COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M volleyball student-athletes Stephanie Aiple, Jazzmin Babers and Kaitlyn Blake were named to the 18-member All-SEC Team, and the Aggies' Hollann Hans (pronounced Hands) was named to the seven-member SEC All-Freshman Team, the Southeastern Conference announced today.
It is the third consecutive appearance on the All-SEC Team for Babers (pronounced BAY-bers), a fifth-year senior middle blocker from Syracuse, New York. Aiple (pronounced EYE-plee), a junior setter from Round Rock, is making her second consecutive appearance on the team, while Blake, a sophomore middle blocker from Allen, is making her first appearance.
Babers, who has started all 119 matches in her career, leads the Aggies and is fifth in the SEC with a .381 hitting percentage in conference matches. A finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, Babers also is fifth in the league with 1.37 blocks per set in league play.
Babers, who holds numerous Texas A&M all-time and SEC match, season and career records, recently shattered the program's all-time record for career block assists. She needs only eight blocks to give her 553 total blocks for her career, breaking the previous record of 552 held by Cindy Lothspeich (1994-97).
Aiple, who has started every match and played in all but one set this season, is fourth in the SEC with 10.89 assists per set for the full season and fifth with 11.00 assists per set in conference matches only. The 2015 SEC Player of the Year has directed the Aggie offense to a 14.38 kill average for the full season, ranking 12th in the nation. She has commanded the team to a .273 hitting percentage in conference matches and has the team ranked second in the league with 14.76 kills and 13.80 assists per set in league play. Earlier this season, Aiple directed the A&M offense to a .392 hitting efficiency in a 3-2 victory at Georgia, marking the highest team hitting percentage in a five-set match in school history.
Aiple, who leads A&M with four double-doubles on the season, ranks fifth in the A&M career records with 3,308 assists.
Blake, a two-time SEC Player of the Week this season, leads the SEC and is seventh in the nation with 1.54 blocks per set. She also leads the Maroon and White and is fifth in the conference with a .372 hitting efficiency for the full season. Blake, who has started every match and played in every set this season, currently is tied for fifth in the A&M single season records with 134 blocks assists and needs only 21 more to break the all-time record of 154 set by Amber Woolsey in 1999.
Hans, an outside hitter from Corpus Christi, leads the Aggies, is third among all SEC freshmen and 13th overall in the conference with 3.68 points per set in SEC matches. Hans, who has played in all 16 SEC matches, also leads A&M, is tops among SEC freshmen and ranks sixth overall in the league with 0.27 aces per set in conference matches only.
Hans, who earlier this season garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors, leads A&M with 17 double-figure kill performances this season, and she is second on the team with 3.14 kills per set in SEC matches only.
Texas A&M (19-8, 13-3 SEC) returns to the court later today as the Aggies play host to LSU in the final regular season home match of the season at Reed Arena. First serve is at 6:30 p.m., and the first 300 fans will receive a free hat. It also is Senior Night, and Babers, Victoria Arenas, Emily Hardesty, Katelyn Labhart and Kaysie Shebeneck will be honored following the match.
The following is the complete list of 2016 SEC volleyball awards:
Player of the Year: Krystal Rivers, Alabama
Libero of the Year: Ashley Dusek, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Leah Edmond, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Krystal Rivers, Alabama
Coach of the Year: Wayne Kreklow, Missouri
All-SEC Team
All-Freshman Team
It is the third consecutive appearance on the All-SEC Team for Babers (pronounced BAY-bers), a fifth-year senior middle blocker from Syracuse, New York. Aiple (pronounced EYE-plee), a junior setter from Round Rock, is making her second consecutive appearance on the team, while Blake, a sophomore middle blocker from Allen, is making her first appearance.
Babers, who has started all 119 matches in her career, leads the Aggies and is fifth in the SEC with a .381 hitting percentage in conference matches. A finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, Babers also is fifth in the league with 1.37 blocks per set in league play.
Babers, who holds numerous Texas A&M all-time and SEC match, season and career records, recently shattered the program's all-time record for career block assists. She needs only eight blocks to give her 553 total blocks for her career, breaking the previous record of 552 held by Cindy Lothspeich (1994-97).
Aiple, who has started every match and played in all but one set this season, is fourth in the SEC with 10.89 assists per set for the full season and fifth with 11.00 assists per set in conference matches only. The 2015 SEC Player of the Year has directed the Aggie offense to a 14.38 kill average for the full season, ranking 12th in the nation. She has commanded the team to a .273 hitting percentage in conference matches and has the team ranked second in the league with 14.76 kills and 13.80 assists per set in league play. Earlier this season, Aiple directed the A&M offense to a .392 hitting efficiency in a 3-2 victory at Georgia, marking the highest team hitting percentage in a five-set match in school history.
Aiple, who leads A&M with four double-doubles on the season, ranks fifth in the A&M career records with 3,308 assists.
Blake, a two-time SEC Player of the Week this season, leads the SEC and is seventh in the nation with 1.54 blocks per set. She also leads the Maroon and White and is fifth in the conference with a .372 hitting efficiency for the full season. Blake, who has started every match and played in every set this season, currently is tied for fifth in the A&M single season records with 134 blocks assists and needs only 21 more to break the all-time record of 154 set by Amber Woolsey in 1999.
Hans, an outside hitter from Corpus Christi, leads the Aggies, is third among all SEC freshmen and 13th overall in the conference with 3.68 points per set in SEC matches. Hans, who has played in all 16 SEC matches, also leads A&M, is tops among SEC freshmen and ranks sixth overall in the league with 0.27 aces per set in conference matches only.
Hans, who earlier this season garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors, leads A&M with 17 double-figure kill performances this season, and she is second on the team with 3.14 kills per set in SEC matches only.
Texas A&M (19-8, 13-3 SEC) returns to the court later today as the Aggies play host to LSU in the final regular season home match of the season at Reed Arena. First serve is at 6:30 p.m., and the first 300 fans will receive a free hat. It also is Senior Night, and Babers, Victoria Arenas, Emily Hardesty, Katelyn Labhart and Kaysie Shebeneck will be honored following the match.
The following is the complete list of 2016 SEC volleyball awards:
Player of the Year: Krystal Rivers, Alabama
Libero of the Year: Ashley Dusek, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Leah Edmond, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Krystal Rivers, Alabama
Coach of the Year: Wayne Kreklow, Missouri
All-SEC Team
| Krystal Rivers | Alabama |
| Jesse Earl | Auburn |
| Alexa Filley | Auburn |
| Rhamat Alhassan | Florida |
| Alex Holston | Florida |
| Carolina Knop | Florida |
| Allie Monserez | Florida |
| Carli Snyder | Florida |
| Kaz Brown | Kentucky |
| Olivia Dailey | Kentucky |
| Ashley Dusek | Kentucky |
| Leah Edmond | Kentucky |
| Melanie Crow | Missouri |
| Carly Kan | Missouri |
| Alyssa Munlyn | Missouri |
| Stephanie Aiple | Texas A&M |
| Jazzmin Babers | Texas A&M |
| Kaitlyn Blake | Texas A&M |
All-Freshman Team
| Hayley McSparin | Alabama |
| Gwyn Jones | Auburn |
| Rachael Kramer | Florida |
| Leah Edmond | Kentucky |
| Mikayla Shields | South Carolina |
| Tessa Grubbs | Tennessee |
| Hollann Hans | Texas A&M |