Match Day Preview: No. 19 Kentucky

The Matchup:	#19 Kentucky (18-8, 11-3) at #25 Texas A&M (19-6, 12-2)
First Serve:	Wednesday, Nov. 18 - 9 p.m. CST
Venue:	Reed Arena (12,989)
Watch:	SEC Network (Maria Taylor, Tiffany Green) \| WatchESPN
Live Stats:	Click Here
Game Notes:	Texas A&M \| Kentucky \| SEC
Promotions:	Dixie Chicken Night (see below)
Tickets:	Click Here

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&M, in sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference, plays host to second-place and revenge-minded Kentucky in a pivotal conference showdown Wednesday night at Reed Arena in College Station. First serve is slated for 9 p.m., and the match will be televised on the SEC Network with Maria Taylor and Tiffany Green calling the action.

The No. 25 Aggies (19-6, 12-2 SEC), who have a one-game lead over both Kentucky and Missouri and a two-game cushion over defending league champion and 14th-ranked Florida in the SEC standings, extended their season-high win streak to a league-best 10 matches and took the outright conference lead on Sunday with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 victory at Mississippi State.

No. 19 Kentucky (18-8, 11-3 SEC), which will be looking to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Aggies on Oct. 30 in Lexington, suffered a 3-2 (25-27, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14) home loss to Missouri on Sunday as the Tigers rallied and overcame a 13-7 deficit in the fifth set to get the win.

Promotions: It will be "Dixie Chicken Night" at Reed, and the first 500 fans receive free Dixie Chicken cups and key tags. The key tags can be used at the Dixie Chicken to purchase a discounted burger basket. In addition, with the late 9 p.m. start, fans are encouraged to wear pajamas to the match. All fans who wear pajamas to the match can receive a free hot chocolate from the concession stand.

A&M IN THE SEC

This marks A&M's fourth season as a member of the SEC. Prior to joining the SEC in 2012, the Aggies were members of the Big 12 Conference from 1996-2011 and were in the Southwest Conference from 1982-95.
A&M's 10-match SEC win streak is its longest conference win streak in school history.
The Aggies are 6-1 in home SEC matches this year. Since suffering its only home loss of the season in the SEC opener to Arkansas on Sept. 27, A&M has won each of its last six home matches in three-set sweeps, having shut out Ole Miss, Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, Missouri and most recently Georgia to mark the most consecutive SEC home wins since joining the league in 2012.
The Aggies are 6-1 in away SEC matches in 2015 with wins at Auburn, South Carolina, No. 20 Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The one loss was at defending SEC champion and then-No. 17 Florida on Oct. 9.
A&M is 51-19 (.729) all-time in SEC matches, including 26-9 (.743) in home SEC matches and 25-10 (.714) in away SEC matches.
Last year, A&M went 13-5 in SEC play, going 7-2 in conference home matches and 6-3 in SEC away matches to tie 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.
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.
Aggie 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-KENTUCKY ALL-TIME SERIES

A&M has won the last two meetings against Kentucky to tie the all-time series at 7-7.
The Aggies hold a 4-3 all-time edge in matches played in College Station, but the teams are 1-1 at Reed Arena since A&M joined the SEC.
Kentucky is 4-2 against A&M in SEC matches only, but A&M has won the last two meetings.
Nine of the last 14 sets between the two teams have been decided by the minimum two points. In matches played at Memorial Coliseum, eight of the last 10 sets have been decided by the minimum two points.
The teams last met Oct. 30, 2015, in Lexington, with A&M notching its first-ever victory against the Wildcats at Memorial Coliseum. A&M fought off two set points in the opening frame and also overcame an 18-9 deficit in the third set and a 23-19 fourth-set deficit to post a thrilling 30-28, 14-25, 25-23, 26-24 victory over then-20th-ranked and SEC leader Kentucky. The Wildcats suffered the loss despite leading in hitting percentage (.230 to .194), kills (65-56), aces (4-1), blocks (13-10) and points (82-67).
Outside hitter Kiara McGee and opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor led the Aggies with 13 kills apiece. Middle blocker Jazzmin Babers added 11 kills and tied middle blocker Shelby Sullivan and setter Stephanie Aiple for the A&M lead in blocks with five. Libero Amy Nettles tied for match-high honors with 19 digs, and Aiple finished with 11 digs and 41 assists.
The Wildcats' Darian Mack led all players with 15 kills, and Kentucky had five players post double-digit kills.
A&M also won the last meeting at Reed Arena, as the 24th-ranked Aggies upset then-No. 16 Kentucky, 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 17-25, 25-16) on Oct. 26, 2014. 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.
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.
A&M won the first five meetings of the series, which began in 1982.
A&M's all-time records/results vs. Kentucky:

Overall: 7-7    H: 4-3    A: 1-4    N: 2-0    SEC: 2-4
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
Oct.   30, 2015    A        W       30-28, 14-25, 25-23, 26-24

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

A&M is 10-1 in home matches, 6-4 in away matches and 2-1 at neutral sites for the full season.
A&M broke back into the AVCA Top 25 Poll on Monday, coming in at No. 25. The Aggies spent one week at No. 25 earlier this season (Sept. 7) but have since been unranked or receiving votes in the weekly poll.
A&M has steadily ascended in the weekly NCAA RPI and is a season-high No. 14 this week. The Aggies were 38th in the first RPI released on Oct. 2 and spent the next two weeks at 32 before being listed 31st, 19th, 16th and now 14th. A&M was No. 22 in the 2014 final RPI.
A&M moved up three spots to No. 12 in this week's PrepVolleyball.com (PVB) College Top 50 Rankings, and the Aggies climbed two spots to No. 19 in PVB's Top 25 Composite Poll.
This is the fifth time since coach Laurie Corbelli was hired in 1993 that the Aggies have won 10 or more consecutive matches in a single season – Corbelli's Aggies won 11 straight matches in 1996 -- and it is the first time in school history the streak has consisted entirely of conference matches.
A&M, which still has to face Kentucky, Florida and Missouri, as well as Arkansas which defeated the Aggies in the SEC opener, is one win away from reaching the 20-victory milestone for the 16th time under Corbelli and the 27th time in program history.
A&M has won each of its last six home matches in three-set sweeps. The last time A&M notched at least six consecutive home sweeps in a single season was 1996 when the Aggies won 10 consecutive 3-0 decisions at home.
In home matches only this season, A&M is outhitting its opponents, 308 to .167, while also leading in kills per set, 14.90 to 11.72, and blocks per set, .309 to 1.85.
At away matches only, A&M is narrowly outhitting its opponents, .266 to .249, and opponents lead in kills per set, 13.55 to 13.52, and blocks per set, 2.33 to 2.16.
A&M is 13th in the nation and second in the SEC with a .277 hitting efficiency.
The Aggies are ranked 30th in the nation and second in the SEC in both kills (14.10) and assists (13.16) per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, A&M leads the conference in assists (13.54) and kills (14.50) per set and is second in hitting percentage (.283).
A&M is last in the league in aces per set (0.88) and 10th in opponent hitting percentage (.212) for the full season.
A&M is the only team in the SEC that has two starters hitting above .400 in SEC matches only: middle blocker Jazzmin Babers (.452) leads the league in hitting efficiency in SEC matches only, and middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (.423) ranks third. For the full season, they are third and fifth, respectively, in the league with Babers hitting .425 and Sullivan hitting .398.
During its 10-match win streak, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .286 to .171, while averaging 14.74 kills per set to opponents' 11.94 kills per set. A&M is also outdigging its opponents 14.03 to 11.06 per set during the 10-match stretch.
A&M is 18-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 16-0 when leading in points, 15-0 when leading in kills, 14-0 when leading in blocks and 8-0 when leading in aces.
A&M is 5-0 in five-set matches.
The Aggies are 18-1 when winning the first set and 1-5 when dropping the first set.
A&M's win at Kentucky on Oct. 30 marked the only time this season the Aggies won despite being outhit (.230 to .194). A&M, 1-6 when being outhit, also won its first match when hitting below .200, improving to 1-2.
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 six 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.
After using 10 different starting lineups over the first 12 matches, A&M has used basically the same starting lineup over the last 13 matches with the only difference being a defensive specialist – either freshman Amy Houser or junior Katelyn Labhart – starting in the back row for sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor. 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 each of the last 13 matches.
A&M is 3-3 against teams in this week's Top 25, including victories against current No. 3 Minnesota, No. 13 Colorado State and No. 19 Kentucky. A&M also has a win against Missouri, which is receiving points and is listed 29th.
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.

TEXAS A&M PLAYER QUICK HITS

Prior to this week, A&M had at least one player receive All-SEC weekly honors for four consecutive weeks, including sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple, who was the SEC Setter of the Week for four consecutive weeks from Oct. 19 to Nov. 9. Aiple earned SEC Player of the Week honors on Nov. 2, and Jazzmin Babers is a two-time SEC Player of the Week (10/5, 11/9) and three time SEC Defensive Player of the Week (9/8, 10/5, 11/9), while Shelby Sullivan has collected both offensive (10/19) and defensive (11/3) honors and Kiara McGee was tabbed Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 26.
Middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award for volleyball. The Senior CLASS Award recipient will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December. 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. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Voting goes through Dec. 7 at http://bit.ly/20MT88z
Jazzmin Babers is ranked 11th in the nation and third in the SEC with a .425 hitting efficiency for the full season. Babers tied the A&M all-time record for season hitting percentage last year after hitting .400 for the full season.
Babers also is ranked 27th in the nation and third in the SEC with 1.36 blocks per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, Babers leads the league with a .452 hitting efficiency. She ranks second in the conference with 1.40 blocks per set, fifth with 4.19 points per set and sixth with 3.42 kills per set in SEC play.
Babers has started every match of her career (86) and is hitting .370 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 19 of 25 matches this season, ranks sixth in the A&M all-time career records with 353 block assists. She ranks eighth in the career records for total blocks with 402.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is ranked 14th in the nation and third in the SEC with 11.43 assists per set for the full season. Aiple, who is averaging 11.91 assists during A&M's 10-match win streak and 12.48 assists per set in home matches only, also is third in the conference with 11.53 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.
Against Missouri, Aiple set an A&M Reed Arena record for assists in a three-set match with 47. Her 47 assists is the most by an A&M player and is the third most assists by an SEC player in a three-set match this season.
Aiple leads A&M with six double-doubles, including three in the last six matches. Junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty has three double-doubles.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is hitting .398 this season and .382 for her career, putting her on pace to shatter the A&M record for career hitting percentage (.342) held by Sherri Brinkman (1983-85).
Amy Nettles is the only player to have appeared in all 92 sets -- all at the libero position -- and Babers is the only player to have started all 25 matches. Meanwhile, sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple (foot), senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (knee) and senior outside hitter Angela Lowak (ankle, knee), all returning starters from last year, 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 2.87 kills and 3.17 points per set for the full season and 3.07 kills per set in SEC matches only, is averaging a team-best 3.48 kills while hitting at a .274 clip in home matches only.
Jazzmin Babers is averaging 4.09 points and 1.62 blocks per set in home matches only.
During A&M's 10-match win streak, sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor is hitting .312 with 2.47 kills and 2.81 points per set. For the season, Reasor is hitting .227 with 2.06 kills and 2.45 points per set.
Sophomore libero Amy Nettles has led or tied for the team lead in digs in all but two matches this season. She is averaging a team-high 3.73 digs per set for the full season, ranking ninth in the SEC. She is first on the team and 10th in the league with 3.62 digs per set in conference matches only.
In home matches only, Nettles is averaging 4.15 digs per set.
Nettles has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 21 matches, including a career-high 10 consecutive double-digit dig performances entering the Kentucky match.
Nettles 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.
The athletic and versatile Kaitlyn Blake has started seven matches as either an opposite hitter or middle blocker and also has subbed in as an outside hitter. The freshman has appeared in 19 matches overall and is hitting .251 and averaging 1.91 kills and 0.68 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 8.39 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.
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.

SCOUTING KENTUCKY

Kentucky is 18-8 overall and tied with Missouri for second in the SEC with an 11-3 mark after a heartbreaking 3-2 home loss to the Tigers on Sunday, snapping a three-match win streak.
Kentucky is No. 15 in this week's NCAA RPI, one spot behind Texas A&M, and the Wildcats are No. 19 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll.
The Wildcats are 7-0 in away SEC matches and 9-1 in all away matches.
Sophomore 6-4 middle blocker Kaz Brown is fourth in the nation and second in the SEC with 1.59 blocks per set for the full season.
As a team, UK leads the SEC and is 20th in the nation with 2.74 blocks per set.
Sophomore libero Ashley Dusek, who hails from East Bernard, Texas, approximately 75 miles from College Station, leads the SEC with 5.10 digs per set in conference matches only and a 5.01 average for the full season.
Kentucky was picked to finish third in the SEC according to a preseason vote of the conference coaches.

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M won its 10th consecutive match with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville. The Aggies improved to 12-0 in the all-time series against the Rebels.
Jazzmin Babers paced the Aggies with 10 kills while hitting .692 and also posting a match-high seven blocks. Ashlie Reasor and Shelby Sullivan added nine kills apiece while hitting .692 and .500, respectively. Stephanie Aiple directed the offense, dishing out 33 assists as A&M outhit the Bulldogs, .344 to .172, and Aggie libero Amy Nettles led all players with 10 digs.

UPCOMING

A&M concludes its regular season home slate against defending champion Florida, Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m.
The Florida match also will be the Aggies' "Senior Day", and Angela Lowak and Shelby Sullivan will be honored following the match.
A&M closes out the regular season at Missouri and Arkansas next week.

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 and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.

VOTE here for Texas A&M's Shelby Sullivan for the Senior CLASS Award

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Stephanie Aiple

Jazzmin Babers

Kaitlyn Blake

Emily Hardesty

Amy Houser

Katelyn Labhart

Angela Lowak

Kiara McGee

Amy Nettles

Ashlie Reasor

Kaysie Shebeneck

Shelby Sullivan

Footer

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at LSU on Oct. 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Ole Miss on Oct. 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Texas on Oct. 31, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Tennessee on Nov. 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Auburn on Nov. 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM