Texas A&M Puts Win Streak on the Line at Tennessee

Sunday, November 6

College Station

1:30 PM

Texas A&M

Tennessee

Buy Tickets

Nov 15, 2016 | Volleyball

Complete Match Notes (PDF)

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M (18-7, 12-2 SEC) vs. Tennessee (15-12, 5-9 SEC)
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET)
Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee

Television: SEC Network
Stats: 12thMan.com/live
Twitter Updates: @AggieVolleyball

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M puts its season-high seven-match win streak on the line as the Aggies return to the road to take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday in Knoxville. First serve is a 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET) at Thompson-Boling Arena, and the match will be televised on ESPNU with Sam Gore and Missy Whittemore calling the action.

Texas A&M (18-7, 12-2 SEC), which defeated the Volunteers, 26-24, 25-20, 25-15, only three matches ago at Reed Arena in College Station, has won 12 of its last 13 matches and is tied with Missouri for third place in the SEC standings, only 1 ½ games behind league-leader Florida with four matches remaining.

Most recently, Texas A&M wrapped up a successful four-match homestand, with freshman outside hitter Hollann Hans recording a team-high 12 kills without an error to lead the Aggies to a 25-20, 25-20, 25-16 victory over Georgia, Sunday afternoon at Reed Arena.

Tennessee, 15-12 overall and 5-9 in SEC matches, is aiming to end a four-match losing skid after getting swept by Arkansas, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20, on Sunday in Fayetteville.

TEXAS A&M-TENNESSEE ALL-TIME SERIES

Texas A&M has won the last six matches against the Volunteers to build an 8-6 lead in the all-time series which began in 1982.
A&M leads, 6-1, in SEC matches only and has swept Tennessee in each of the last five meetings.
A&M is 4-3 against the Volunteers in Knoxville, including 3-0 in SEC matches.
Tennessee's most recent victory against the Aggies was Oct. 19, 2012, at Reed Arena in the teams' first meeting as SEC foes.
In the most recent meeting (Nov. 6, 2016), Jazzmin Babers became the Texas A&M all-time record holder for career block assists after recording seven block assists—and a match-high nine total blocks—to lead the Aggies to a 26-24, 25-20, 25-15 victory over the Volunteers. A&M, which had 28 blocks assists to set the team record for most block assists in an SEC three-set match, finished with 16 blocks overall, a season high for a three-set match. The Aggies, however, were held to a season-low .159 hitting efficiency.
In the first set, the Vols outhit A&M. 175 to .108 but committed five service errors in the frame. Tennessee had overcome a six-point deficit and held a 23-19 lead before A&M raced back. Hollann Hans got a kill that marked the start of a 5-0 run, with Kiara McGee getting a kill off the Tennessee block to put the Aggies at set point, 24-23. Tennessee tied the set for the fifth time with a kill before McGee closed out the stanza with back-to-back kills.
Hans jumped started the Aggies to a 7-0 lead in the second set, starting off the frame with three consecutive aces. Tennessee, which held the Aggies to a .000 hitting percentage, got within 8-6, but an untimely service error ended the run and marked the start of a 6-0 rally by A&M that gave the Aggies their largest lead at 14-6. The Vols later got within 20-16, but their six service errors in the set prevented them from making a viable comeback. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set, with Tennessee fittingly committing a service error to end the set.
After hitting only .064 through the first two sets, the Aggies hit .400 in the final stanza, securing a lead throughout the third set to complete the sweep.
Vols' freshman Tessa Grubbs finished with a match-high 14 kills to help Tennessee to a 36-31 lead in kills, but the Vols were held to a .101 hitting percentage as a team and committed 13 service errors, the most by an A&M opponent this season and more than twice that of any other SEC opponent has committed against the Aggies this year.
Hans and McGee led A&M in kills with nine apiece, and libero Amy Nettles and setter Stephanie Aiple tied for match-high honors with 10 digs apiece. Aiple also had 24 assists to complete her team-leading fourth double-double of the season.
A&M's records/results vs. Tennessee:

Overall: 8-6    H: 4-2    A: 4-3    N: 0-1    SEC: 6-1
Nov. 12-13, 1982   A          L          8-15, 15-12, 16-14, 6-15, 8-15
Oct. 7, 1983          H          L          1-15, 13-15, 7-15
Oct. 14, 1983        N          L          12-15, 10-15, 14-16
Nov. 2, 1985          A          W         15-6, 15-6, 15-5
Oct. 31, 1987        A          L          14-16, 13-15, 9-15
Oct. 29, 1994        H          W         15-0, 15-4, 15-10
Dec. 4, 2004          A          L          21-30, 30-24, 23-30, 30-32
Oct. 19, 2012        H          L          21-25, 19-25, 21-25
Nov. 21, 2012        A          W         15-25, 25-22, 25-20, 27-29, 15-9
Nov. 15, 2013        H          W         25-17, 25-14, 25-10
Oct. 23, 2014        A          W         25-14, 25-21, 25-15
Nov. 16, 2014        H          W         25-21, 25-14, 25-23
Nov. 1, 2015          A          W         25-14, 25-23, 25-18
Nov. 6, 2016          H          W         26-24, 25-20, 25-15

BUILDING BLOCKS

Senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers had seven block assists—and nine total blocks—in the Aggies' sweep against Tennessee on Nov. 6 to give her an A&M record 458 for her career, shattering the previous school record of 456 block assists held by Cindy Lothspeich (1994-97). Babers continues to build on the record and now has 468 career block assists
Babers, who sports a 1.25 block average for her career, is third in the A&M records for total blocks with 531. She needs 16 more blocks to tie former All-American Amber Woolsey (1996-99) for second place with 547, and a total of 21 blocks to tie the all-time record of 552 held by Lothspeich.
Babers is 10th in the career records with 63 block solos.
Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake is moving up in the season block assists records. She currently has a team-leading 121 block assists and is tied with Amy Cumings (1990) for ninth in the A&M all-time season records. Blake needs six more block assists to tie Cindy Lothspeich for eighth. Seven block assists will put her in a tie for seventh with Babers, who had 128 block assists as a redshirt freshman in 2013.
Texas A&M ranks third in the SEC and 19th in the nation with 2.70 blocks per set for the full season. In SEC matches only, A&M is third in the league with 2.76 blocks per set and is on pace to break the school SEC season record for blocks per set in an SEC season, which currently stands at 2.65, which was set last year.

2017 SIGNING CLASS

Texas A&M signed four heralded student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. All four signees are mentioned in PrepVolleyball.com's top 250 list of the Class of 2017 Senior Aces, including three who are in the top 100:
Camille Conner, S, 6-1, Katy, Texas (Seven Lakes, High School)
Morgan Davis, MB, 6-4, Orlando, Fla. (Bishop Moore Catholic High School)
Makena Patterson, MB, 6-3, Phoenix, Ariz. (Xavier College Preparatory)
Samantha Sanders, OH, 6-2, Waco, Texas (Midway High School)

VOTE FOR BABERS

Jazzmin Babers is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award.
Fans are encouraged to vote daily via computer through December 5 at seniorclassaward.com to help select the winner.
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.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

A&M remained at No. 23 in the NCAA RPI released on Monday.
The Aggies received votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll and are listed 27th, up three spots from last week.
Texas A&M's seven-match winning streak is its longest win streak of the season. The Aggies' previous longest winning streak of the season was five from Sept. 25 through Oct. 14.
A&M has won 12 of its last 13 matches and has not dropped a match since falling to then-No. 9 Florida, 3-1, on Oct. 16 in College Station.
The Aggies have won their last five away matches to improve to 8-2 overall in true away matches this season.
A&M is coming off a four-match homestand, its longest homestand of the season.
The Aggies are tied with Missouri for third place in the SEC standings, only 1 ½ games behind league-leader Florida (14-1), and a half game behind Kentucky (13-2).
Texas A&M plays Florida, Kentucky and Missouri only one time each this season. The Aggies fell to then-No. 9 Florida, 3-1, on Oct. 16 and defeated Missouri, 3-1, on Oct. 26, both in College Station. Texas A&M has a showdown against No. 23 Kentucky on Sunday (Nov. 20) in Lexington.
Texas A&M entered the week ranked 12th in the nation in kills per set (14.25), 19th in both blocks (2.70) and hitting percentage (.265), and 22nd in assists per set (13.16).
A&M is second in the SEC with 13.30 assists per set, 14.38 kills per set, and a .267 hitting percentage for the full season.
In SEC matches only, A&M is second in hitting percentage (.281) and kills (14.82) per set.
A&M is 15-2 when winning the first set and 3-5 when dropping the opening set.
After going 7-0 in five-set matches last year, the Aggies are 1-3 in five setters this season.
In addition to playing its first 10 matches of the season on the road, Texas A&M's grueling preconference schedule included 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. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 7 Texas. The other two preconference losses were against now-No. 17 Florida State and No. 24 Ohio State, who both escaped with 3-2 victories against the Aggies during the first two weeks of the season.

TENNESSEE QUICK HITS

Tennessee is 15-12 overall and in eighth place in the SEC standings with a 5-9 conference ledger.
The Volunteers are 7-2 in home matches for the full season, including 4-2 in SEC home matches.
The Vols are mired in a season-high four-match losing skid after getting swept at Ole Miss and at Arkansas last week.
In their most recent match, the Vols started three freshmen and five underclassmen overall, including the libero.
Freshman setter Sedona Hansen is third in the SEC with 11.24 assists per set in for the full season and 11.23 assists per set in conference matches only.
Hansen is tied for the conference lead with nine double-doubles in SEC matches only.
Freshman 6-3 outside hitter Tessa Grubbs, who led all players with 14 kills the last time UT and A&M met, had a team-high 10 kills while hitting .364 in the loss to Arkansas.
Grubbs is sixth in the SEC with 3.72 kills and 4.20 points per set for the full season.
Tennessee is outhitting its opponents .258 to .195 for the full season and .231 to .227 in SEC matches only.
The Vols, who had 13 service errors in the three-set loss at A&M and 10 service errors at Arkansas on Sunday, average 2.70 service errors per set compared to only 1.21 service aces per set for the full season. In SEC matches only, Tennessee averages 2.77 service errors per set and 0.89 aces per set.
Tennessee, which tied for eighth in the SEC standings last year, was picked to place ninth this year according to a preseason vote of the league's coaches.
Rob Patrick (Miami (Ohio) is 395-232 in his 20th season as head coach at Tennessee, where he has spent his entire head coaching career.

AGGIE PLAYER NOTABLES

Senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers has started every match of her career (117).
Babers leads the Aggies and is fifth in the SEC with a .360 hitting percentage for the full season. She is sixth in the SEC with a .364 hitting percentage in conference matches only.
Babers is second on the team and fifth in the league with 1.31 blocks per set in SEC matches.
Over the last three matches, Babers is averaging 2.22 blocks and 3.50 points per set.
In the match at Arkansas on Oct. 5, Babers surpassed 1,000 career kills, becoming the 17th A&M player to reach four-digit kills. She now has 1,091 kills, ranking 13th in the A&M career records.
Junior setter Stephanie Aiple is currently ranked sixth in the A&M career records with 3,216 assists. She needs only 31 assists to move into fifth place in the career records, surpassing Farah Mensik, who had 3,246 assists from 1994-97.
Aiple leads the team with four double-doubles, including three double-double performances over the last six matches.
Aiple, who is fourth in the SEC with 10.83 assists per set for the full season and fifth with 10.92 assists per set in conference matches only, has the A&M offense ranked second in the SEC in hitting percentage (.267) and kills (14.38) and assists (13.30) per set for the full season.
In the win at Georgia on Oct. 21, Aiple directed the Aggie offense to a .392 hitting efficiency, the highest hitting performance in a five-set match in school history. Five players had double-figure kills as A&M also posted the highest hitting percentage in a five-set match by an SEC team this season.
Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake, who has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 20 of 25 matches, entered the week 10th in the nation with 1.51 blocks per set.
Blake is currently second in the SEC in blocks per set for the full season, only 0.0008757 behind league leader Rhamat Alhassan, who also is averaging 1.51 blocks per set.
Blake has 121 block assists this season, tying for ninth place in the A&M all-time single-season records for block assists. Amber Woolsey holds the all-time record with 154 set in 1999.

          1.         Amber Woolsey          1999                154
            2.         Melissa Munsch          2004                147
            3.         Amber Woolsey          1998                145
            4.         Jazzmin Babers           2015    135
            5.         Cindy Lothspeich         1997                134
            6.         Amber Woolsey          1997                131
            7.         Jazzmin Babers           2013    128
            8.         Cindy Lothspeich         1996                127
            9.         Amy Cumings 1990                121
                        Kaitlyn Blake   2016    121

Blake hit a career-high .632 (13-1-19) in the win against Mississippi State on Friday. It is the highest hitting percentage by an A&M player this season and the third highest by an SEC player in a conference match this season.
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 has twice been named SEC Player of the Week this season. She has earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors once and also is a one-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week this season.
Junior outside hitter Kiara McGee leads the Aggies with 3.19 kills per set for the full season and 3.25 kills per set in SEC matches only.
McGee is second on the team with 3.46 points per set for the full season and 3.49 points per set in conference matches only.
McGee has led or tied for the team lead in kills in a team-high 12 matches and is second on the team with 14 double-figure kill performances.
Freshman outside hitter Hollann Hans leads A&M with 15 double-figure kill performances overall.
Hans has three doubles-doubles (kills and digs), including back-to-back double-double performances in three-set matches against then-No. 2 Texas and No. 6 Wisconsin.
Hans, who had a career-high 16 kills in the win against Alabama on Nov. 3, leads A&M and is 13th in the SEC with 3.71 points per set in SEC matches.
Hans has led or tied for the team lead in kills in 10 matches, second most on the team.
Hans also leads A&M with 19 total aces and a 0.25 ace average for the full season.
Hans was named the SEC Freshman Player of the Week on Nov. 7 following back-to-back notable performances in the Aggies' victories over Alabama and Tennessee. Hans took team-high honors in points in both matches, and she also took or tied for team-high honors in kills in each match. For the week, the rookie averaged a team-high 4.50 points, 3.57 kills and 0.57 aces per set.
Junior libero Amy Nettles, who has received the team's best defensive player award each of the last two seasons, has led or tied for the team lead in digs in a team-high 19 matches this season.
Nettles leads A&M and is seventh in the SEC with 3.82 digs per set in conference matches only.
For the full season, Nettles leads A&M and is eighth in the league with 3.52 digs per set.
Nettles has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 17 matches this season.
Nettles has appeared in a team-leading 261 consecutive sets, a streak which began Oct. 15, 2014, of her freshman campaign.
Nettles, Babers, Blake and McGee have played in all 89 sets this season.
Sophomore defensive specialist Amy Houser, who has played in every set in each of the last 15 matches, drew her first start of the season against Missouri.
Houser is tied for the team lead with 12 aces in SEC matches only, and she is second on the team with 0.24 aces per set in SEC matches.

ALL IN THE (COACHING) FAMILY

Head coach Laurie Corbelli along with her husband, Aggie Associate Head Coach John Corbelli, have led the Aggies to 19 NCAA appearances and a 506-235 record in their 24th season at A&M. The Corbellis posted their 500th victory at Texas A&M in the win at Georgia on Oct. 21, and it also marked the 600th win of Laurie Corbelli's head coaching career.
Their son, Russell Corbelli, who graduated from Texas A&M in May, is serving as the volunteer assistant coach this season and recently earned his real estate license.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

A&M has a crucial match against No. 23 Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 20 at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington. The match time has been changed to 1 p.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.
A&M has only one home match remaining as the Aggies host LSU on Wednesday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Eve) at 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. It will be Senior Night, and A&M seniors Victoria Arenas, Jazzmin Babers, Emily Hardesty, Katelyn Labhart and Kaysie Shebeneck will be honored in a postmatch ceremony.

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 daily for Jazzmin Babers for Senior CLASS Award at seniorclassaward.com