Match Day Preview: No. 14 Florida

Complete Match Notes (PDF) | Tickets
 
No. 25 Texas A&M Concludes Home Slate, Hosts No. 14 Florida on Senior Day
 
No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies (20-6 13-2 SEC) vs. No. 14 Florida Gators (21-5, 13-4 SEC)
Sunday, Nov. 22, 1 p.m.
Reed Arena, College Station Texas
SEC Network
 

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- No. 25 Texas A&M, riding an 11-match win streak and holding a one-game lead atop the Southeastern Conference standings, closes out its regular season home schedule Sunday at 1 p.m. at Reed Arena with a crucial match against 14th-ranked and defending SEC champion Florida. The Gators are the last team to defeat A&M before the Aggies went on their record-setting win steak. The match will be nationally televised on the SEC Network with Cara Capuano and Jenny Hazelwood calling the action.
 
It will be Senior Day with Aggie seniors Angela Lowak and Shelby Sullivan making their final scheduled appearance in the maroon and white at Reed Arena. The two will be honored immediately following the match. It also will be Fan Appreciation Day, and the first 250 fans to the match will receive a free 12th Man towel. Fans also will have chances to win gift cards to Rudy's, Jason's Deli, Dairy Queen and Whataburger and more.
 
Texas A&M (20-6, 13-2 SEC), which will be playing its second consecutive Top 25 opponent, extended its conference-leading win streak to 11 and also recorded its seventh straight 3-0 home victory with a 25-23, 25-29, 26-24 win over 19th-ranked Kentucky on Wednesday to retain its lead in the SEC standings. With three matches remaining for A&M, the Aggies enter the Florida match with a one-game lead over Missouri, who the Aggies play Wednesday in Columbia, Mo., and Florida, which is closing out its SEC season Sunday against the Aggies. A&M also holds a two-game lead over Kentucky.
 
No. 14 Florida (13-4, 21-5 SEC) has won three consecutive matches all in three-set sweeps, including a 25-22, 25-20, 25-13 win at injury-ridden LSU on Friday.
 
A&M CONFERENCE NOTES

• 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.
• Texas A&M is aiming for its first-ever conference title. The Aggies have a combined 12 second-place finishes in the three leagues but have never won a championship.
• 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 behind 19-1 Florida. That was the last year division champions were crowned.
• A&M's current 11-match conference win streak is its longest conference win streak in school history.
• The Aggies are 7-1 in home SEC matches in 2015 with the one loss coming against Arkansas in the SEC season opener on Sept. 27.
• 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.
• 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-FLORIDA ALL-TIME SERIES

• Florida is 11-0 against the Aggies since the all-time series began in 1988.
• Florida is the only team in the SEC that A&M has never defeated, and Florida also is the only SEC team in which the Aggies have a losing record in the all-time series.
• The Gators are 4-0 all-time in College Station, although each of the last two meetings at Reed Arena have been decided in five sets.
• In matches played in Gainesville, the Gators are 6-0 against A&M and have won the last five meetings in Gainesville in three-set sweeps.
• Florida is 5-0 against A&M in SEC matches only, earning sweeps in the three meetings in Gainesville but holding off the Aggies in five sets in both meetings in College Station.
• In the most recent meeting (Oct. 9, 2015, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.), the defending SEC champion and preseason-favored Gators entered the match determined to end their first three-match losing streak since 1990 and hit a blistering .517 in the match, an all-time record high by an A&M opponent. Sophomore 6-4 middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan led the Gators with a career-high 18 kills while hitting .810. Junior right-side hitter Alex Holston, the 2014 SEC Player of the Year, added 12 kills and hit at a .524 clip. Junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers led Texas A&M with 13 kills while hitting .588.
• The teams last met at Reed Arena on Nov. 3, 2013. A&M's upset bid against No. 5 Florida came up short as the Gators narrowly escaped with a hard-fought 24-26, 25-23, 25-8, 24-26, 16-14 victory. It was the Gators' first five-setter of the season. Florida persevered behind All-American senior middle blocker Chloe Mann's match-leading and then career-high 22 kills, as well as the effective serving of junior libero Taylor Unroe, whose sixth ace of the match clipped the top of the net and fell in untouched to close out the Gators' victory. Sophomore outside hitter Angela Lowak led A&M with 18 kills while hitting .406, and sophomore middle blocker Shelby Sullivan hit .387 with 15 kills.
• A&M all-time records/results vs. Florida:

Overall:  0-11    H:  0-4   A:  0-6    N:  0-1    SEC:  0-5
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
Oct.    9,  2015     A       L    25-9, 25-23, 25-18
 
TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

• A&M is 11-1 at home, including 7-1 in home SEC matches only, and enters the Florida match having won seven consecutive home matches.
• A&M also has won 21 consecutive sets at home, as all seven wins during the home streak were three-set sweeps.
• The last time A&M notched at least seven consecutive home sweeps in a single season was 1996 when the Aggies won 10 consecutive 3-0 decisions at since-razed G. Rollie White Coliseum.
• Since suffering its only home loss of the 2015 season in the SEC opener to Arkansas on Sept. 27, A&M has posted three-set sweeps against Ole Miss, Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, Missouri, Georgia and most recently No. 19 Kentucky to mark the most consecutive SEC home wins since joining the league in 2012.
• This is the first time in school history an 11-match win streak has consisted entirely of conference matches. The previous record for consecutive conference matches won was nine (Nov. 5, 1998 to Sept. 22, 1999) when A&M was a member of the Big 12 Conference.
• This is the second time since coach Laurie Corbelli was hired in 1993 that the Aggies have won 11 consecutive matches in a single season – Corbelli's Aggies won 11 straight matches in 1996.
• With the victory against Kentucky on Wednesday, A&M reached the 20-victory milestone for the 16th time under Corbelli and the 27th time in program history.
• 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.
• In home matches only this season, A&M is outhitting its opponents, 298 to .164, while also leading in kills per set, 14.74 to 11.88, and blocks per set, 3.13 to 1.90.
• In the seven-match home winning streak only, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .311 to .132 and leads in kills per set, 15.14 to 11.38, assists, 14.00 to 10.43, aces, 1.10 to 0.86, digs, 15.24 to 12.00, and blocks, 3.00 to 2.05.
• 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 15th in the nation and second in the SEC with a .273 hitting efficiency.
• The Aggies are ranked 31st in the nation and second in the SEC in assists per set (13.15) and are 33rd in the nation and second in the SEC in kills per set (14.05) for the full season.
• In SEC matches only, A&M leads the conference in assists per set (13.49) and is second in hitting percentage (.280) and kills per set (14.50).
• A&M is last in the league in aces per set (0.86) and ninth in opponent hitting percentage (.209) 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 (.448) leads the league in hitting efficiency in SEC matches only, and middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (.417) ranks fourth. For the full season, they are second and fifth, respectively, in the league with Babers hitting .423 and Sullivan hitting .395.
• During its 11-match win streak, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .277 to .167, while averaging 14.58 kills per set to opponents' 12.11 kills per set. A&M is also outdigging its opponents 14.37 to 11.55 per set during the 11-match stretch.
• A&M is 19-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 16-0 when leading in points, 15-0 when leading in kills and/or blocks and 8-0 when leading in aces.
• A&M is 5-0 in five-set matches.
• The Aggies are 19-1 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 is 1-6 when being outhit.
• 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 14 matches with the only differences being a defensive specialist – either freshman Amy Houser or junior Katelyn Labhart – starting in the back row for sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor, or most recently, sophomore defensive specialist Gabby Litwin starting in the back row for sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee. Setter Stephanie Aiple, outside hitter Emily Hardesty and middle blockers Jazzmin Babers and Shelby Sullivan have all been in the starting lineup in each of the last 14 matches.
• A&M is 4-3 against teams in this week's AVCA Top 25, including two victories against current No. 19 Kentucky, as well as single wins against No. 3 Minnesota and No. 13 Colorado State. 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. 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 second in the SEC with a .423 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 24th in the nation and third in the SEC with 1.37 blocks per set for the full season.
• In SEC matches only, Babers leads the league with a .448 hitting efficiency. She ranks second in the conference with 1.41 blocks per set, fifth with 4.15 points per set and eighth with 3.37 kills per set in SEC play.
• Babers is averaging 4.05 points and 1.62 blocks per set in home matches only.
• Babers has started every match of her career (87) and is hitting .372 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 26 matches this season, ranks sixth in the A&M all-time career records with 358 block assists. She ranks eighth in the career records for total blocks with 407.
• Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is ranked 15th in the nation and third in the SEC with 11.40 assists per set for the full season. Aiple, who is averaging 11.81 assists during A&M's 11-match win streak and 12.32 assists per set in home matches only, also is third in the conference with 11.48 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.
• Aiple leads A&M with six double-doubles, including three in the last seven matches. Junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty has three double-doubles.
• Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is hitting .395 this season and .383 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 95 sets -- all at the libero position -- and Babers is the only player to have started all 26 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 3.18 points per set for the full season and 3.04 kills per set in SEC matches only, is averaging a team-best 3.41 kills while hitting at a .261 clip in home matches only. She is hitting .191 for the full season, including .202 in SEC matches only.
• During A&M's 11-match win streak, sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor is hitting .300 with 2.51 kills and 2.86 points per set. For the season, Reasor is hitting .227 with 2.09 kills and 2.49 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 3.76 digs per set for the full season, ranking ninth in the SEC. She is first on the team and 10th in the league with 3.69 digs per set in conference matches only.
• In home matches only, Nettles is averaging 4.19 digs per set.
• Nettles has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 22 matches, including a career-high 11 consecutive double-digit dig performances entering the Florida 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.
• Redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Gabby Litwin, a transfer from Mississippi State, made her first career start as an Aggie against Kentucky on Wednesday and posted a career-high 13 digs in the sweep.
• 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 has returned to practice 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.

 
SCOUTING FLORIDA

• Florida is 21-5 overall and 13-4 in SEC play after winning its third consecutive match by sweeping LSU, 25-22, 25-20, 25-13, Friday in Baton Rouge, La.
• The Gators entered the weekend leading the nation with a .324 hitting percentage.
• Florida leads the SEC in hitting percentage (.323) and opponent hitting percentage (.160), as well as in assists (13.25), kills (14.47) and blocks (2.78) per set for the full season.
• In SEC matches only, the Gators lead the league in hitting efficiency (.320), opponent hitting percentage (.158) and kills (14.46) per set.
• Four of Florida's five losses this season have been at away matches, including its most recent loss, a 25-22, 16-25, 24-26, 25-21, 18-16 setback at Auburn on Nov. 8.
• Junior right-side hitter Alex Holston is the reigning SEC Player of the Week, and senior Mackenzie Dagostino is the reigning SEC Setter of the Week.
• Sophomore 6-4 middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan entered the weekend ranked third in the nation in blocks per set (1.62) and ninth in hitting percentage (.433). She had seven blocks at LSU as the Gators outblocked the Tigers, 14-3.

 
TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

• Texas A&M extended its win streak to 11 and stayed atop the SEC standings following a clutch 25-23, 25-19, 26-24 victory over No. 19 Kentucky late Wednesday night at Reed Arena.
• A&M overcame a six-point deficit in the opening set to stun the Wildcats, who appeared to have the momentum after building an 18-12 lead. Despite being outhit .158 to .105 in the frame, the Aggies came back to take the set as Aggie opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor recorded back-to-back kills to complete the comeback win.
• The Wildcats held an 8-6 advantage in the second stanza before A&M took the lead for good at 9-8 following a Reasor kill. A&M outhit Kentucky .211 to .043 to pull away.
• Kentucky held a 19-16 lead in the third set, but A&M went on a 4-0 run to take its first lead since 1-0. The teams were tied at 23 when Kiara McGee put A&M at match point with a kill. Kentucky fought off one set point before McGee put down a kill and Kentucky hit long.
• Reasor led all players with nine kills, and McGee and Jazzmin Babers finished with eight kills piece. Defensively, Shelby Sullivan had six blocks and Babers added five to lead A&M to an 11-8 advantage in team blocks. Libero Amy Nettles posted a team-high 14 digs, and Gabby Litwin, who made her first career start, finished with a career-high 13 digs. Stephanie Aiple finished with 32 assists.

 
UPCOMING

• A&M closes out the regular season at Missouri and Arkansas on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
• First serve against the Tigers is at 6:30 p.m. at Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo., and the match against Arkansas, which defeated A&M at Reed Arena in the SEC opener on Sept. 27, begins at 1:30 p.m. at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville. Both matches will be broadcast on SEC Network +.
• Regardless of what happens in all the other remaining matches, an A&M win against Missouri would clinch at least a share of the SEC title for the Aggies, who defeated Missouri, 3-0, at Reed Arena in College Station on Nov. 4.
• The 64-team NCAA Championship bracket will be announced Sunday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

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