Preview: Texas A&M Hosts South Carolina

Friday, October 14

College Station

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

South Carolina

Buy Tickets

Oct 13, 2016 | Volleyball

Complete Match Notes (PDF)

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M (10-6, 4-1 SEC) vs. South Carolina (13-4, 1-4 SEC)
Friday, October 14, 6:30 p.m.
Reed Arena, College Station, Texas

Video: SEC Network +, WatchESPN (Casey Richardson and Chelsea Reber)
Stats: 12thMan.com/live
Twitter Updates: @AggieVolleyball

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- After playing 14 of its first 16 matches on the road, Texas A&M returns to Reed Arena on Friday to play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks. The match, which is the first of a two-match homestand this weekend, begins at 6:30 p.m., and it will be broadcast on SEC Network +, available on WatchESPN, with Casey Richardson and Chelsea Reber calling the action.

Led by reigning SEC Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week Kaitlyn Blake, the Aggies have won four consecutive matches to improve to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. Most recently, Texas A&M defeated Ole Miss, 3-1 (25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18), on Sunday in Oxford, Mississippi, to cap a three-match road swing.

South Carolina, 13-4 overall and 1-4 in conference play, is aiming to snap a three-match losing skid after falling to then-No. 11 Florida, 3-0, Sunday at the Carolina Tennis Center.

SWEET PROMOTIONS

In celebration of National Dessert Day on Friday, Aggie Aces will be hosting a free ice cream bar tailgate for all students outside the Reed Arena north entrance prior to the match;
The first 100 fans will receive a free Chick-Fil-A cookie;
All fans will have a chance to win Chick-Fil-A milkshakes for a year.

TEXAS A&M IN THE SEC

Texas A&M is picked to win the SEC in 2016 according to the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Aggies received seven of the 13 first-place votes and 137 total points to finish atop the preseason poll.
Last year, Texas A&M dropped its SEC opener for the first time, falling to Arkansas, 3-1, at Reed Arena. The Aggies went on to go 16-2 in SEC matches to capture the first conference championship in program history.
Texas A&M, which this year opened SEC play on the road for the first time and fell to Alabama, 3-2, is in its fifth season as a member of the SEC.
The Aggies are 59-20 in SEC matches since joining the league in 2012.
Texas A&M is 1-0 in SEC home matches this season, having defeated Auburn, 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-19) on Sept. 25.
The Aggies, who went 8-1 in SEC home matches and 8-1 in SEC away matches in 2015, are 29-9 all-time in SEC home matches and 30-11 all-time in SEC away matches.
Junior setter Stephanie Aiple, who last year became the Aggies' first player to be named SEC Player of the Year, and senior redshirt middle blocker Jazzmin Babers, an AVCA second-team All-American in 2015, both were named to the 2016 Preseason All-SEC Team.
Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake is the reigning SEC Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week after leading Texas A&M with a .463 hitting percentage, 3.29 kills, 1.43 blocks, 0.29 aces and 4.43 points per set in wins at both Arkansas and Ole Miss last week.

CORBELLI NEARING 600/500 WINS

Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli, the reigning SEC and AVCA South Region coach of the year, is quickly closing in on the 600th victory in her head coaching career and the 500th win in her A&M coaching career, needing just two more wins to reach each of the milestones.
Corbelli is 598-340 in the 31st year of her head coaching career and 498-234 in her 24th season as head coach of the Aggies.
Corbelli was 100-106 in her head coaching career when she was hired at Texas A&M in 1993 by then Texas A&M Athletics Director John David Crow. Prior to A&M, she had spent four seasons at the University of San Francisco (1986-89) and three seasons at Santa Clara (1990-92).
Corbelli's first career victory was Sept. 6, 1986, as the Lady Dons defeated Weber State, 3-1.
Her first win as head coach of the Aggies was a sweep against Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 3, 1993, at the Dan Gamel Invitational in Fresno, Calif.
Other career milestone victories for Corbelli:

100     SCU def. Pepperdine, 3-1, Nov. 21, 1992
200     A&M def. Cal, 3-0, Sept. 19, 1997
300     A&M def. Texas, 3-1, Oct. 6, 2001
400     A&M def. Loyola, 3-0, Sept. 8, 2006
500     A&M def. Texas State, 3-0, Aug. 24, 2012

A&M-SOUTH CAROLINA ALL-TIME SERIES

Texas A&M has won the last three meetings against the Gamecocks and leads the all-time series, 7-1, including 5-1 in SEC matches only.
A&M is 3-0 in matches played in College Station.
The last two meetings have gone five sets. Both matches were in Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina's only victory in the series was Oct. 6, 2013, as the Gamecocks upset A&M, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23, in Columbia.
In the only meeting last year, Texas A&M overcame a 2-1 set deficit to defeat a feisty South Carolina team, 27-29, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 15-4, at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
Middle blocker Jazzmin Babers and opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor propelled the Aggies, each posting career highs in kills with 23 and 19, respectively. Reasor also posted a personal best .615 hitting efficiency, and Babers hit at a .486 clip as setter Stephanie Aiple orchestrated the offense to an overall .247 to .194 lead in team hitting percentage while dishing out 56 assists. Libero Amy Nettles led the Aggies defensively with 14 digs.
Dessaa Legros led the Gamecocks with 20 kills and 25 points, and Darian Dozier had a match-high eight blocks as South Carolina outblocked A&M, 12-9
A&M all-time records/results vs. South Carolina:

H: 3-0    A: 4-1    N: 0-0    SEC: 5-1
Oct. 10, 1993       A     W      15-7, 15-8, 15-7
Dec. 3,   1995       H     W      15-6, 17-15, 15-12
Oct. 5,   2012       H     W      25-12, 25-16, 25-16
Oct. 28, 2012       A     W      25-19, 25-16, 25-23
Oct. 6,   2013       A     L       23-25, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25
Nov. 27, 2013       H     W      25-22, 25-6, 25-18
Oct. 19, 2014       A     W      25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-13
Oct. 11, 2015       A     W      27-29, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 15-4

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M won its fourth consecutive match and improved to 13-0 in the all-time series against Ole Miss with a 25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18 victory over the Rebels on Sunday at The Pavilion in Oxford, Miss.
Kiara McGee had a team-high 15 kills while hitting .407, and Kaitlyn Blake tied her career high with 14 kills while hitting at a .444 clip to lead the Aggies to a 56-47 lead in kills and a .269 to .122 team hitting percentage advantage. Blake, who leads the SEC in blocks per set, also had a big day defensively, contributing a match-high eight blocks as she finished with a team-high 19.5 points.
Texas A&M setter Stephanie Aiple directed the offense, dishing out 42 assists, while libero Amy Nettles had a match high 18 digs to head up the backrow defense. Victoria Arenas and Amy Houser also posted double-figure digs with 11 apiece in their defensive specialist roles.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

The South Carolina match begins A&M's first two-match homestand of the season and is only the Aggies' third home match overall.
Texas A&M's current four-match win streak equals the Aggies' longest winning streak of the season.
The Aggies are 1-1 in home matches, having fallen to now-No. 1 Wisconsin in the home season opener on Sept. 16 and defeating Auburn in A&M's SEC home season opener on Sept. 25.
A&M moved up one spot to 36 in the NCAA RPI released on Monday.
In conference matches only, A&M leads the SEC with a .133 opponent hitting percentage.
During the Aggies' four-match win streak, A&M is outhitting its opponents .310 to .102 and averaging 14.93 kills per set to opponents' 11.0 kill average. In addition, A&M leads in assists (13.86 to 10.07) and blocks (2.93 to 1.75) per set over the last four matches.
For the full season, the Aggies are second in the SEC and 22nd in the nation with 2.75 blocks per set.
A&M is third in the SEC and 29th in the nation with 14.05 kills per set, and the Aggies are third in the SEC and 30th in the nation with a .265 hitting percentage for the full season.
Texas A&M had a grueling preconference schedule, having faced five ranked opponents, more than any other team in the SEC.
All five of Texas A&M's preconference losses were against ranked opponents, including losses to current No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 4 Texas. Texas was the NCAA runner-up last year and Minnesota was an NCAA semifinalist.
The other two preconference losses were against now-No. 15 Florida State and No. 19 Ohio State, who both escaped with 3-2 victories against the Aggies.
After going 7-0 in five-set matches last year, the Aggies are 0-3 in five setters this season.
Texas A&M returns five starters plus the libero from last year's team that went 24-7 overall, won the SEC with a 16-2 record, and was 18th in the final AVCA poll after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Laurie Corbelli, in her 24th season as head coach of the Aggies, also welcomed eight freshmen as well as a redshirt freshman.
Returning starters include 2015 SEC Player of the Year Stephanie Aiple (Jr., 6-1, S), AVCA second-team All-American Jazzmin Babers (RS-Sr., 6-2, MB) and AVCA All-South Region Honorable Mention selection Kiara McGee (Jr., 5-11, OH), as well as Emily Hardesty (Sr., 6-3, OH) and Ashlie Reasor (Jr., 6-1, OPP). The Aggies also return junior libero Amy Nettles, who received the team's best defensive player award and was the only Aggie to see action in all 115 sets last year.

AGGIE PLAYER NOTABLES

Redshirt senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers had 10 kills against Arkansas on Oct. 5, giving her 1,003 for her career. Babers, who now has 1,011 career kills, became the 17th player in program history to join the 1,000-kills club and the first player to reach the milestone since 2012, when middle blocker Lindsey Miller finished her four-year career with 1,025.
Babers needs three total blocks to give her 490 for her career, moving her into a tie with former two-time All-American Sherri Brinkman (1983-85) for third place in the A&M career records for total blocks.
Babers is third in the A&M career records for block assists with 429 and sixth in career points with 1,285.5 since rally scoring began in 2001. She needs 11 points to move into a tie for sixth.
Babers has started every match of her career (108).
Babers leads the Aggies and is eighth in the SEC with a .347 hitting percentage for the full season.
Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake, who has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 14 of 16 matches, leads the SEC and is ranked third in the nation with 1.61 blocks per set.
Blake, an all-tournament selection at both the North Texas Challenge and the Puerto Rico Clásico, tied a school record for block assists in a four-set match with 12 in a 3-1 victory at North Texas on Aug. 27, and she also tied the school record for total blocks in a four-set match with 13 against the Mean Green.
Blake's 13 blocks against North Texas ranks fourth in the nation for most blocks in a four-set match this season.
Blake was named both the SEC Player of the Week and the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time on Sept. 12 after averaging an impressive 2.44 blocks per set while leading the Aggies to sweeps against Arizona, New Mexico State and UTEP at the Borderline Invitational. It was the first time in her career Blake had received either accolade.
Junior setter Stephanie Aiple is fifth in the SEC and 31st in the nation with 10.73 assists per set for the full season.
Aiple has 2,864 career assists, ranking ninth in the A&M career records. She needs 99 more assists to take sole possession of eighth place, surpassing Chris Zogata, who had 2,962 from 1983-86.
Aiple ranks sixth in the SEC with 10.79 assists per set.
During the four-match win streak, Aiple is averaging 10.93 assists per set while directing a balanced A&M offense that is hitting .310 with all five attackers averaging at least 2.0 kills per set. Aiple herself is averaging 1.57 kills and 2.07 points per set and is hitting .410 over the last four matches.
Freshman outside hitter Hollann Hans has posted double-figure kills in eight matches, tying Kiara McGee for the team lead.
Hans leads A&M with 3.50 points per set in conference matches only. She is second on the team with 3.12 kills per set in SEC matches and third with 3.23 kills per set for the full season.
Hans also leads A&M with two double-doubles for the full season, having posted back-to-back double-double performances against then-No. 2 Texas and No. 6 Wisconsin.
Junior outside hitter Kiara McGee leads the Aggies with 3.18 kills and 3.44 points per set while hitting .264 for the full season. In SEC matches only, she leads A&M with 3.32 kills per set, is tied for the team lead with 3.50 points per set and leads the team and is ninth in the SEC with a .383 hitting efficiency.
McGee is tied with freshman Hollann Hans for the team lead with eighth double-figure kill performances.
Junior libero Amy Nettles, who has received the team's best defensive player award each of the last two seasons, has 906 career digs and needs only 94 more to become the 21^st player in Texas A&M history to join the 1,000-digs club.
Nettles has led the Aggies in digs in a team-high 11 matches this season.
Nettles leads A&M and is seventh in the SEC with 3.74 digs per set in conference matches only.
For the full season, Nettles leads A&M and is 10th in the league with 3.32 digs per set.
Several players made their first appearance of the season against UTEP at the Borderline Invitational, including senior setter Kaysie Shebeneck, who played the entire second set. Freshman setter Lexi Lopez and freshman middle blocker Maddie Douglas made their Texas A&M career debuts, subbing in late in the third set. Lopez had an ace and an assist in the first two plays of her career, and Douglas had the match-ending kill.
Shebeneck and Douglas also played the latter part of the fourth set at LSU, with Shebeneck helping the Aggies to a .389 hitting efficiency in the final frame, and Douglas posting the first block of her career.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina is 13-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC matches only and mired in a three-match losing skid.
Most recently, the Gamecocks fell to 11th-ranked Florida, 3-0, on Sunday in Columbia, S.C. Dessaa Legros led SC with six kills. As a team, SC was outhit, .250 to .030, and outblocked, 11-6.
The Gamecocks defeated Tennessee, 3-2, on Sept. 28, to mark their most recent win.
South Carolina is picked to finish 11th in the SEC according to a preseason vote of the league's coaches.
The Gamecocks return four starters plus the libero from last year's team that went 13-18 overall and tied for 10th in the SEC with a 6-12 conference ledger.
SC is fourth in the SEC with a .266 hitting percentage for the full season, but the Gamecocks are being held to a .181 hitting efficiency in SEC matches only.
South Carolina won all 12 of its pre-conference matches before suffering its first loss in its SEC opener, a 3-0 defeat at Missouri.
SC's preconference opponents entered the week with a combined 89-125 record, with College of Charleston's 83 RPI being the highest of the non-conference foes. A&M's preconference opponents are 127-63 with seven of the 11 teams currently listed 75 or better in this week's NCAA RPI, including No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Minnesota.
Freshman Mikayla Shields leads the Gamecocks and is 10th in the SEC with a .338 hitting percentage for the full season. She also is averaging a team-leading 2.95 kills per set for the full season.
Freshman Alicia Starr is hitting a team-best .418 in SEC matches only, ranking fourth in the conference. The right side/middle blocker also is fifth in the SEC with 1.28 blocks per set in league play.
Scott Swanson (Arizona State, 1995) is 137-146 in the 11th season of his head coaching career and 87-85 in the sixth season at the helm of the Gamecocks.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE— DIG PINK

Texas A&M returns to Reed Arena on Sunday for a highly anticipated match against ninth-ranked Florida. First serve is at 4 p.m., and the match will be televised on SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Missy Whittemore calling the action.
In conjunction with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, A&M's annual "Dig Pink" match will be Sunday, and anyone wearing pink to the match can purchase a ticket at the entrance for only $3 and also receive a free pink lemonade. In addition, the first 300 fans will be given a free Dig Pink shirt.
Texas A&M and Florida last met in the Aggies' 2015 regular season home finale. Texas A&M, riding an 11-match winning streak which began after a 3-0 loss at Florida on Oct. 9, celebrated "Senior Day" in thrilling fashion, recording its first victory in the all-time after coming back from an 0-2 set deficit to stun the 14th-ranked Gators, 20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-11, on Nov. 22 at Reed Arena.

DIG PINK FUNDRAISER

The Aggies are currently accepting donations for their "Dig Pink" initiative and encourage fans to visit their online fund raiser page, https://giving.side-out.org/campaigns/11634. All funds raised will be donated to The Side-Out Foundation and applied toward a clinical trial specifically for patients with Stage 4 breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease and the least funded area of research.

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.