Wednesday, November 4
College Station
5:00 PM
Texas A&M
16-6, 9-2SEC
3
vs
0
Missouri
20-4, 8-3SEC
1
2
3
F
Missouri
25
23
23
0
Texas A&M
27
25
25
3
Volleyball Moves into First Place with Sweep of Missouri
Nov 04, 2015 | Volleyball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M won its seventh consecutive match and moved into a tie for first place in the Southeastern Conference standings with an intense 27-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory over Missouri today at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M redshirt middle blocker Jazzmin Babers, who leads the SEC in hitting efficiency in conference matches, hit a blistering .591 with a match-high 16 kills as the Aggies improved to 16-6 overall and 9-2 in conference matches. Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee and senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan also posted double-figure kills with 14 and 11, respectively, with Sullivan hitting at a .429 clip.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple dished out 47 assists, an A&M record for a three-set match at Reed, while directing the Aggie offense to a .252 hitting percentage. The reigning SEC Player of the Week and three-time SEC Setter of the Week also pitched in 10 digs to notch her team-leading fifth double-double of the season.
A&M sophomore 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 (20-4, 8-3 SEC), which entered the match tied with A&M for second place in the SEC and was aiming to join Kentucky atop the league standings.
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-1 lead to open the match, but A&M fought back, tying the score five times before Aiple served an ace to give the Aggies their first lead, 9-8. The lead was short-lived as Missouri countered with a kill and a block to regain the lead, and the Tigers would go on to build a three-point cushion at 16-13 and 18-15.
A&M then when on a 4-1 surge, spearheaded by Babers, who had two kills and a block in the run. Sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor knotted the score at 19-all with a kill set up by Nettles, but Missouri answered with back to back kills to go up, 21-19. The Tigers kept the two-point margin at 22-20 but were whistled for being in the net on their next attack. Sullivan tooled the Missouri block to record her sixth kill of the frame, tying the score at 22-all. The teams continued to exchange points, with Carly Kan's kill putting the Tigers at set point, 24-23. The Aggies fought off the set point as Babers came through with an off-speed shot on the slide attack that fell in for her sixth kill, tying the score for the 13th time. Kan struck net on the ensuing play to put the Maroon and White at set point for the first time, but Larson knotted the score at 25-25 with a kill. McGee then blasted a kill off the Missouri block to put A&M at set point for the second time, and Reasor closed out the stanza with a kill off the block.
A&M, which outhit Missouri, .244 to .205 in the first frame, outhit the Tigers, .577 to .303 in the second set en route to taking a 2-0 lead in the match. There were six lead changes and 10 ties, the last coming at 21-21 following an ace by Missouri. McGee got a kill and then teamed with Babers for a block to push the Aggies to a 23-21 lead, but a kill by Kan put the Tigers within 23-22. McGee then countered with her fourth kill of the set to put the Aggies at set point, 24-22. Missouri got a kill to get within 24-23 before Reasor once again capped the set with a kill.
A&M was outhit .150 to .083 in the third set but managed to get the win to complete the sweep. The Tigers, who had nine of their 14 blocks in the third frame, held a 19-17 advantage but had two miscues that allowed A&M to tie the score. The teams then traded points and with the score tied for the 10th time, 22-22, Missouri hit wide to give A&M its first lead since 14-13. The Tigers took a timeout but then hit wide again when play resumed, giving A&M its largest lead of the set and putting the Aggies at match point.
The Tigers blocked Emily Hardesty's attack attempt to fight off match point, but the junior outside hitter redeemed herself, getting a kill on the next play to close out a match in which neither team held more than a three-point lead throughout and every set was determined by the minimum two points.
The Aggies return to Reed Sunday, Nov. 8 as they play host to the Georgia Bulldogs. First serve is at 1:30 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on SEC Network +.
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.
Texas A&M post-match quotes:
Texas A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli
On being in first place…
"Well it's a temporary thing obviously, but it is something that we are proud of because we just keep getting better, not only the volleyball part but the team part, the confidence, the belief the trust and the willingness to do the work. It has been a joy to be around this group and see them mature like that."
On the effects of winning the first set…
"It was a lot of fun. It was pretty intense; neither side wanted to give anything up at all. To really find a way to pull through, our passing started to get a little shaky and we couldn't get into offense, but we still found a way to get kills out of system, which is huge. It was the grit that they've been showing so much of lately. They refuse to lose."
On whether it was A&M pressure causing Missouri's mistakes:
"It could be. I think they were trying really hard, but they were trying too hard a lot of times. In volleyball when you try too hard, you hit it way out of bounds or you miss-hit the ball, in any sport I suppose, but in volleyball that's when it shows up. Hopefully the pressure we put on teams and our consistency of pressure that we put on our opponents, hopefully that is something that makes them have to think twice and maybe doubt themselves in that moment."
About finishing better…
"I credit the Arkansas loss to a lot of this. They know they were this close to winning it. We knew we were this close to winning it, and when we didn't close it out, we reminded the team how many times in the past this has happened in the years before and that it's easy to just get beat in the last minute. We challenged them and they challenged themselves, and boy, they took it really seriously and really quickly to heart. In the South Carolina win, I don't recall all the different scores but I know they had runs of points on us at the ends of sets that we were able to come back and win. It doesn't happen in every set, but the times it does happen we need to get a dig in this rally and we'll have a player get an awesome dig. We have to get a kill in this rotation with this play, and we'll get it. Like they said in the locker room, we just all believe in each other and we have confidence that we will get it done. That's the team that has gotten over the hump with the confidence for the most part. I think learning to finish is kind of a result of confidence building and refusing to be the team that can't finish."
On how it felt to get the win…
"It was awesome, so much fun to compete like that. I don't even think the team was nervous. I think they just wanted to get the next rally started and get focused on how they were going to win it. It was a great feeling; I didn't really see nerves at all. Maybe a few people at a few times, but I wasn't nervous. I was having a great time because the team was responding to all the changes that we needed to make. Just the way the team has been receiving coaching has been phenomenal. The team has just grown so much. The relationship between the staff and the players and the communication is just so much better, and in volleyball that's really important as we get to know each other better and how Laurie gets when it's on the line and Laurie's intense and what is she going to say and how is she is going to say it. I'm learning and they're learning, and we've kind of gone with what works and we've made changes that we needed to make, so that's been a fun part for me, learning my new team and the dynamics of the team."
On defense…
"We start every practice with defense, and we didn't for a while in September when we were trying to get our offense together when we lost (Angela) Lowak. We had to get a new rhythm and a new offense going and figure out what it needed to look like. Honestly as coaches we realized that we were neglecting defense a little too much and once we got on that the team has just had a lot of fun with it they take on the challenge. We have a lot of little rules on how we want to perform our individual defensive skills, and they're taking them very seriously. I credit the DS's and our off blockers. Their assignments are really important, and they've taken that really seriously. I think it's a good sign."
Redshirt junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers:
On things being easier when you're winning…
"Maybe a little bit when you're winning, but we try to work hard every day. If we get wins we get wins. We're just doing the same thing every day in practice, just working hard and going at it."
On being in the spot they're in…
"It's a great opportunity that we do have, but we still have a lot more games so we need to keep finishing the rest of the season strong. But compared to prior years, this is a great spot for us to be in."
On Kiara McGee hitting well on the outside…
"It means a lot. She is killing it on the outside, and it definitely helps our whole team out. It's great to see her go up and kill it. She just brings so much excitement to the team when she gets those big kills."
On blocking…
"Blocking is one of my favorite things, so it's always exciting when I get a block or my teammate gets a block. It just really brings a lot of momentum and excitement to our side of the net."
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee:
On how it felt to get the win…
"I feel like we've grown as a team mentally throughout the season. We've always had the volleyball; it's always been there and that hasn't changed. I just feel like we've gotten mentally strong. We've got this new mentality, and everyone is out there working for every point. If something bad happens we're not down about it. We shake it off and have the next point. Like Laurie said, we believe in each other so much, we believe that we can win any game. We say we're going to win this set and we come out and we do."
VOTE here for Texas A&M's Shelby Sullivan for the Senior CLASS Award
Texas A&M redshirt middle blocker Jazzmin Babers, who leads the SEC in hitting efficiency in conference matches, hit a blistering .591 with a match-high 16 kills as the Aggies improved to 16-6 overall and 9-2 in conference matches. Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee and senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan also posted double-figure kills with 14 and 11, respectively, with Sullivan hitting at a .429 clip.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple dished out 47 assists, an A&M record for a three-set match at Reed, while directing the Aggie offense to a .252 hitting percentage. The reigning SEC Player of the Week and three-time SEC Setter of the Week also pitched in 10 digs to notch her team-leading fifth double-double of the season.
A&M sophomore 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 (20-4, 8-3 SEC), which entered the match tied with A&M for second place in the SEC and was aiming to join Kentucky atop the league standings.
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-1 lead to open the match, but A&M fought back, tying the score five times before Aiple served an ace to give the Aggies their first lead, 9-8. The lead was short-lived as Missouri countered with a kill and a block to regain the lead, and the Tigers would go on to build a three-point cushion at 16-13 and 18-15.
A&M then when on a 4-1 surge, spearheaded by Babers, who had two kills and a block in the run. Sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor knotted the score at 19-all with a kill set up by Nettles, but Missouri answered with back to back kills to go up, 21-19. The Tigers kept the two-point margin at 22-20 but were whistled for being in the net on their next attack. Sullivan tooled the Missouri block to record her sixth kill of the frame, tying the score at 22-all. The teams continued to exchange points, with Carly Kan's kill putting the Tigers at set point, 24-23. The Aggies fought off the set point as Babers came through with an off-speed shot on the slide attack that fell in for her sixth kill, tying the score for the 13th time. Kan struck net on the ensuing play to put the Maroon and White at set point for the first time, but Larson knotted the score at 25-25 with a kill. McGee then blasted a kill off the Missouri block to put A&M at set point for the second time, and Reasor closed out the stanza with a kill off the block.
A&M, which outhit Missouri, .244 to .205 in the first frame, outhit the Tigers, .577 to .303 in the second set en route to taking a 2-0 lead in the match. There were six lead changes and 10 ties, the last coming at 21-21 following an ace by Missouri. McGee got a kill and then teamed with Babers for a block to push the Aggies to a 23-21 lead, but a kill by Kan put the Tigers within 23-22. McGee then countered with her fourth kill of the set to put the Aggies at set point, 24-22. Missouri got a kill to get within 24-23 before Reasor once again capped the set with a kill.
A&M was outhit .150 to .083 in the third set but managed to get the win to complete the sweep. The Tigers, who had nine of their 14 blocks in the third frame, held a 19-17 advantage but had two miscues that allowed A&M to tie the score. The teams then traded points and with the score tied for the 10th time, 22-22, Missouri hit wide to give A&M its first lead since 14-13. The Tigers took a timeout but then hit wide again when play resumed, giving A&M its largest lead of the set and putting the Aggies at match point.
The Tigers blocked Emily Hardesty's attack attempt to fight off match point, but the junior outside hitter redeemed herself, getting a kill on the next play to close out a match in which neither team held more than a three-point lead throughout and every set was determined by the minimum two points.
The Aggies return to Reed Sunday, Nov. 8 as they play host to the Georgia Bulldogs. First serve is at 1:30 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on SEC Network +.
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.
Texas A&M post-match quotes:
Texas A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli
On being in first place…
"Well it's a temporary thing obviously, but it is something that we are proud of because we just keep getting better, not only the volleyball part but the team part, the confidence, the belief the trust and the willingness to do the work. It has been a joy to be around this group and see them mature like that."
On the effects of winning the first set…
"It was a lot of fun. It was pretty intense; neither side wanted to give anything up at all. To really find a way to pull through, our passing started to get a little shaky and we couldn't get into offense, but we still found a way to get kills out of system, which is huge. It was the grit that they've been showing so much of lately. They refuse to lose."
On whether it was A&M pressure causing Missouri's mistakes:
"It could be. I think they were trying really hard, but they were trying too hard a lot of times. In volleyball when you try too hard, you hit it way out of bounds or you miss-hit the ball, in any sport I suppose, but in volleyball that's when it shows up. Hopefully the pressure we put on teams and our consistency of pressure that we put on our opponents, hopefully that is something that makes them have to think twice and maybe doubt themselves in that moment."
About finishing better…
"I credit the Arkansas loss to a lot of this. They know they were this close to winning it. We knew we were this close to winning it, and when we didn't close it out, we reminded the team how many times in the past this has happened in the years before and that it's easy to just get beat in the last minute. We challenged them and they challenged themselves, and boy, they took it really seriously and really quickly to heart. In the South Carolina win, I don't recall all the different scores but I know they had runs of points on us at the ends of sets that we were able to come back and win. It doesn't happen in every set, but the times it does happen we need to get a dig in this rally and we'll have a player get an awesome dig. We have to get a kill in this rotation with this play, and we'll get it. Like they said in the locker room, we just all believe in each other and we have confidence that we will get it done. That's the team that has gotten over the hump with the confidence for the most part. I think learning to finish is kind of a result of confidence building and refusing to be the team that can't finish."
On how it felt to get the win…
"It was awesome, so much fun to compete like that. I don't even think the team was nervous. I think they just wanted to get the next rally started and get focused on how they were going to win it. It was a great feeling; I didn't really see nerves at all. Maybe a few people at a few times, but I wasn't nervous. I was having a great time because the team was responding to all the changes that we needed to make. Just the way the team has been receiving coaching has been phenomenal. The team has just grown so much. The relationship between the staff and the players and the communication is just so much better, and in volleyball that's really important as we get to know each other better and how Laurie gets when it's on the line and Laurie's intense and what is she going to say and how is she is going to say it. I'm learning and they're learning, and we've kind of gone with what works and we've made changes that we needed to make, so that's been a fun part for me, learning my new team and the dynamics of the team."
On defense…
"We start every practice with defense, and we didn't for a while in September when we were trying to get our offense together when we lost (Angela) Lowak. We had to get a new rhythm and a new offense going and figure out what it needed to look like. Honestly as coaches we realized that we were neglecting defense a little too much and once we got on that the team has just had a lot of fun with it they take on the challenge. We have a lot of little rules on how we want to perform our individual defensive skills, and they're taking them very seriously. I credit the DS's and our off blockers. Their assignments are really important, and they've taken that really seriously. I think it's a good sign."
Redshirt junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers:
On things being easier when you're winning…
"Maybe a little bit when you're winning, but we try to work hard every day. If we get wins we get wins. We're just doing the same thing every day in practice, just working hard and going at it."
On being in the spot they're in…
"It's a great opportunity that we do have, but we still have a lot more games so we need to keep finishing the rest of the season strong. But compared to prior years, this is a great spot for us to be in."
On Kiara McGee hitting well on the outside…
"It means a lot. She is killing it on the outside, and it definitely helps our whole team out. It's great to see her go up and kill it. She just brings so much excitement to the team when she gets those big kills."
On blocking…
"Blocking is one of my favorite things, so it's always exciting when I get a block or my teammate gets a block. It just really brings a lot of momentum and excitement to our side of the net."
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee:
On how it felt to get the win…
"I feel like we've grown as a team mentally throughout the season. We've always had the volleyball; it's always been there and that hasn't changed. I just feel like we've gotten mentally strong. We've got this new mentality, and everyone is out there working for every point. If something bad happens we're not down about it. We shake it off and have the next point. Like Laurie said, we believe in each other so much, we believe that we can win any game. We say we're going to win this set and we come out and we do."
VOTE here for Texas A&M's Shelby Sullivan for the Senior CLASS Award
Team Stats
MIZ
TAMU
Kills
39
53
Errors
15
23
Attempts
112
119
Hitting %
.214
.252
Points
55.0
63.0
Assists
36
51
Aces
2
4
Blocks
14.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballArkansas Postgame: Emily Hellmuth, Tatum Thomas
Sunday, October 19
Arkansas Postgame: Logan Lednicky, Maddie Waak
Sunday, October 19
Arkansas Postgame: Jamie Morrison
Sunday, October 19
Highlights: Texas A&M 3, Arkansas 0
Sunday, October 19
