Volleyball Hits Road to Face Defending Champ Florida, South Carolina

Friday, October 9

Gainesville, Fla.

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

Florida

Oct 08, 2015 | Volleyball

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M (9-5, 1-1 SEC) vs. No. 17 Florida (9-4, 1-3 SEC)
Friday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET)
Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
SEC Network +

Texas A&M-Florida All-Time Series Record: Florida leads, 10-0
A&M Home: UF leads 4-0 | Away: UF leads 5-0 | Neutral: UF leads 1-0 | SEC: UF leads 4-0
Last Meeting: UF won, 3-0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-17), Oct. 12, 2014, O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Streak: UF won 10

Texas A&M vs. South Carolina
Sunday, Oct. 11, 12 p.m. (1 p.m. ET)
Carolina Volleyball Center, Columbia, S.C.
SEC Network

Texas A&M-South Carolina All-Time Series Record: A&M leads 6-1
A&M Home: A&M leads 3-0 | Away: A&M leads 3-1| Neutral: 0-0| SEC: A&M leads 4-1
Last Meeting: A&M won, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-13), Oct. 19, 2014, Carolina Volleyball Center, Columbia, S.C.
Streak: A&M won 2

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The Texas A&M volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of Southeastern Conference matches. On Friday, the Aggies take on defending Southeastern Conference Champion and preseason favorite Florida in Gainesville, Fla. The match, which showcases the top two middle blockers in the league in A&M's Jazzmin Babers and Florida's Rhamat Alhassan and also marks Laurie Corbelli's 700th match as head coach of the Aggies, begins at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT) at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and will be streamed on SEC Network +.

The match against the Gamecocks begins at 1 p.m. (12 p.m. CT) at the Carolina Volleyball Center in Columbia, S.C., and will be televised by the SEC Network with Jenny Hazelwood and Melissa Lee calling the action.

Texas A&M is riding a two-match win streak and improved to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in SEC matches after sweeping both Auburn and Ole Miss last week at Reed Arena in College Station. Babers is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and SEC Defensive Player of the Week after hitting .568 and averaging 2.50 blocks, 5.25 points and 4.0 kills per set in the wins against the Tigers and Rebels.

The 17th-ranked Gators are mired in a rare three-match losing skid, suffering a 3-1 setback to No. 24 Kentucky on Sept. 27 and then dropping back-to-back five-set matches at Missouri and Arkansas.

South Carolina has lost its last five matches to fall to 7-10 overall and 0-4 in conference matches only. The Gamecocks will try to snap the skid on Friday as they welcome Auburn before hosting the Aggies on Sunday.

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 41-18 all-time in SEC matches -- 21-9 in home SEC matches and 20-9 in away SEC matches.
A&M is 1-0 in SEC road matches this season, having swept Auburn at Auburn Arena on Sept. 30. The Aggies are 1-1 in home SEC matches in 2015.
Last year A&M went 4-5 in SEC away matches and 7-2 in conference home 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.

A&M-FLORIDA ALL-TIME SERIES

Florida is 10-0 against the Aggies since the all-time series began in 1988.
In matches played in Gainesville, the Gators are 5-0 against A&M and have won the last four meetings in Gainesville in three-set sweeps.
Florida is 4-0 against A&M in SEC matches only, earning sweeps in the two meetings in Gainesville but holding off the Aggies in five sets in both meetings in College Station.
The teams met once last season with No. 9 Florida defeating 19th-ranked Texas A&M, 25-12, 25-23, 25-17. A&M hit a season-low .119, while Florida hit .395, the season-high by an A&M opponent in 2014. Jazzmin Babers led A&M with eight kills and four blocks. Alex Holston led the Gators with 13 kills while hitting .545.
A&M all-time records/results vs. Florida:

H: 0-4    A: 0-5    N: 0-1    SEC: 0-4
Oct. 28, 1988      A       L         17-15, 9-15, 3-15, 6-15
Sept. 7, 1989        H       L         15-10, 13-15, 12-15, 8-15
Sept. 25, 1992      A       L         7-15, 8-15, 3-15
Sept. 19, 1993      H       L         6-15, 15-12, 7-15, 8-15
Dec. 7, 1995        A       L         4-15, 13-15, 4-15
Sept. 9, 2005        N       L         28-30, 30-19, 24-30, 26-30
Oct. 21, 2012       H       L         25-14, 27-25, 23-25, 23-25, 6-15
Oct. 4, 2013         A       L         9-25, 23-25, 17-25
Nov. 3, 2013        H       L         26-24, 23-25, 8-25, 26-24, 14-16
Oct. 12, 2014       A       L         12-25, 23-25, 17-25

A&M-SOUTH CAROLINA ALL-TIME SERIES

A&M leads the all-time series, 6-1, and has won the last two meetings.
In the only meeting last year, A&M came back to defeat South Carolina, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-13, in Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina's only victory in the series was Oct. 6, 2013, in Columbia as the Gamecocks upset A&M, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23.
A&M is 3-1 in matches played in Columbia.
A&M all-time records/results vs. South Carolina:

H: 3-0    A: 3-1    N: 0-0    SEC: 4-1
Oct. 10, 1993       A       W       15-7, 15-8, 15-7
Dec. 3, 1995        H       W       15-6, 17-15, 15-12
Oct. 5, 2012         H       W       25-12, 25-16, 25-16
Oct. 28, 2012       A       W       25-19, 25-16, 25-23
Oct. 6, 2013         A       L         23-25, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25
Nov. 27, 2013      H       W       25-22, 25-6, 25-18
Oct. 19, 2014       A       W       25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-13

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee had 12 kills and junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers added 10 kills and seven blocks to lead the Aggies to a 25-13, 25-20, 25-13 victory over Ole Miss on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Reed Arena in College Station.
A&M hit .288 and posted 11 blocks -- a season high for a three-set match -- while holding Ole Miss to a .064 efficiency and four blocks.
Aggie sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple dished out 33 assists in the win, while sophomore libero Amy Nettles headed up the Aggies' backrow passing and defense, posting a team-high 12 digs. In addition, sophomore defensive specialist Gabby Litwin pitched in a career-high nine digs and had two of the Aggies' five aces.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

The Florida match marks Laurie Corbelli's 700th match as head coach of the Aggies. Corbelli is 473-226 in her 23rd season at A&M and 573-332 in the 30th year of her head coaching career.
The Aggies are 1-2 against teams ranked in the Top 25 when the match was played. A&M defeated No. 15 Colorado State, 3-2, on Sept. 15 in College Station and fell at No. 2 Stanford, 3-0, in the season opener and at No. 18 Florida State, 3-1, on Sept. 19 in Tallahassee.
A&M is 2-3 in away matches this season.
A&M leads the SEC in hitting percentage (.299), kills per set (14.20) and blocks per set (3.10) in SEC matches only.
For the full season, A&M is ranked 16th in the nation and third in the SEC in hitting percentage (.272).
A&M is last in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.224) and aces per set (0.96) for the full season.
A&M is 9-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 8-0 when leading in blocks, 7-0 when leading in points and 6-0 when leading in kills.
The Aggies are 0-4 when dropping the first set and 9-1 when winning the first set.
A&M is 3-0 in five-set matches.
A&M is 38th in the NCAA's first released RPI of the year. Last year A&M finished 22nd.
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.
Ten of A&M's matches are against teams ranked in the top 25 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll: No. 7 Stanford, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 17 Florida State and No. 21 Colorado State, as well as two matches each against No. 17 Florida, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 22 Arkansas.

TEXAS A&M PLAYER QUICK HITS

A&M has used 11 different starting lineups over 14 matches. Redshirt junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers and sophomore libero Amy Nettles are the only two players to have appeared in all 14 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 due to injuries.
Middle blocker Jazzmin Babers has started every match of her career (75) and is hitting .361 for her career.
Babers leads the SEC with a .490 hitting efficiency and 2.00 blocks per set in conference matches only. For the full season, she ranks third in the league with a .412 hitting percentage and 1.45 blocks per set, ranking 24th and 15th, respectively in the national statistics.
Babers has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 13 of 14 matches this season.
Babers, who has posted double-figure blocks twice this season, ranks seventh in the A&M all-time career records with 311 block assists. She also ranks 10th in the career records for total blocks with 355. While Babers needs 82 block assists to climb into fifth, she needs only 12 total blocks to move into ninth place for career total blocks.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is ranked 2nd in the SEC and 27th in the nation with 11.12 assists per set. 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 .381 this season and .379 for her career, putting her on pace to shatter the A&M career record for hitting percentage (.342) held by Sherri Brinkman (1983-85).
Outside hitter Angela Lowak is out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury (dislocated patella) at Florida State on Sept. 19. The senior co-captain had 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.
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee has stepped up in the matches following Lowak's knee injury, hitting .340 and averaging 3.15 kills and 3.58 points per set over the last four matches. For the season, McGee is hitting .215 with 2.80 kills and 3.17 points per set.
Sophomore libero Amy Nettles has led or tied for the team lead in digs in every match this season. She is averaging a team-high 3.85 digs per set for the full season, ranking seventh in the SEC.
Nettles, who has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 11 matches, is the only A&M player to have played in all 54 sets this season. She also 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 versatile freshman Kaitlyn Blake has started seven matches as either an opposite hitter or middle blocker. She is hitting .268 and averaging 2.08 kills and 0.84 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.
Freshman 6-7 outside hitter/middle blocker Montse Castro has returned to the team after spending two weeks competing for Mexico at the Women's U20 World Championship in Puerto Rico. 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 Friday, Sept. 25, celebrating one of the most revered and symbolic traditions at Texas A&M. The tradition began with the Class of 1889.

SCOUTING FLORIDA

The Gators, 9-4 overall and 1-3 in SEC matches only, are mired in a three-match losing skid and have dropped from No. 9 to No. 17 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll.
Florida, picked to repeat as the SEC champion this year according to a preseason vote of the league coaches, went 18-0 in SEC play in 2014 to win its 21st SEC regular-season title since joining the league in 1984.
Entering this season, Florida had not suffered three consecutive losses since 1990, and the last time the Gators suffered three consecutive SEC matches was 1989.
The only years Florida lost more than three conference matches in an entire SEC season were 2009 and 1990, when they lost four conference matches, and 1989 and 1984, when they lost five league matches. The 1989 and 1984 seasons also marked the only years the Gators lost three consecutive SEC matches until this season.
Florida leads the SEC with a .296 hitting percentage and 13.86 kill and 3.07 blocks per set.
Middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, the 2014 SEC Freshman of the Year and an AVCA second-team All American, leads the nation with 2.02 blocks per set. She leads the SEC and is seventh in the country with a .439 hitting efficiency.
Junior right side Alex Holston, the 2014 SEC Player of the Year, leads the Gators with 3.12 kills per set.
Mary Wise (Purdue, 1981) is 751-92 in her 25th season as head coach of the Gators.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina is 7-10 overall and 0-4 in SEC matches entering a match against Auburn on Friday in Columbia.
Junior Dessaa Legros leads the Gamecocks and is fifth in the SEC with 3.46 kills per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, freshman setter Aubrey Ezell leads the league with 0.73 aces per set.
Most recently, South Carolina lost, 3-2 (25-23, 13-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-13) at Mississippi State on Oct. 4. Senior Sarah Blomgren came off the bench and posted 20 kills while hitting .545.

UPCOMING

The Aggies return home Friday, Oct. 16 to host Alabama. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. The match, which marks the start of a three-match home stand, will be the Aggies' "Dig Pink" match. Go to the volleyball page on 12thMan.com to learn more about joining the Aggies as they help raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

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.