2016 Texas A&M Volleyball Schedule
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The defending Southeastern Conference-champion Texas A&M volleyball team will play an exciting and challenging 29-match schedule in 2016, Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli announced today.
"The 2016 schedule is as strong as any schedule we have ever had," said Corbelli who is entering her 24th season at the helm of the Aggies and returns 14 letterwinners from last year's team that went 24-7 -- including a league-best 16-2 in SEC matches only -- and was No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) final poll as well as an all-time high No. 9 in the final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). "It is packed with a lot of variety, and it gives our program a great opportunity to grow and do great things, not only in our ability and performance, but also in our chances of getting a seed in the tournament, which is a goal of all the top programs."
In the 11-match pre-conference schedule alone, the Aggies will face six teams that ended last season ranked in the top 20, including Final Four participants Minnesota and longtime archrival Texas. Minnesota, an NCAA semifinalist and the reigning Big Ten Conference champion, and Texas, the NCAA runner-up and a five-time defending Big 12 Conference champion, were No. 3 and 2, respectively, in last year's final AVCA poll.
Texas A&M makes its season debut at the North Texas Challenge in Denton, Texas, marking the Aggies' first regular-season road matches to be played in the Lone Star State since 2011, Texas A&M's final season as a member of the Big 12. The Maroon and White open against Nevada on Friday, August 26 and conclude the tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday, August 27 against Ohio State, which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and was No. 13 in the final AVCA poll, and the host Mean Green, which is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons.
"As much as we are used to hosting a tournament on the opening weekend, it didn't materialize so we decided to take a look at this tournament, where not only do we get to stay in Texas for the opening weekend, but we also have the chance to see a top-15 team on a neutral court. In addition, both North Texas and Nevada are incredibly improved programs, so we are really excited to open the season in Texas against a great field."
Texas A&M then heads to the challenging Puerto Rico Tournament, where the Aggies will face Florida State, Minnesota and Temple, Sept. 1-3. The Seminoles were the Atlantic Coast Conference runner-up and listed 20th in the 2015 final rankings after falling to SEC foe Florida in the NCAA second round. Minnesota, which lost to Texas in the NCAA semifinals, will be looking to avenge a five-set loss to the Aggies last year at Stanford.
"We love trying out new destinations as long as the teams we face will be beneficial to us and to our ranking," Corbelli said. "To play Florida State, Minnesota and Temple is going to be incredibly challenging, and it also will be a fun trip for the team. It is a great opportunity competition-wise, as well as for the team to experience new things together and have fun team time."
Texas A&M then heads to Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Sept. 9 to take on NCAA tournament teams Arizona of the Pac-12 Conference and New Mexico State, the defending Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion. Following the doubleheader, the Aggies travel to El Paso, Texas, to face UTEP on Sept. 10.
"I like when we get to face a Pac-12 school and another school that finishes in the top portion of its conference," Corbelli said. "It is a great snapshot of what we look for in pre-conference; top programs and conference champions are who we want to go up against. Two NCAA teams in one day makes it additionally challenging. And to get to play UTEP the next morning at their place, it's another Texas university with a great coach who has done a nice job improving that program."
Texas A&M concludes the road portion of its pre-conference schedule at former long-time conference foe Texas, which is slated to play at Reed Arena in 2017. The Aggies take on the Longhorns on Wed., Sept. 14, at Gregory Gym in Austin. Texas A&M then makes its home debut and wraps up non-conference play Sept. 16 at Reed Arena as the Aggies play host to Wisconsin of the Big Ten. The Badgers are coming off a season in which they reached the NCAA Sweet 16, were No. 7 in the final RPI and No. 10 in the final coaches' poll.
"You want to get ready for conference, you play Texas and Wisconsin right before the start," Corbelli said. "That is as good as it gets, and to get to play the highest level before we even start conference will identify our weaknesses and benefit us as we start SEC play. You just can't lose when you play teams like that before you start your quest for another championship, so that is going to be exciting.
"Just the fact that Texas and Texas A&M have been rivals for so long makes for a fun match. Their program has been one of the top in the country, so no matter if they are your rival or not, you always want to put yourself up against teams that challenge you and make you better. The match will have an NCAA feel to it, and it's always a very charged and feisty match with a lot of emotion and with a lot of diehard fans cheering for both sides. Both teams want it really badly, for more reasons than usual.
"And of course, we'll be really ready to finally play at home and go up against a Big Ten team that plays a very similar style to ours and has several All-Americans. I know that we will have a lot of excitement and will be very well prepared for the home opener. That type of team tends to draw great crowds at Reed Arena, and that would be a great start to our season if we have a great 12th Man crowd for that match."
Texas A&M, led by returning SEC Player of the Year Stephanie Aiple and AVCA second-team All-American middle blocker Jazzmin Babers, begins defense of its SEC title on Friday, Sept. 23 at Alabama, the first of an 18-match conference slate. The Aggies make their home conference debut against Auburn on Sunday, Sept. 25.
"We most definitely we will have a target on our backs," Corbelli said about entering the conference season as the defending champions. "But when I look back at last year, I'm still just so proud on how we pulled it together and just grinded our way through SEC play. I now know the team has that in them and they tasted it and they have achieved it.
"To do it again is going to be harder. The trick for us is going to be not going in thinking about defending the title. Our mental approach and the way the team handles everybody-coming-at-us type of attitudes is going to determine a lot, because we do have a lot of talent and we have a lot of experience. I think we have a really good shot at winning again if we handle it properly."
Texas A&M concludes its home schedule with a Thanksgiving Eve contest against LSU and then wraps up the regular season at Auburn on Saturday, Nov. 26.
NCAA Championship first and second round matches will be played Dec. 1-3 at campus sites, and regional matches will be played Dec. 9-10 at sites to be determined. Semifinal matches and the championship match will be played Dec. 15 and 17, respectively, in Columbus, Ohio.
Season tickets will go on sale soon and will be available for purchase online at 12thManFoundation.com or by calling 888-99-AGGIE.
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.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The defending Southeastern Conference-champion Texas A&M volleyball team will play an exciting and challenging 29-match schedule in 2016, Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli announced today.
"The 2016 schedule is as strong as any schedule we have ever had," said Corbelli who is entering her 24th season at the helm of the Aggies and returns 14 letterwinners from last year's team that went 24-7 -- including a league-best 16-2 in SEC matches only -- and was No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) final poll as well as an all-time high No. 9 in the final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). "It is packed with a lot of variety, and it gives our program a great opportunity to grow and do great things, not only in our ability and performance, but also in our chances of getting a seed in the tournament, which is a goal of all the top programs."
In the 11-match pre-conference schedule alone, the Aggies will face six teams that ended last season ranked in the top 20, including Final Four participants Minnesota and longtime archrival Texas. Minnesota, an NCAA semifinalist and the reigning Big Ten Conference champion, and Texas, the NCAA runner-up and a five-time defending Big 12 Conference champion, were No. 3 and 2, respectively, in last year's final AVCA poll.
Texas A&M makes its season debut at the North Texas Challenge in Denton, Texas, marking the Aggies' first regular-season road matches to be played in the Lone Star State since 2011, Texas A&M's final season as a member of the Big 12. The Maroon and White open against Nevada on Friday, August 26 and conclude the tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday, August 27 against Ohio State, which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and was No. 13 in the final AVCA poll, and the host Mean Green, which is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons.
"As much as we are used to hosting a tournament on the opening weekend, it didn't materialize so we decided to take a look at this tournament, where not only do we get to stay in Texas for the opening weekend, but we also have the chance to see a top-15 team on a neutral court. In addition, both North Texas and Nevada are incredibly improved programs, so we are really excited to open the season in Texas against a great field."
Texas A&M then heads to the challenging Puerto Rico Tournament, where the Aggies will face Florida State, Minnesota and Temple, Sept. 1-3. The Seminoles were the Atlantic Coast Conference runner-up and listed 20th in the 2015 final rankings after falling to SEC foe Florida in the NCAA second round. Minnesota, which lost to Texas in the NCAA semifinals, will be looking to avenge a five-set loss to the Aggies last year at Stanford.
"We love trying out new destinations as long as the teams we face will be beneficial to us and to our ranking," Corbelli said. "To play Florida State, Minnesota and Temple is going to be incredibly challenging, and it also will be a fun trip for the team. It is a great opportunity competition-wise, as well as for the team to experience new things together and have fun team time."
Texas A&M then heads to Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Sept. 9 to take on NCAA tournament teams Arizona of the Pac-12 Conference and New Mexico State, the defending Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion. Following the doubleheader, the Aggies travel to El Paso, Texas, to face UTEP on Sept. 10.
"I like when we get to face a Pac-12 school and another school that finishes in the top portion of its conference," Corbelli said. "It is a great snapshot of what we look for in pre-conference; top programs and conference champions are who we want to go up against. Two NCAA teams in one day makes it additionally challenging. And to get to play UTEP the next morning at their place, it's another Texas university with a great coach who has done a nice job improving that program."
Texas A&M concludes the road portion of its pre-conference schedule at former long-time conference foe Texas, which is slated to play at Reed Arena in 2017. The Aggies take on the Longhorns on Wed., Sept. 14, at Gregory Gym in Austin. Texas A&M then makes its home debut and wraps up non-conference play Sept. 16 at Reed Arena as the Aggies play host to Wisconsin of the Big Ten. The Badgers are coming off a season in which they reached the NCAA Sweet 16, were No. 7 in the final RPI and No. 10 in the final coaches' poll.
"You want to get ready for conference, you play Texas and Wisconsin right before the start," Corbelli said. "That is as good as it gets, and to get to play the highest level before we even start conference will identify our weaknesses and benefit us as we start SEC play. You just can't lose when you play teams like that before you start your quest for another championship, so that is going to be exciting.
"Just the fact that Texas and Texas A&M have been rivals for so long makes for a fun match. Their program has been one of the top in the country, so no matter if they are your rival or not, you always want to put yourself up against teams that challenge you and make you better. The match will have an NCAA feel to it, and it's always a very charged and feisty match with a lot of emotion and with a lot of diehard fans cheering for both sides. Both teams want it really badly, for more reasons than usual.
"And of course, we'll be really ready to finally play at home and go up against a Big Ten team that plays a very similar style to ours and has several All-Americans. I know that we will have a lot of excitement and will be very well prepared for the home opener. That type of team tends to draw great crowds at Reed Arena, and that would be a great start to our season if we have a great 12th Man crowd for that match."
Texas A&M, led by returning SEC Player of the Year Stephanie Aiple and AVCA second-team All-American middle blocker Jazzmin Babers, begins defense of its SEC title on Friday, Sept. 23 at Alabama, the first of an 18-match conference slate. The Aggies make their home conference debut against Auburn on Sunday, Sept. 25.
"We most definitely we will have a target on our backs," Corbelli said about entering the conference season as the defending champions. "But when I look back at last year, I'm still just so proud on how we pulled it together and just grinded our way through SEC play. I now know the team has that in them and they tasted it and they have achieved it.
"To do it again is going to be harder. The trick for us is going to be not going in thinking about defending the title. Our mental approach and the way the team handles everybody-coming-at-us type of attitudes is going to determine a lot, because we do have a lot of talent and we have a lot of experience. I think we have a really good shot at winning again if we handle it properly."
Texas A&M concludes its home schedule with a Thanksgiving Eve contest against LSU and then wraps up the regular season at Auburn on Saturday, Nov. 26.
NCAA Championship first and second round matches will be played Dec. 1-3 at campus sites, and regional matches will be played Dec. 9-10 at sites to be determined. Semifinal matches and the championship match will be played Dec. 15 and 17, respectively, in Columbus, Ohio.
Season tickets will go on sale soon and will be available for purchase online at 12thManFoundation.com or by calling 888-99-AGGIE.
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.