Match Preview: Arkansas

No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies (22-6 15-2 SEC) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (17-12, 7-10 SEC)
Saturday, Nov. 28, 1:30 p.m.
Barnhill Arena
SEC Network +

No. 19 Texas A&M (22-6, 15-2 SEC), which clinched the Southeastern Conference championship outright with a 3-2 victory at Missouri on Wednesday, aims to extend its win streak to 14 when the Aggies take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in both teams' regular-season finale, Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark. First serve is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Barnhill Arena, and the match can be seen on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.com.

Led by SEC Player of the Year Stephanie Aiple and All-SEC selection and reigning Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week Jazzmin Babers, Texas A&M won its 13th consecutive match and claimed the program's first-ever conference championship after coming from behind to defeat Missouri, 19-25, 25-20, 25-27, 25-22, 15-10, Wednesday at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. It was the first home loss of the season for the Tigers, who entered the match 10-0 in home matches this season and were in a must-win situation to keep their conference title hopes alive.

Arkansas (17-12, 7-10 SEC), which handed A&M its only home loss of the season in the Aggies' SEC season opener, will be looking to be the spoiler once again as it aims to complete the season series sweep against the Aggies and also snap its own three-match losing skid after falling to South Carolina, 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10). Saturday will be Senior Day for the Razorbacks, who will recognize Arkansas Chanell Clark-Bibbs, Monica Bollinger and Liz Fortado before the match.

TEXAS A&M CONFERENCE NOTES

Texas A&M setter Stephanie Aiple was voted the SEC Player of the Year, and the Aggies' Laurie Corbelli was tabbed the SEC Coach of the Year, according to a vote of the SEC head volleyball coaches. In addition, Texas A&M middle blockers Jazzmin Babers and Shelby Sullivan join Aiple on the 18-member All-SEC team.
Aiple is the first A&M player to be named SEC Player of the Year since the Aggies joined the league in 2012. She becomes the second player in A&M program history and the first as a sophomore to earn conference player of the year accolades, joining former Aggie setter Suzy Wente, who was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 1995. Aiple is a five-time SEC Setter of the Week and one-time SEC Player of the Week this season.
Corbelli collects her third coach of the year distinction in 23 years at the helm of the Aggies, having been named SWC Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1995. She is 486-227 at A&M and 586-333 in 30 years as a head coach.
Babers, a redshirt junior, is making her second consecutive appearance on the all-conference team and was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team in 2013. Sullivan, a senior, is making her A&M-leading third consecutive appearance on the All-SEC team.
Babers, Aiple, Sullivan and sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee have received a combined 16 SEC weekly honor citations this season.
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.
With the win at Missouri on Wednesday, Texas A&M won its first-ever conference title and its first automatic entry to the NCAA Championship. The Aggies have a combined 12 second-place finishes in the three leagues but had never won a championship.
Prior to this season, 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 13-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 went 8-1 in home SEC matches this season, with the only loss coming against Arkansas in A&M's SEC season opener on Sept. 27.
A&M is 7-1 in away SEC matches this season. The only loss was a 3-0 sweep at No. 17 Florida on Oct. 9, marking the last time the Aggies suffered a loss this season.
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, was picked to defend its title but went 13-5 and enters the weekend in fourth place.

TEXAS A&M-ARKANSAS ALL-TIME SERIES

A&M leads the all-time series against Arkansas, 4-2, including 2-0 in matches played in Fayetteville.
All six contests have been as SEC foes as the teams met for the first time in 2012, A&M's first year in the league.
A&M won the first three meetings in the series, but Arkansas has won two of the last three contests with both victories occurring at A&M.
A&M defeated the Razorbacks, 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 19-25, 25-20), the last time the two teams met in Fayetteville (Nov. 19, 2014).
In the first four meetings of the series and in five of the six meetings overall, the team that won the first set lost the match.
The teams most recently met Sept. 27 at Reed Arena in College Station in A&M's 2015 SEC season opener. The Razorbacks lost the first set but came back to win the match, 3-1 (21-25, 25-13, 27-25, 25-22). It remains the Aggies' only home loss of the season.
The Razorbacks, who fought off two set points en route to winning the third set, outhit A&M .276 to .207 for the match, leading 59-56 in kills. Arkansas' Pilar Victoria led all players with 20 kills, and Chanell Clark-Bibbs took match-high honors in blocks with nine. Kiara McGee led A&M with 14 kills while hitting .314. Shelby Sullivan hit .476 with her 12 kills, and Emily Hardesty finished with 11 kills and posted her third double-double of the season by adding 11 digs. Libero Amy Nettles took match-high honors in digs with 18. Freshman defensive specialist Paige Panter made the first start of her A&M career, and junior setter Kaysie Shebeneck made her third consecutive start before sophomore Stephanie Aiple, who had missed the previous two matches after going down with a foot injury against Colorado State on Sept. 15, returned to the lineup midway through the second set.
A&M's all-time record/results vs. Arkansas

H: 2-2   A: 2-0    N: 0-0    SEC: 4-2
Oct. 12,    2012     A        W      21-25, 25-15, 25-16, 23-25, 15-3
Nov. 4, 2012        H        W      23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-17
Oct. 25, 2013       H        W      27-29, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22
Oct. 15, 2014       H         L      25-20, 12-25, 21-25, 25-27
Nov. 19, 2014      A        W      25-17, 25-19, 19-25, 25-20
Sept. 27, 2015      H         L      25-21, 13-25, 25-27, 22-25

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

A&M is 8-4 in away matches for the full season, including 7-1 in away SEC matches. The Aggies have won six consecutive away matches since suffering their one SEC road setback, 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 13 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 more than 13 straight matches was 1982 when they had a school-record 20-match win streak.
A&M has reached the 20-victory milestone for the 16th time under Corbelli and the 27th time in program history. Its 22 wins is the most since going 25-6 in 2012.
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.
The Aggies are second in the SEC in hitting efficiency (.271) and assists (13.10) and kills (13.97) per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, A&M leads the conference in assists per set (13.34) and is second in hitting percentage (.276) and kills per set (14.20), and third in blocks (2.61) per set.
A&M is last in the league in aces per set (0.89) 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 (.446) leads the league in hitting efficiency in SEC matches only, and middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (.403) ranks fifth. For the full season, they are third and fourth, respectively, in the league with Babers hitting .425 and Sullivan hitting .388.
During its 13-match win streak, A&M is outhitting its opponents, .270 to .181, while averaging 14.29 kills per set to opponents' 12.19 kills per set. A&M also is outdigging its opponents 13.94 to 11.27 per set and outblocking its opponents, 2.58 to 2.54 during the 13-match stretch.
A&M is 20-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 17-0 when leading in points, 16-0 when leading in blocks and/or kills and 9-0 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 7-0 in five-set matches and 7-0 when winning the fourth set
The Aggies are 19-1 when winning the first set, with the only loss coming against Arkansas on Sept. 27 at Reed Arena in College Station.
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 16 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 16 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 two wins 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.
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 eighth in the nation and third in the SEC with a .425 hitting percentage. She is on pace to break the school record for hitting percentage in a full season of .400, first set by former two-time All-American Sherri Brinkman and tied by Babers last year.
Babers also is ranked 24th in the nation and third in the SEC with 1.38 blocks per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, Babers leads the league with a .446 hitting efficiency. She ranks second in the conference with 1.41 blocks per set and is sixth in both points (4.22) and kills (3.44) per set in SEC play.
Babers has started every match of her career (89) 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.
Babers ranks sixth in the A&M all-time career records with 370 block assists. She ranks eighth in the career records for total blocks with 421, and she is 10th in career points with 1,079.
Babers has 143 total blocks for the season and needs seven more to move into 10th place in the A&M season records, surpassing Cindy Lothspeich who had 149 blocks in 1996.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is ranked 16th in the nation and third in the SEC with 11.41 assists per set for the full season. Aiple, who is averaging 11.74 assists during A&M's 13-match win streak, also is third in the conference with 11.48 assists per set in league play.
Aiple had a career-high 62 assists in the win against Missouri, pushing her over the 1,000 assist mark for the season. She enters the Arkansas match with 1,027 assists.
In the home match against Missouri, Aiple set an A&M Reed Arena record for assists in a three-set match with 47.
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.
Aiple leads A&M with seven double-doubles, including four in the last nine matches. Junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty has three double-doubles.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is hitting .388 this season–fourth best in the SEC–and .381 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).
Sophomore libero Amy Nettles had a career-high and team season-high 30 digs in the win at Missouri. It is the third time this season she has posted 20 or more digs in a match, and it is the first 30-or-more dig performance since Nov. 24, 2013, when Heather Reynolds had an A&M SEC record 35 in a 3-2 victory over Georgia.
Nettles has 403 digs for the season and needs 23 more digs to give her 426 and move her into 10th place in the A&M season records for most digs. She will surpass former two-time All-American and three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora, who posted 425 digs as a junior in the 1997 season.
Nettles has led or tied for the team lead in digs in all but two matches this season. She is averaging a team-high 3.84 digs per set for the full season, ranking 10th in the SEC. She also leads the team and is ninth in the league with 3.84 digs per set in conference matches only.
Nettles has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 26 matches this season, including a career-high 13 consecutive double-digit dig performances entering the Arkansas match.
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 28 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 2.95 kills and 3.25 points per set for the full season and 3.14 kills per set in SEC matches only, had 17 kills in the win at Missouri, including five of her 17 kills in the crucial fifth set.
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 22 matches, 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. She had seven kills at Missouri from the outside hitter position. Blake is hitting .254 and averaging 1.86 kills and 0.62 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 ARKANSAS

Arkansas is 17-12 overall and in eighth place in the SEC with a 7-10 conference record.
The Razorbacks have lost their last three matches, including a 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10) home loss to South Carolina on Wednesday despite leading the Gamecocks in kills (64-58), hitting efficiency (.189 to .170), assists (55-52), aces (5-4), digs (83-79), blocks (9-7) and points (78-69).
Junior middle blocker Breana Jones leads the SEC and is fifth in the nation with a .439 hitting efficiency for the full season. She is second in the league with a .442 hitting percentage in SEC matches only.
Outside hitter Pilar Victoria, a junior transfer from Texas and a member of the 2015 All-SEC Team, ranks 10th in the nation and leads the SEC with 4.60 kills per set for the full season. She is 15th in the country and also leads the SEC with 5.09 points per set.
Pilar, who had 15 kills against South Carolina but was held to a .014 hitting efficiency, also leads the SEC with 4.81 kills per set in conference matches only.
Senior middle blocker Chanell Clark-Bibbs had a match-high 17 kills while hitting .314 in the loss to South Carolina.
Freshman libero Okiana Valle was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. She is averaging 3.88 digs per set for the full season, eighth best in the SEC. She averages 4.34 digs per set in SEC matches only, ranking fifth in the league.
Arkansas sophomore defensive specialist Kori Ortiz and Aggie freshman defensive specialist Paige Panter were teammates at Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas.
Arkansas associate head coach Carol Price-Torok is Texas A&M Class of '04. She played middle blocker and right side for Aggie coach Laurie Corbelli from 2000-03. A&M reached at least the NCAA second round every year during Price-Torok's career, reaching the regional finals in 2001 and the regional semifinals in 2003. Price-Torok also lettered in basketball in 2003-04, Gary Blair's first year as head coach of the A&M women's basketball team.
Robert Pulliza (Ball State, 1996) is in his eighth season as head coach of the Razorbacks.

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

No. 19 Texas A&M won its first-ever conference championship, capturing the Southeastern Conference title outright with a 19-25, 25-20, 25-27, 25-22, 15-10 victory over Missouri on Wednesday at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. It was the 13th consecutive victory for the Aggies, who improve to 22-6 overall and 15-2 in SEC matches. A&M also improved to 7-0 in five set matches this season and handed Missouri its first home loss of the season as the Tigers entered the match 10-0 at the Hearnes Center. Missouri, which was in a must-win situation in order to keep its title hopes alive, dropped into a second-place tie with Kentucky.
Like it has done so many times this season, A&M had to fight from behind to get the victory. Missouri held a 2-1 lead in sets and had the momentum after going on a 3-0 run to build a 22-18 lead in the fourth set. Jazzmin Babers ended the Tigers' rally with a kill, and the Aggies went on to reel off seven unanswered points to close out the frame and force a fifth set.
After evening the match at 2-2, the Aggies took a 4-2 lead in the fifth set after a 3-0 run and never looked back. Kiara McGee, who had five kills in the decisive fifth set, later had two kills during another 3-0 surge that put the Aggies up, 10-6. Missouri cut the lead to 11-9 with a kill and a solo block before McGee ended the rally with a kill, and Emily Hardesty followed with a kill to the baseline to put A&M up, 13-10. Kira Larson countered with one of her team-high 17 kills to put the Tigers within 13-10, but Babers answered with A&M's 14th kill in the set to put the Aggies at match point. The match ended on the next play as Julia Towler's attack was unable to clear the net.
Babers finished with 21 kills, and McGee and Sullivan also posted double-figure kills with 17 and 11, respectively. Stephanie Aiple, the SEC Player of the Year, dished out a career-high 62 assists, and sophomore libero Amy Nettles had a career-high 30 digs.
A&M, which completed season sweep against the Tigers, outhit Missouri, .257 to .233, despite getting outblocked, 18-9. The 18 blocks is the most by an A&M opponent this season.

UPCOMING

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.
Texas A&M, one of 26 teams on its 2015 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament First and Second Round Host Watch List, will receive the SEC's automatic berth into the tournament and will be making its fifth consecutive and 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA 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

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Stephanie Aiple

Jazzmin Babers

Kaitlyn Blake

Emily Hardesty

Amy Houser

Katelyn Labhart

Gabby Litwin

Angela Lowak

Kiara McGee

Amy Nettles

Paige Panter

Ashlie Reasor

Kaysie Shebeneck

Shelby Sullivan

Footer

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus (#2) Texas on Oct. 31, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at (#16) Tennessee on Nov. 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM

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

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Florida on Nov. 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Georgia on Nov. 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM