Texas A&M Concludes Homestand Against Sixth-Ranked, SEC Leader Kentucky

Sunday, October 29

College Station

1:30 p.m.

Texas A&M

Kentucky

Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics

Oct 28, 2017 | Volleyball

Complete Match Notes (PDF)

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M Aggies (7-10, 4-6 SEC) vs. #6 Kentucky Wildcats (18-2, 9-0 SEC)
Sunday, Oct. 29, 1:30 p.m.
Reed Arena, College Station, Texas

Digital Stream: SEC Network + (WatchESPN)
Stats: 12thMan.com/live
Twitter Updates: @AggieVolleyball

Promotions:

Aggie Parents Appreciation: A&M parents, guardians and grandparents are invited to purchase buy-one, get-one tickets in advance or at the door
Take A Kid to the Game: Up to four kids get in free with the purchase of one full-price adult ticket (Available in person on game day only. Not available in advance).
Kids Court Sunday – open 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the volleyball practice gym (ground floor) with free youth entertainment including a bounce house, face painting, balloon animals and more.
Concessions Special: Free popcorn for the first 100 A&M students (North Entrance)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Texas A&M (7-10, 4-6 SEC) closes out its rare five-match homestand on Sunday as the Aggies play host to sixth-ranked and SEC-leader Kentucky (18-2, 9-0 SEC) at Reed Arena. First serve is at 1:30 p.m., and the match will be digitally streamed on SEC Network + via the WatchESPN app, with Casey Richardson and Chelsea Reber calling the action.

Both Texas A&M and Kentucky are coming off grueling five-set victories on Friday. Texas A&M got a much-needed win by defeating Tennessee, 25-17, 15-25, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14, at Reed. Senior libero Amy Nettles had a career-high 34 digs, tying for sixth in the A&M all-time single match records, and the Aggies posted 105 digs as a team, setting a school record for an SEC match. A&M set a season high for blocks with 13 but allowed a season-high 17 blocks by the Volunteers. It was the first time the Aggies got a win when getting outblocked. A&M also got the win despite hitting .124, marking the first time this season the Aggies registered a victory while hitting under .200.

Kentucky had its win streak threatened as LSU won the first two sets against the Wildcats in Baton Rouge. Kentucky came back to win the match, 12-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-11, to run its win streak to 13 matches and stay undefeated in SEC matches.

A&M-KENTUCKY ALL-TIME SERIES

Kentucky leads the all-time series 9-8 since the teams first met in 1982.
A&M has won the last two meetings at Reed Arena and holds a 5-3 record against the Wildcats in matches played in College Station.
Kentucky owns a 6-3 advantage since A&M joined the SEC in 2012.
In the first-ever meeting as SEC foes, Kentucky defeated the Aggies, 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 15-12) on Sept. 23, 2012, at Reed Arena. It was A&M's first conference loss in SEC history after opening its inaugural season in the league, 2-0, in conference matches.
In the most recent meeting just over two weeks ago, A&M hit a season-low .075 and committed nine service errors with no aces, while then-No. 8 Kentucky hit .410, a season high by an A&M opponent, to easily defeat the Aggies, 25-7, 25-13, 25-21 on Oct. 11 at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
The Aggies put themselves in a deep hole in the opening set as Kentucky reeled off 12 consecutive points to begin the match before A&M got on the board only after the Wildcats hit into the net. It was one of only two attack errors Kentucky would make in the frame. Kentucky went on to outhit A&M, .526 to -.200, and held A&M to its fewest points in a set—other than a fifth set—since the 25-point scoring format went into effect in 2008.
The Aggies, who were outhit, .367 to -.040 in the second set, were within 16-13 before the Wildcats used a 9-0 run to close out the set, 25-13, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set also was closely contested through the halfway point with the teams tied at 15-15. Kentucky, which outhit A&M, .382 to .314 in the frame, then began to pull away, outscoring A&M, 6-2 to go up 22-17. A&M got back within 22-19 before the teams began to trade point-for-point for the rest of the set.
Aggie senior libero Amy Nettles, playing in the 100th match of her career, tied for match high honors with 11 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans led A&M in kills with 10 while hitting at a .280 clip, Kentucky was led by Leah Edmond's 13 kills.
A&M's all-time records/results vs. Kentucky:

Overall: 8-9    H: 5-3    A: 1-6    N: 2-0    SEC: 3-6
Oct. 9, 1982                 N             W            15-9, 16-14
Oct. 29, 1982              H             W            4-15, 13-15, 15-2, 15-11, 15-12
Oct. 30, 1982              H             W            15-9, 10-15, 16-14, 10-15, 15-11
Sep. 14, 1985              N             W            15-9, 15-6, 15-7
Oct. 4, 1985                 H             W            15-10, 8-15, 15-5, 15-10
Oct. 31, 1986              A             L              15-11, 8-15, 12-15, 8-15
Oct. 15, 1988              H             L              4-15, 16-18, 12-15
Dec. 2, 2011                H             L              18-25, 21-25, 19-25
Sep. 23, 2012              H             L              23-25, 26-24, 18-25, 25-20, 12-15
Oct. 14, 2012              A             L              11-25, 22-25, 19-25
Nov. 22, 2013             A             L              24-26, 23-25, 24-26
Oct. 5, 2014                 A             L              20-25, 26-28, 28-30
Oct. 26, 2014              H             W            25-22, 26-24, 17-25, 25-16
Oct. 30, 2015              A             W            30-28, 14-25, 25-23, 26-24
Nov. 18, 2015             H             W            25-23, 25-19, 26-24
Nov. 20, 2016             A             L              18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 26-28
Oct. 11, 2017              A             L              7-25, 13-25, 21-25

TEXAS A&M PLAYER NOTES

Senior libero Amy Nettles has appeared in a school-record 340 consecutive sets. The streak began when the then-freshman came off the bench for the final three sets against Arkansas on Oct. 15, 2014. The now-senior co-captain obliterated the previous record of 284 consecutive sets played, held by fellow San Antonian Suzy Wente since 1994, in the second match of the 2017 season.
Nettles has 1,350 career digs, ranking seventh in the A&M career records. Nettles needs 16 more digs to move into a tie for sixth with Mary Batis (2006-09).
Nettles holds the A&M record for career digs in SEC matches only with 877.
Nettles, who has posted double-figure digs in 15 of 17 matches including each of the last five matches, leads the Aggies and is seventh in the SEC with 3.95 digs per set for the full season. She is averaging 4.31 digs per set in SEC matches only, ranking fifth in the league.
Nettles, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Saturday, had a career-high 34 digs in the win against Tennessee. It ties for sixth in the A&M all-time single-match records and is one shy of the school record for most digs in an SEC match held by Heather Reynolds, who had 35 digs in a 3-2 win at Georgia on Nov. 24, 2013.
Sophomore outside hitter Hollann Hans is second in the SEC with 0.39 aces per set in conference matches only, and she is third in the league with 0.43 aces per set in all matches.
Hans, who had three aces against Ole Miss on Sunday, has served at least one ace in 12 of 17 matches and has posted two or more aces eight times, including two four-ace performances.
Hans, who was named SEC Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Oct. 2, leads the Aggies and is fifth in the SEC with 4.26 points and 3.62 kills per set for the full season.
In SEC matches only, Hans leads A&M and is sixth in the league in kills (3.36) and eighth in points (3.96) per set.
Hans, who has led or tied for the team lead in points in 13 matches and in kills in 10 matches, had career highs of 32.5 points and 28 kills while hitting .328 against No. 5 Penn State. Her 32.5 points against Penn State ties for fourth in A&M single match records, and her 28 kills against the Nittany Lions are the most by an A&M player since Kelsey Black had 28 against Oklahoma on Oct. 6, 2010.
Freshman lefty Camille Conner, one of the top 14 setters in the nation according to FloVolleyball, was named the SEC Co-Setter of Week for the first time in her career on Oct. 2 after directing the Aggie offense to a season-high .379 hitting percentage at Georgia.
Conner, the MVP of the season-opening Texas A&M Invitational, remains the only player in the SEC that has recorded a triple-double this season, having tallied 43 assists, 12 digs and 12 kills while hitting .321 in the five-set loss to No. 5 Penn State. She is the first A&M player to record a triple-double since former lefty setter Allie Sawatzky achieved the feat with 31 assists, 10 kills and 11 digs at Ole Miss on Nov. 10, 2013.
Conner posted career highs in both assists (46) and digs (16) in the win against Tennessee to record her team-leading fourth double-double of the season.
Two freshmen—Conner and opposite/outside hitter Samantha Sanders—have been mainstays in the Aggies' lineup. Conner has started every match and played in every set. Sanders has played in 15 of 17 matches overall, drawing 11 starts while seeing action at both the opposite and outside hitter positions.
The Aggies have had three freshmen in the starting lineup in eight of 17 matches.
Nettles, Hans and Conner are the only three players who have appeared in all 60 sets this season.

TEXAS A&M TEAM NOTES

A&M has produced its three highest block performances of the season in each of the last three matches. The Aggies had a then-season-high 12.5 blocks against Arkansas on Oct. 20, 12.0 blocks against Ole Miss on Oct. 22 and a season-high 13.0 blocks against Tennessee on Oct. 27.
A&M is averaging 3.13 blocks per set over the last three matches and 2.17 blocks per set for the full season.
A&M has hit below .200 in each of its six SEC loses. The Aggies were held to a .124 hitting efficiency against Tennessee but still managed to get their first victory when held below .200 as they held the Volunteers to .099.
The win against Tennessee also marked the first time the Aggies won a match when losing the second set. A&M had entered the match 6-0 when winning the second set and 0-10 when losing the second set.
A&M's eight matches in the month of October are home matches. A&M is 5-6 in home matches this season, including 3-2 in October home matches.
A&M is 4-6 in 3-set matches, 2-3 in 4-set matches and 1-1 in 5-set matches.
Texas A&M has the No. 1-ranked strength of schedule in the nation according to Volleytalk.net's RPI Futures, a season ending projected RPI based on the win probabilities for all remaining games on the schedule using each team's Pablo rating.
Four of A&M's opponents—Texas, Stanford, Florida and Penn State— have spent at least one week ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Top 25 Poll in 2017 and all are currently in the top 4.
Six of A&M's losses have been to teams ranked No. 8 or higher. The Aggies pushed No. 5 Penn State to five sets on Sept. 2 and fell to No. 1 Stanford, 3-0, on Sept. 3 at Reed Arena, at No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-0, on Sept. 9, and closed out the preconference schedule with a 3-0 home loss to No. 6 Texas on Sept. 13. A&M also fell to No. 1 Florida, 3-1, in Gainesville and at No. 8 Kentucky.

25th SEASON FOR CORBELLI DUO

Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli and her husband, associate head coach John Corbelli, are celebrating their 25th season at the helm of the Aggies. Laurie, the 2015 SEC and AVCA South Region coach of the year and the longest tenured head coach at Texas A&M, is 516-247 in her A&M career and 616-353 in the 32nd year of her head coaching career.
Under the Corbellis' direction, the Aggies have reached the 20-win milestone 17 times and have made 20 NCAA tournament appearances, making A&M one of only 14 teams to make at least 20 NCAA appearances since the couple was hired in 1993.
Laurie has served as head coach of the USA Volleyball Women's Junior National Team each of the last two summers. This past summer, she coached the team that included Kentucky's Gabby Curry and Leah Edmond and Florida's Paige Hammons and Rachael Kramer at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's U20 World Championship in Boca del Rio and Cordoba, Mexico.

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M began the second half of the SEC schedule with a thrilling 25-17, 15-25, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14 victory over Tennessee, Friday at Reed Arena.
A&M libero Amy Nettles had a match-high and career-high 34 digs, and defensive specialist Amy Houser and setter Camille Conner also had career highs in digs with 19 and 16, respectfully, to lead the Aggies to an A&M SEC-record and an A&M Reed Arena-record 105 team digs. Gabby Litwin and Hollann Hans also had double-digit digs to mark the first time this season A&M had five players post double-figure digs in a match.
Conner also dished out a career-high 46 assists to record her team-leading fourth double-double. Hans posted her third double-double of the season with a match high 16 kills along with 12 digs, and outside hitter Kiara McGee also reached double-figure kills with 15 and tied Hans with a match-high 17.5 points.
A&M, which got the win despite hitting .124 for the match, ended a two-match losing skid. Tennessee hit .099 and suffered its eighth consecutive loss in the series against the Aggies.
A&M had a season-high 13 blocks, but Tennessee had 17, the most blocks by an A&M opponent this season. The Aggies led in aces, 2-0, marking the first time this season the team did not get aced.
A&M's 218 attack attempts against Tennessee are a Reed Arena record.

KENTUCKY QUICK HITS

Kentucky (18-2, 9-0 SEC) is riding a 13-match win streak and is the only undefeated SEC team in conference matches. .
The Wildcats entered the weekend leading the SEC and ranked third in the nation in both hitting percentage (.326) and kills per set (15.09).
They also lead the SEC and are 10th in the nation with 13.74 assists per set.
Freshman setter Madison Lilley, the reigning SEC Player of the Week and SEC Setter of the Week, leads the league and entered the weekend ranked fourth in the nation with 12.10 assists per set.
Sophomore outside hitter Leah Edmond, the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week, entered the weekend second in the SEC and 18th in the nation in both kills (4.40) and points (5.02) per set.
Senior middle blocker Kaz Brown also earned SEC weekly honors as she was named SEC Co Defensive Player of the Week.
Kentucky's only two losses on the season were at No. 9 Creighton on Sept. 1 and at No. 7 Kansas on Sept. 4.
The Wildcats' No. 6 ranking is their highest since they were No. 6 in 1993.
Craig Skinner is 291-111 in his 13-year head coaching career, all at Kentucky.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

A&M begins a three-match road swing at Missouri on Friday, Nov. 3. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
The Tigers defeated A&M, 3-1, on Sept. 24, in the Aggies' SEC home opener.

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