time A&M had won a home match against the Tigers since joining the SEC in 2012.

Kentucky is 15-6 overall, including 8-1 in league play after sweeping both Alabama and Ole Miss on the road last weekend.

Tennessee (19-6, 5-5 SEC), which has already won four more SEC matches than it did in the entire 2014 season, is in sixth place in the SEC entering a Friday home match against LSU. Most recently, the Volunteers overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Mississippi State, 17-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-7, in Starkville, Miss.

A&M IN THE SEC

This marks A&M's fourth season as a member of the SEC.
Last year, A&M went 13-5 in SEC play, tying Alabama for fourth place.
A&M's best SEC finish was in 2012, its inaugural season in the conference. The Aggies went 16-4, winning the SEC Western Division and placing second overall.
A&M is 45-19 (.703) all-time in SEC matches -- 24-9 (.727) in home SEC matches and 21-10 (.677) in away SEC matches.
The Aggies are 2-1 in away SEC matches in 2015. A&M swept Auburn (Sept. 30), fell 3-0 at No. 17 Florida on Oct. 9, and defeated South Carolina, 3-2, on Oct. 10.
The Aggies are 4-1 in home SEC matches this year. Since suffering its only home loss of the season in the SEC opener to Arkansas, A&M has won its last four home matches all in three-set sweeps, having defeated Ole Miss, Alabama, Mississippi State and LSU.
Last year A&M went 7-2 in conference home matches and 6-3 in SEC away matches.
The Aggies are picked to finish fourth in the SEC in 2015 according to a preseason vote of the league's head coaches. Florida, the 2014 SEC champion after posting a perfect 18-0 record in conference play, is picked to defend its title.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan was named to the nine-member Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team for the second consecutive year. She was an All-SEC Team selection at the conclusion of each of the last two seasons and she was the 2014 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

A&M is 8-1 in home matches and 3-4 in away matches.
A&M entered the week 10th in the nation and second in the SEC with a .281 hitting efficiency.
In SEC matches only, A&M leads the conference in hitting percentage (.308) and assists (13.37) and kills (14.37) per set.
A&M is last in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.226) and aces per set (0.99) for the full season.
The Aggies hit .429 in the sweep against Alabama on Oct. 16 and .410 in the 3-0 win against Mississippi State on Oct. 18, marking the first time since the first two matches of the 2009 season that hit above .400 in back-to-back matches. A&M, which hit above .400 only once in 2014, has hit above .400 five times overall this season, including a season-high .500 at Florida A&M, marking the third highest hitting percentage in school history. A&M hit .481 at Auburn and .470 against Wichita State, which also rank in the top 10 in program history.
A&M is 13-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 11-0 when leading in blocks, 11-0 when leading in points and 10-0 when leading in kills.
The Aggies are 12-1 when winning the first set and 1-5 when dropping the first set.
A&M is 4-0 in five-set matches.
A&M climbed one spot to No. 31 in this week's NCAA RPI. A&M was No. 38 in the first two weeks the RPI was released and was No. 32 last week. Last year A&M finished 22nd.
After using 10 different starting lineups over the first 13 matches, A&M has used basically the same starting lineup over the last seven matches with the only difference being whether opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor starts in the front row or freshman defensive specialist Amy Houser starts in place of Reasor in the back row. Setter Stephanie Aiple, outside hitters Emily Hardesty and Kiara McGee and middle blockers Jazzmin Babers and Shelby Sullivan have all been in the starting lineup in the last seven matches.
A&M's season schedule includes 10 matches against teams that reached at least the second round of the NCAA Championship tournament and were ranked in the top 25 or received votes in the final 2014 AVCA Division I Coaches Poll.
Eight of A&M's matches are against teams ranked in the top 25 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll: No. 4 Minnesota, No. 7 Stanford, No. 15 Florida State and No. 18 Colorado State, as well as two matches each against No. 12 Florida and No. 20 Kentucky. A&M has an additional two matches against Missouri, which is receiving votes. The Aggies are currently 2-3 against teams that are in this week's Top 25.

TEXAS A&M PLAYER QUICK HITS

Sophomore Stephanie Aiple repeated as SEC Setter of the Week and sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday after leading the Aggies to a 3-0 sweep against LSU in A&M's only match of last week. Aiple had 40 assists for a 13.33 per set average against the Tigers. Her 40 assists is the second most by an A&M player in a three-set match this season. McGee averaged 5.33 points per set while taking match-high honors with 13 kills. Her .476 hitting percentage is a career high when posting 10 or more kills. McGee also had three blocks -- including one solo -- to finish with 16.0 points.
Redshirt junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers entered the week leading the SEC and ranked sixth in the nation with a .435 hitting percentage for the full season. Babers also is third in the SEC and 29th nationally with 1.34 blocks per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, Babers, who was the SEC Player of the Week on Oct. 5 and is a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week, leads the league with a .500 hitting efficiency in conference matches only. She is third in the conference with 1.37 blocks per set in SEC play.
Babers has started every match of her career (80) and is hitting .371 for her career.
Babers, who has posted double-figure blocks twice this season and has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 15 of 19 matches this season, ranks seventh in the A&M all-time career records with 326 block assists. She also ranks ninth in the career records for total blocks with 372 and needs 19 more total blocks to move into eighth place, surpassing Margaret Spence, who had 390 total blocks from 1983-86.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is second in the SEC and 16th in the nation with 11.36 assists per set for the full season. Aiple also is second in the conference with 11.46 assists per set in league play.
After missing two matches with a foot injury suffered against No. 15 Colorado State on Sept. 15, Aiple returned to the court in the second set against Arkansas on Sept. 27. Aiple returned to the starting lineup in the sweep against Auburn on Sept. 30, directing the Aggie offense to a .481 hitting percentage, the fifth highest team hitting percentage in program history and setting an A&M record for highest hitting percentage in a three-set SEC match.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is hitting .374 this season and .378 for her career, putting her on pace to shatter the A&M career record for hitting percentage (.342) held by Sherri Brinkman (1983-85).
Amy Nettles is the only player to have appeared in all 71 sets -- all at the libero position -- and Babers is the only player to have started all 19 matches. Meanwhile, sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple (foot), senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (knee) and senior outside hitter Angela Lowak (ankle, knee) all have missed multiple starts at some point in the season due to injuries.
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee, who is second on the team among active players with 2.71 kills and 3.06 points per set for the full season and 2.84 kills per set in SEC matches only, is averaging a team-best 3.42 kills while hitting at a .275 clip in home matches only.
Jazzmin Babers is averaging 1.58 blocks per set in home matches only.
During A&M's four-match win streak, sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor is hitting .387 with 3.00 kills and 3.39 points per set. For the season, Reasor is hitting .217 with 2.04 kills and 2.47 points per set.
Sophomore libero Amy Nettles has led or tied for the team lead in digs in all but two matches this season and has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 15 matches. She is averaging a team-high 3.69 digs per set for the full season, ranking 10th in the SEC. In home matches only, Nettles is averaging 4.12 digs per set.
Nettles, who celebrated her 20th birthday on Wednesday, Oct. 28, is the only player to reach 20 or more digs in a match this season, posting a season-high and tying her career high with 27 in the 3-2 win against No. 15 Colorado State and notching 20 digs in a 3-1 win against Milwaukee.
Junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty and sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple lead A&M in double-doubles with three apiece.
The athletics and versatile Kaitlyn Blake has started seven matches as either an opposite hitter or middle blocker. The freshman has appeared in 15 matches overall and is hitting .261 and averaging 2.00 kills and 0.76 blocks per set for the season.
Junior setter Kaysie Shebeneck made her first three starts of the season at No. 18 Florida State, at Florida A&M and at home against Arkansas after Aiple suffered a foot injury in the second set against Colorado State. Shebeneck, who led the Aggies to a 3-2 victory against the Rams, is averaging 8.88 assists per set and directed the Aggie offense to a .500 hitting percentage against Florida A&M, marking the third highest hitting percentage in program history. Shebeneck started four matches at setter last season. As a freshman, she started five at the opposite hitter position.
Outside hitter Angela Lowak is out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury (dislocated patella) at Florida State on Sept. 19. The senior co-captain posted double-figure kills in four consecutive matches leading up to the FSU match, and she was leading the team with 3.22 kills per set before suffering the injury.
Freshman 6-7 outside hitter/middle blocker Montse Castro spent two weeks competing for Mexico at the Women's U20 World Championship in Puerto Rico in September. Castro, believed to be the tallest player in the history of the A&M program, has yet to appear in a match.
Four players -- Jazzmin Babers, Katelyn Labhart, Angela Lowak and Shelby Sullivan -- each received their Aggie Ring on Sept. 25, celebrating one of the most revered and symbolic traditions at Texas A&M. The tradition began with the Class of 1889.

A&M-KENTUCKY ALL-TIME SERIES

Kentucky leads the all-time series against Texas A&M, 7-6, including 4-1 in SEC matches only.
Texas A&M won the most recent meeting, as the 24th-ranked Aggies upset then-No. 16 Kentucky, 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 17-25, 25-16) on Oct. 26, 2014, at Reed Arena in College Station. It was A&M's first-ever SEC win against the Wildcats, who entered the match riding an overall seven-match win streak against the Aggies.
The Wildcats are 4-0 against A&M in matches played in Lexington, including sweeps in all three meetings as SEC foes.
Five of the last six sets played at Memorial Coliseum between A&M and Kentucky have been decided by the minimum two points.
A&M won the first five meetings of the series, which began in 1982.
In the first-ever meeting as SEC foes, Kentucky defeated the Aggies, 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 15-12) on Sept. 23, 2012. It was A&M's first conference loss in SEC history after opening its inaugural season in the league, 2-0, in conference matches.
In the most recent meeting (Oct. 26, 2014), No. 24 Texas A&M used a balanced offensive attack and solid defensive play with freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor posting a then-career-high 15 kills to lead a contingent of four Aggies with double-figure kills. A&M had five players reach double figures in digs, including then-freshman libero Amy Nettles who had 26 digs, the most by an A&M player in a four-set match in 2014. Then-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 then-freshman setter Stephanie Aiple, who set A&M to a .295 to .189 advantage in hitting efficiency, had her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, dishing out 50 assists and tallying 11 digs. Senior outside hitter Lauren O'Conner led the Wildcats with 19 kills, and libero Jackie Napper led Kentucky in digs with 20.
A&M and Kentucky will meet again on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at Reed Arena in College Station. The match is currently slated to begin at 9 p.m. and will be televised by the SEC Network.
A&M's all-time records/results vs. Kentucky:

Overall: 6-7 H: 4-3 A: 0-4 N: 2-0 SEC: 1-4

Oct. 9, 1982    N       W        15-9, 16-14
Oct. 29, 1982   H        W       4-15, 13-15, 15-2, 15-11, 15-12
Oct. 30, 1982   H        W       15-9, 10-15, 16-14, 10-15, 15-11
Sept. 14, 1985   N       W        15-9, 15-6, 15-7
Oct. 4, 1985    H       W        15-10, 8-15, 15-5, 15-10
Oct. 31, 1986   A        L         15-11, 8-15, 12-15, 8-15
Oct. 15, 1988   H        L         4-15, 16-18, 12-15
Dec. 2,   2011   H         L        18-25, 21-25, 19-25
Sept. 23, 2012   H         L        23-25, 26-24, 18-25, 25-20, 12-15
Oct. 14, 2012   A         L        11-25, 22-25, 19-25
Nov. 22, 2013   A         L        24-26, 23-25, 24-26
Oct. 5,   2014 A         L        20-25, 26-28, 28-30
Oct. 26, 2014   H       W        25-22, 26-24, 17-25, 25-16

SCOUTING KENTUCKY

Kentucky is 15-6 overall and atop the SEC standings with an 8-1 record.
The Wildcats have won 11 of their last 12 matches and are riding a two-match win streak after sweeping both Alabama and Ole Miss on the road last weekend.
Kentucky is No. 10 in this week's NCAA RPI, and the Wildcats climbed one spot to No. 20 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll.
The Wildcats are 7-2 at Memorial Coliseum. The only two losses were against Ohio, 3-1, on Sept. 1, and to No. 17 Florida, 3-1, on Oct. 18 as the Gators avenged a 3-1 loss to Kentucky in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 27.
Sophomore 6-4 middle blocker Kaz Brown is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and also earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after averaging 3.0 blocks per set in sweeps at Alabama and Ole Miss.
Brown leads the SEC with 1.78 blocks per set in conference matches only. She entered the week ranked second in the league and eighth in the nation with 1.57 blocks per set in all matches.
Kentucky entered the weekend leading the SEC and ranked 14th in the nation with 14.27 kills per set. The Wildcats also were leading the league and were 29th in the country with 13.04 assists per set.
Sophomore libero Ashley Dusek leads the SEC with 5.19 digs per set in conference matches only and a 5.03 average for the full season.
Kentucky was picked to finish third in the SEC according to a preseason vote of the conference coaches.

A&M-TENNESSEE ALL-TIME SERIES

The all-time series between Texas A&M and Tennessee is tied at 6-6, including 3-3 in matches played in Knoxville.
The Aggies have won the last four meetings, including three consecutive sweeps, to lead 4-1 in SEC matches only.
In the most recent meeting (Nov. 16, 2014), A&M defeated the Volunteers, 25-21, 25-14, 25-23 at Reed Arena. Setter Kaysie Shebeneck, who drew the starting nod while Stephanie Aiple rested after making 21 consecutive starts, directed the Aggie offense to a .312 hitting percentage with 38 assists. Opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor led all players with 10 kills while hitting .381, and outside hitter Emily Hardesty and middle blocker Jazzmin Babers added nine kills apiece for the Aggies. Babers tied Shebeneck with six blocks as A&M held the Lady Vols to a .164 hitting efficiency. Libero Amy Nettles had a match-high 14 digs, and Hardesty and outside hitter Angela Lowak added 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Kanisha Jimenez and Ashley Mariani led the Lady Vols with eight kills each, and Jimenez also took team-high honors in digs with 12.
A&M's records/results vs. Tennessee:

Overall: 6-6 H: 2-2 A: 3-3 N: 0-1 SEC: 3-1

Nov. 12-13,    1982       A       L       8-15, 15-12, 16-14, 6-15, 8-15
Oct. 7,         1983       H       L       1-15, 13-15, 7-15
Oct. 14,        1983       N       L       12-15, 10-15, 14-16
Nov. 2,         1985       A       W      15-6, 15-6, 15-5
Oct. 31,        1987       A       L       14-16, 13-15, 9-15
Oct. 29,        1994       H       W      15-0, 15-4, 15-10
Dec. 4,         2004       A       L       21-30, 30-24, 23-30, 30-32
Oct. 19,        2012       H       L       21-25, 19-25, 21-25
Nov. 21,        2012       A       W      15-25, 25-22, 25-20, 27-29, 15-9
Nov. 15,        2013       H       W      25-17, 25-14, 25-10
Oct. 23,        2014       A       W      25-14, 25-21, 25-15
Nov. 16,        2014       H       W      25-21, 25-14, 25-23

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

Tennessee enters a Friday home contest against LSU 19-6 overall — including 8-1 in home matches — and in sixth place in the SEC standings with a 5-5 mark.
The Volunteers, who were picked to finish last in the SEC according to a preseason vote of the league's head coaches, have already more than doubled their total number of wins last season when they went 8-24 overall and finished last in the SEC with a 1-17 record.
In its most recent outing, Tennessee overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Mississippi State, 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-7) in Starkville, Miss. Raina Hembry led the Vols with 13 kills while hitting .500. Libero Bridgette Villano had a team-high 25 digs, and Erica Treiber tied for match-high honors with seven blocks as Tennessee outhit the Bulldogs, .212 to .137.
Tennessee has four players averaging more than two kills per set, including Jimenez, who leads the Vols with 2.99 kills per set.
Erica Treiber, a 6-1 freshman middle hitter, ranks ninth in the SEC with a .345 hitting efficiency and is seventh in the league with 1.12 blocks per set for the full season.

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M won its fourth consecutive match and closed out a three-match homestand with its third consecutive sweep, defeating LSU, 25-19, 25-22, 25-18, Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Reed Arena.
Aggie sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee paced A&M with a match-high 13 kills, her season high for a three-set match. Junior redshirt middle blocker Jazzmin Babers added 12 kills, and senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan pitched in 10 kills while hitting .529. Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple dished out 40 assists as the Aggies led LSU, 45-31, in kills and outhit the Tigers, .376 to .103.
A&M also outblocked the Tigers, 11-7, with Babers tallying eight blocks, tying the team season high for a three-set match. Sophomore libero Amy Nettles tied for match-high honors in digs with 11, as A&M outdug the Tigers, 46-39.
Gina Tillis led the Tigers with 8 kills.

UPCOMING

The Aggies return to Reed Arena for a two-match homestand, hosting Missouri on Wed., Nov. 4 and Georgia on Sun., Nov. 8.

SULLIVAN SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE

Texas A&M middle blocker Shelby Sullivan has been selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award for volleyball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
From Richardson, Texas, Sullivan is one of 30 candidates representing NCAA Division I volleyball student-athletes who were selected based on their notable achievements in four areas: competition, classroom, character and community.
In the classroom, the 2014 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for volleyball sports a 3.841 cumulative grade-point average as a student in Texas A&M's highly regarded Mays Business School five-year Professional Program in which she is simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in finance.

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