SEC Championship implications on the line as No. 19 Texas A&M takes on Missouri

The Matchup:	#19 Texas A&M (21-6, 14-2) at Missouri (25-4, 13-3)
First Serve:	Wednesday, Nov. 25 - 6:30 p.m. CST
Venue:	Hearnes Center (13,611)
Watch:	SEC Network + (Ben Arnet, Alexis Steinbach) \| WatchESPN
Live Stats:	Click Here
Game Notes:	Texas A&M \| Missouri \| SEC

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- SEC championship implications are on the line for both teams when No. 19 Texas A&M battles Missouri on Wednesday in Columbia, Mo. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center, where the Tigers are 10-0 this season, and the match can be seen on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.com.

Led by reigning Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week Jazzmin Babers and SEC Setter of the Week Stephanie Aiple, Texas A&M will clinch its first-ever conference championship with a win against Missouri, which is only one match behind the Aggies. The Tigers, who won the SEC title in 2013, are in a must-win situation against A&M in order to stay in the hunt for at least a share of the championship title with one match remaining for each team following Wednesday's showdown.

Texas A&M (21-6, 14-2 SEC) remained atop the SEC standings and extended its winning streak to 12 matches after knocking off back-to-back Top 25 opponents last week. The Aggies recorded their seventh straight 3-0 home victory with a 25-23, 25-19, 26-24 win over 19th-ranked Kentucky on Wednesday and then came back from a 2-0 deficit against defending SEC champion and 14th-ranked Florida to defeat the Gators, 20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-11, on Senior Day, Sunday at Reed Arena.

Missouri (25-4, 13-3 SEC) is riding a five-match win streak after going on the road and defeating Arkansas, 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-19) and Ole Miss, 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-12) last week. The Tigers, who have not lost a match since getting swept at Texas A&M on Nov. 4, must defeat the Aggies and defeat South Carolina on Friday to clinch at least a share of the championship title.

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 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 12-match conference win streak is its longest conference win streak in school history. 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.
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 were 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-MISSOURI ALL-TIME SERIES

Texas A&M has won the last three meetings and owns a 28-13 lead against Missouri in the all-time series which began in 1981.
The series is tied at 9-9 in matches played in Columbia.
Missouri's most recent victory was a 25-17, 29-27, 25-20 win at Reed in 2013, the year the Tigers won the SEC with a perfect 18-0 record and finished 35-1 overall.
A&M holds a 4-2 edge in match-ups as SEC foes.
In the 16 years as members of the Big 12 Conference, A&M led the conference series, 21-11, although Missouri closed out Big 12 play with three consecutive wins against the Aggies.
A&M has won six of the last seven meetings, including an intense and crucial 27-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory in the most recent meeting on Nov. 4 at Reed Arena in College Station.
In the most recent match-up, neither team held more than a three-point lead throughout, and every set was determined by the minimum two points. A&M's Jazzmin Babers hit a blistering .591 with a match-high 16 kills and Kiara McGee and Shelby Sullivan added 14 and 11 kills, respectively, with Sullivan hitting at a .429 clip. Setter Stephanie Aiple dished out 47 assists, an A&M record for a three-set match at Reed Arena, and also pitched in 10 digs to notch her then team-leading fifth double-double of the season. Libero Amy Nettles led all players with 14 digs to pace the Aggies to a 52-34 lead in team digs.
Kira Larson had a team-high 13 kills for Missouri, which entered the match tied with A&M for second place in the SEC and was aiming to join Kentucky atop the league standings.
A&M led in kills (53-39), hitting efficiency (.252 to .214), assists (51-36), aces (4-2), digs (52-34) and points (63-55).
Missouri led in blocks (14-6), marking the most blocks against the Aggies in a 3-set match this season and tying for the second most blocks by an A&M opponent in all matches this season.
A&M's records/last 10 results vs. Missouri:

Overall: 28-13   H: 17-3   A: 9-9   N: 2-1   SEC: 4-2
Oct. 13,   2010     H        L       23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-11, 9-15
Nov. 13, 2010     A        L       17-25, 23-25, 14-25
Sept. 24, 2011     A        L       25-23, 23-25, 24-26, 23-25
Nov. 12, 2011     H        W      25-17, 25-22, 25-20
Sept. 28, 2012     A        W      25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17
Nov. 16, 2012     H        W      25-20, 18-25, 25-15, 25-15
Oct. 27,   2013     H        L       17-25, 27-29, 20-25
Nov. 2,    2014     A        W      17-25, 25-13, 25-13, 25-16
Nov. 23, 2014     H        W      25-15, 25-17, 25-12
Nov. 4,    2015     H        W      27-25, 25-23, 25-23

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

A&M is 7-4 in away matches for the full season, including 6-1 in away SEC matches. The one SEC road setback was a 3-0 loss at then-No. 17 Florida on Oct. 9.
The Aggies are 12-1 in home matches in 2015 with the one loss coming against Arkansas in the SEC season opener on Sept. 27.
A&M won each of its last eight home matches, including seven consecutive 3-0 sweeps to begin the streak.
This is the first time since coach Laurie Corbelli was hired in 1993 that the Aggies have won 12 consecutive matches in a single season. A&M's previous longest win streak under Corbelli was 11 in 1996.
The last time A&M won 12 consecutive matches was in 1984 under coach Terry Condon, and the last time the Aggies won more than 12 straight was 1982 when they had a school-record 20-match win streak.
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 catapulted six spots to No. 19 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll. It is the Aggies' highest showing since appearing at No. 19 for one week in 2014.
The last time A&M was ranked higher than No. 19 in the AVCA poll was Sept. 12, 2005, when the Aggies were No. 15.
A&M has steadily ascended in the weekly NCAA RPI and is a season-high No. 10 this week. The Aggies were 38th in the first RPI of the season, released on Oct. 2. A&M was No. 22 in the 2014 final RPI.
A&M moved up one spot to No. 11 in this week's PrepVolleyball.com (PVB) College Top 50 Rankings, and the Aggies climbed three spots to No. 16 in PVB's Top 25 Composite Poll.
In home matches only this season, A&M is outhitting its opponents, 291 to .172, while also leading in kills per set, 14.51 to 12.00, and blocks per set, 3.12 to 2.00.
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 16th in the nation and second in the SEC with a .271 hitting efficiency.
The Aggies are ranked 36th in the nation and second in the SEC in assists per set (13.07) and are 38th in the nation and second in the SEC in kills per set (13.98) for the full season.
In SEC matches only, A&M leads the conference in assists per set (13.32) and is second in hitting percentage (.276) and kills per set (14.23).
A&M is last in the league in aces per set (0.87) and ninth in opponent hitting percentage (.211) 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 (.443) leads the league in hitting efficiency in SEC matches only, and middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (.408) ranks fourth. For the full season, they are third and fourth, respectively, in the league with Babers hitting .422 and Sullivan hitting .390.
During its 12-match win streak, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .271 to .176, while averaging 14.35 kills per set to opponents' 12.21 kills per set. A&M also is outdigging its opponents 14.12 to 11.56 per set and outblocking its opponents, 2.67 to 2.42 during the 12-match stretch.
A&M is 19-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 16-0 when leading in points and/or blocks, 15-0 when leading in kills and 8-0 when leading in aces.
A&M defeated Kentucky (Oct. 30) and Florida (Nov. 22) despite being outhit in both matches. Kentucky outhit A&M, .230 to .194, and the Gators outhit A&M, .255 to .230. A&M is 2-6 when being outhit.
A&M is 6-0 in five-set matches.
The Aggies are 19-1 when winning the first set and 2-5 when dropping the first set.
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 15 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 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 15 matches.
A&M is 5-3 against teams in this week's AVCA Top 25, including two victories against current No. 19 Kentucky, as well as single wins against No. 4 Minnesota, No. 12 Colorado State and No. 17 Florida. A&M also has a win against Missouri, which is receiving points and is listed 26th.
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

Redshirt junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers was named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week on Tuesday. It marks the third time in program history an Aggie has won the award and the first time since Christi Hahn received the accolade Nov. 21, 2005.
Babers, sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple, who on Monday was named the SEC Setter of the Week for a fifth time this season, senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan and sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee have received a combined 16 SEC weekly honor citations this season.
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 12th in the nation and second in the SEC with a .422 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 19th in the nation and third in the SEC with 1.40 blocks per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, Babers leads the league with a .443 hitting efficiency. She ranks second in the conference with 1.46 blocks per set, sixth with 4.17 points per set and ninth with 3.38 kills per set in SEC play.
Babers has started every match of her career (88) and is hitting .373 for her career.
Babers, who has posted double-figure blocks three times this season including 10 in the 3-2 victory against Florida, has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 20 of 27 matches this season. She ranks sixth in the A&M all-time career records with 368 block assists. She ranks eighth in the career records for total blocks with 417, and she is 10th in career points with 1,055.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is ranked 18th in the nation and third in the SEC with 11.35 assists per set for the full season. Aiple, who is averaging 11.66 assists during A&M's 12-match win streak and 12.10 assists per set in home matches only, also is third in the conference with 11.40 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 seven double-doubles, including four in the last eight matches. Junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty has three double-doubles.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is hitting .390 this season and .382 for her career, putting her on pace to shatter the A&M record for career hitting percentage (.342) held by former two-time All-American Sherri Brinkman (1983-85).
Amy Nettles is the only player to have appeared in every set this season, all at the libero position, and Babers is the only player to have started all 27 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 2.92 kills and 3.24 points per set for the full season and 3.11 kills per set in SEC matches only, is averaging a team-best 3.46 kills while hitting at a .251 clip in home matches only. She is hitting .191 for the full season, including .200 in SEC matches only.
During A&M's 12-match win streak, sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor is hitting .281 with 2.36 kills and 2.73 points per set. For the season, Reasor is hitting .221 with 2.04 kills and 2.44 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 10th in the SEC. She also is first on the team and 10th in the league with 3.64 digs per set in conference matches only.
In home matches only, Nettles is averaging 4.09 digs per set.
Nettles has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 23 matches, including a career-high 12 consecutive double-digit dig performances entering the Missouri 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 last 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, who has appeared in 21 matches overall and is hitting .256 and averaging 1.90 kills and 0.66 blocks per set for the season, was clutch for the Aggies in the win against Florida, coming off the bench to play the outside hitter position and hit .316 with nine kills and two blocks.
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 MISSOURI

Missouri, 25-4 overall, is 13-3 in SEC matches and is in a must-win situation against A&M as the Tigers aim to win their second SEC title in three years.
Missouri is 10-0 in home matches.
The Tigers are riding a five-match win streak and have won seven of their last eight matches. The one loss during that span was against A&M, 27-25, 25-23, 25-23, on Nov. 4 at Reed Arena in College Station.
Missouri is No. 17 in this week's NCAA RPI. The Tigers are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll and are listed 26th. The Tigers are 23rd in PVB's College Top 50 Rankings.
Missouri is ranked 23rd in the nation in blocks per set (2.75) and 25th in the country with a .265 hitting efficiency for the full season.
The Tigers are 2-1 against ranked opponents, with both victories being decided in five sets. Missouri defeated Florida, 22-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-10, on Sept. 30 in Columbia, and defeated No. 18 Kentucky, 25-27, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14 in Lexington on Nov. 15. Missouri's one ranked loss was a 3-0 setback at then-No. 15 Florida on Oct. 25.
Missouri is 7-1 in five-set matches.
Missouri leads the SEC with 1.52 aces per set in conference matches while A&M is last in the league with a 0.80 per set average.
Missouri's Alyssa Munlyn is the two-time reigning SEC Freshman of the Week. Last week the 6-2 middle blocker hit .370 with 11 kills and 11 blocks in the Tigers' road wins against Arkansas and Ole Miss. She is hitting .417 and averaging 2.0 kills and 1.21 blocks per set in SEC matches this season.
Junior 5-9 outside hitter Carly Kan is third in the SEC with 4.00 kills and 4.55 points per set for the full season. A Preseason All-SEC selection, she is second in the conference with 16 double-doubles, which includes a 20-kill, 25-dig performance against Ole Miss in Missouri's most recent outing.
Junior libero Alexa Ethridge and redshirt sophomore Kira Larson, a right side/middle blocker, both are in their first season at Missouri after transferring from Nebraska. Both have played in every set this season, with Ethridge averaging 3.95 digs per set, and Larson hitting .317 while averaging 2.42 kills and 0.75 blocks per set.
Wayne Kreklow is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Tigers. He is married to Missouri assistant coach Susan Kreklow, and Tiger setter Ali Kreklow is the couple's daughter.

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M knocked off is second consecutive Top 25 opponent on Sunday and extended its SEC-leading win streak to 12 after coming back from a 2-0 deficit to knock off No. 14 Florida, 3-2 (20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-11) on Senior Day at Reed Arena.
It was A&M's first-ever victory in 12 all-time meetings against the Gators, who were the last team to defeat the Aggies before A&M began its 12-match win streak.
Trailing the match, 2-0, and down 20-16 in the third set, the Aggies began to chip away and took the lead at 21-20 on a kill by freshman Kaitlyn Blake. Florida tied the score at 21 and 22 before a Gator service error, a Blake kill and a block by senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan and setter Stephanie Aiple capped the win.
The Aggies rode the momentum into the fourth set, using a 6-1 run to break away from a 7-7 tie and holding a lead for the remainder of the frame while outhitting Florida, .395 to .256.
A&M entered the final frame with a 5-0 record in 5-setters, while Florida was 0-4 when going the distance, including a loss to Missouri after winning the opening two sets. A kill by Blake gave A&M a 6-5 lead, and the Aggies would hold the lead for the remainder of the match. Junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers sparked a 3-0 run with a block and back-to-back kills to give A&M its largest lead and put A&M at match point, 14-9. Florida got within 14-11 before Babers and sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor blocked Ziva Recek to end the match.
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee led A&M with 19 kills, one shy of her career high, and she tied her career high with five blocks. Babers added 17 kills while hitting .406 and tallied her second double-double of the season with a match-high 10 blocks. Aiple posted her team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 53 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore libero Amy Nettles and junior defensive specialist Katelyn Labhart extended play after play, with Nettles scooping up a team-high 16 digs, and Labhart posting a career-high 15 digs.
SEC Player of the Year candidate Rhamat Alhassan led a quartet of Gators in double-digit kills with 16 while hitting .577 and also added a team-high six blocks. Setter Mackenzie Dagostino had 55 assists and a team-high 16 digs.
Florida led A&M in kills (65-63), hitting percentage (.255 to .230), assists (62-58) and points (84-83, while A&M led in digs (61-58) and blocks (15-14). Both teams recorded five aces each.

UPCOMING

A&M closes out the regular season against Arkansas on Saturday in Fayetteville. First serve is at 1:30 p.m. at Barnhill Arena. The match will be available on SEC Network +.
The Aggies, who suffered their only home loss of the season against the Razorbacks in the SEC opener on Sept. 27, will be aiming to shore up a top spot in the SEC standings.
The 64-team NCAA Championship bracket will be announced Sunday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. A&M is expected to make its fifth consecutive and 23rd overall appearance in the postseason tournament.

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

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Players Mentioned

Stephanie Aiple

Jazzmin Babers

Kaitlyn Blake

Emily Hardesty

Amy Houser

Katelyn Labhart

Gabby Litwin

Angela Lowak

Kiara McGee

Amy Nettles

Ashlie Reasor

Kaysie Shebeneck

Shelby Sullivan

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