Texas A&M Continues Homestand, Hosts Mississippi State Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 18

College Station

1:30 PM

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

Buy Tickets

Oct 17, 2015 | Volleyball

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Texas A&M (11-7, 4-2 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (13-7, 3-4 SEC)
Sunday, Oct. 18, 1:30 p.m.
Reed Arena, College Station, Texas
SEC Network +

PROMOTIONS:

Military Appreciation Day: All active or retired military personnel receive free admission. The free tickets can be claimed at: http://12mf.info/?5ZdBnm with promo code: MILITARY!
Camo bags: Free Texas A&M volleyball camo drawstring bags to the first 250 fans;
Sunday Funday: Up to four kids are admitted free with the purchase of one regular-priced adult ticket;
Kids' Court: arts and crafts, games and volleyball at the volleyball practice gym prior to first serve.

Texas A&M-Mississippi State All-Time Series Record: A&M leads 4-0
A&M Home: A&M leads 2-0 | Away: A&M leads 2-0| Neutral: 0-0| SEC: A&M leads 4-0
Last Meeting: A&M won, 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-10), Nov. 26, 2014, Newell-Grissom Bldg., Starkville, Miss.
Streak: A&M won 4

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The Texas A&M volleyball team returns to Reed Arena Sunday to play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. First serve is at 1:30 p.m., and SEC Network + will broadcast the match on WatchESPN.

It will be Military Appreciation Day at Reed, and all active and retired military personnel receive free admission. The free tickets can be claimed at: http://12mf.info/?5ZdBnm with promo code: MILITARY! In addition, the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free Texas A&M camo drawstring bag.

Every Sunday is "Funday" at Reed Arena. Up to four kids are admitted free with the purchase of one regular-priced adult ticket for that day's match. Also take advantage of the free "Kids' Court" at the volleyball practice gym prior to first serve. Activities include arts and crafts, games, volleyball and more.

Any student with a 12th Man Sports Pass is admitted free to every home match.

Texas A&M is 11-6 overall and tied with LSU for third place in the SEC standings with a 4-2 conference record following an impressive 25-22, 25-18, 25-21 sweep against Alabama on Friday at Reed.

Mississippi State, which won only two SEC matches in 2014, is much improved with a 13-7 overall record and a 3-4 mark in conference play this season under the direction of first-year head coach David McFatrich. The Bulldogs, who are aiming for their first-ever victory against A&M, are coming off a 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 loss at LSU on Friday.

A&M IN THE SEC

This marks A&M's fourth season as a member of the SEC.
Last year, A&M went 13-5 in SEC play, tying Alabama for fourth place.
A&M's best SEC finish was in 2012, its inaugural season in the conference. The Aggies went 16-4, winning the SEC Western Division and placing second overall.
A&M is 43-19 (.694) all-time in SEC matches -- 22-9 (.710) in home SEC matches and 21-10 (.677) in away SEC matches.
The Aggies are 2-1 in home SEC matches in 2015, opening SEC play with a 3-1 loss to Arkansas on Sept. 27 and defeating Ole Miss, 3-0, on Oct. 4 and sweeping Alabama on Oct. 16 at Reed Arena.
Last year A&M went 7-2 in conference home matches and 4-5 in SEC away matches.
The Aggies are picked to finish fourth in the SEC in 2015 according to a preseason vote of the league's head coaches. Florida, the 2014 SEC champion after posting a perfect 18-0 record in conference play, is picked to defend its title.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan was named to the nine-member Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team for the second consecutive year. She was an All-SEC Team selection at the conclusion of each of the last two seasons and she was the 2014 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

A&M-MISSISSIPPI STATE ALL-TIME SERIES

A&M is 4-0 and has not dropped a single set in the all-time series against Mississippi State.
All four meetings were as SEC foes.
The teams met once last year, with A&M getting contributions from all 14 players to defeat the Bulldogs, 25-14, 25-18, 25-10, on Nov. 26, 2014, at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville, Miss. Emily Hardesty took match-high honors with 10 kills as the Aggies outhit the Bulldogs, .339 to .080 en route to their fifth consecutive win and their 20th victory of the season.
The teams will meet again Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville.
A&M's all-time records/results vs. Mississippi State: H: 2-0 A: 2-0 N: 0-0 SEC: 4-0

Oct. 7, 2012     H          W         25-8, 25-14, 25-10
Oct. 11, 2013    H          W         25-19, 25-21, 25-16
Nov. 8, 2013     A          W         25-17, 25-21, 25-15
Nov. 26, 2014    A          W         25-14, 25-18, 25-10

TEXAS A&M RECENT RESULTS

Texas A&M used a balanced attack to earn a 25-22, 25-18, 25-21 sweep over Alabama in front of a boisterous pink-clad crowd of 2,782 at Reed Arena on Friday night.
A&M hit above .400 for the second time in an SEC match this season, outhitting the Crimson Tide .429 to .209 to improve to 11-6 overall, 4-2 in conference matches and 6-1 at home. Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple directed the Aggies' efficient offense, dishing out 45 assists, the most by an A&M player in a three-set match this season.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan and sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor led the A&M attack, each hitting .526 while connecting on 12 kills apiece. Junior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers added nine kills, outside hitters Emily Hardesty and Kiara McGee pitched in eight kills apiece, and Aiple was three-for-three in attack attempts as A&M posted 52 kills to Alabama's 41.
Defensively, Hardesty led all players with 14 digs, and sophomore libero Amy Nettles also posted double-figure digs with 10 to lead the Aggies to a 44-32 advantage in digs. Sullivan had a match-high six blocks to lead A&M to a 9-7 lead in blocks.
Alabama, picked to finish second in the league according to a preseason poll of the conference head coaches, fell to 8-11 overall and 2-3 in SEC matches with the loss. Krystal Rivers led the Tide with 13 kills, and Brittany Thomas added 10 kills. Natalie Murison led Alabama in digs with 11.

TEXAS A&M QUICK HITS

A&M is 6-1 in matches played at Reed Arena, where the Aggies are outhitting their opponents, .301 to .182.
A&M leads the SEC with a .301 hitting efficiency in conference matches only.
For the full season, the Aggies rank third in the league with a .277 hitting efficiency and entered the weekend 19th in the nation with a .269 hitting efficiency.
A&M is last in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.233) and aces per set (0.92).
A&M has hit above .400 four times this season, including .500 at Florida A&M, .481 at Auburn and .470 against Wichita State, which all rank in the top 10 in program history.
A&M is 11-0 when leading its opponent in attack percentage, 9-0 when leading in blocks, 9-0 when leading in points and 8-0 when leading in kills.
The Aggies are 10-1 when winning the first set and 1-5 when dropping the first set.
A&M is 4-0 in five-set matches.
A&M remained 38th in the NCAA's second released RPI of the year. Last year A&M finished 22nd.
A&M's season schedule includes 10 matches against teams that reached at least the second round of the NCAA Championship tournament and were ranked in the top 25 or received votes in the final 2014 AVCA Division I Coaches Poll.
Eight of A&M's matches are against teams ranked in the top 25 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll: No. 6 Stanford, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 18 Florida State and No. 21 Colorado State, as well as two matches each against No. 17 Florida and No. 20 Kentucky. A&M has an additional four matches against teams receiving votes: two against both Arkansas (28th) and Missouri (36th).

TEXAS A&M PLAYER QUICK HITS

After using 10 different starting lineups over the first 13 matches, A&M has used the same starting lineup in each of the last five contests: Stephanie Aiple (setter); Emily Hardesty and Kiara McGee (outside hitters), Amy Houser (defensive specialist), and Jazzmin Babers and Shelby Sullivan (middle blockers).
Amy Nettles is the only player to have appeared in all 65 sets -- all at the libero position -- and Babers is the only player to have started every match. Meanwhile, sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple (foot), senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan (knee) and senior outside hitter Angela Lowak (ankle, knee) all have missed multiple starts due to injuries.
Babers has started every match of her career (78) and is hitting .368 for her career.
Babers, the SEC Player of the Week on Oct. 5 and a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week this season, leads the SEC with a .500 hitting efficiency in conference matches only. She is fifth in the league with 1.33 blocks per set in SEC play.
For the full season, Babers ranks third in the league with a .430 hitting percentage and 1.33 blocks per set. She entered the weekend 12th in the country with a .428 hitting percentage and 28th in the nation with 1.34 blocks per set.
Babers has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 14 of 17 matches this season.
Babers, who has posted double-figure blocks twice this season, ranks seventh in the A&M all-time career records with 319 block assists. She also ranks 10th in the career records for total blocks with 363 and needs only four more total blocks to move into ninth place, surpassing Amy Cumings, who had 366 total blocks from 1987-90.
Sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple is third in the SEC with 11.31 assists per set for the full season. Aiple, who on Friday against Alabama dished out 45 assists -- a season-high for an A&M player in a three-set match this season -- entered the weekend ranked 30th in the nation with 11.07 assists per set for the full season.
After missing two matches with a foot injury suffered against No. 15 Colorado State on Sept. 15, Aiple returned to the court in the second set against Arkansas on Sept. 27. Aiple returned to the starting lineup in the sweep against Auburn on Sept. 30, directing the Aggie offense to a .481 hitting percentage, the fifth highest team hitting percentage in program history and setting an A&M record for highest hitting percentage in a three-set SEC match.
Senior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan is hitting .361 this season and .376 for her career, putting her on pace to shatter the A&M career record for hitting percentage (.342) held by Sherri Brinkman (1983-85).
In home matches only, Sullivan is hitting a team-leading .478 with 2.94 kills and 3.75 points per set.
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee is averaging a team-best 3.50 kills per set at Reed while hitting at a .257 clip, and Jazzmin Babers is hitting .420 and leads the team with 1.59 blocks and 3.80 points per set in home matches only.
Sophomore opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor has been nearly unstoppable over the last two matches, hitting .591 with 31 kills and only five errors in 44 attempts in a 3-2 victory at South Carolina last Sunday and a 3-0 sweep against Alabama on Friday. The lefty, who posted career highs with 20 kills and a .615 hitting efficiency against the Gamecocks, had 12 kills and hit .556 in the sweep against Alabama.
Outside hitter Angela Lowak is out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury (dislocated patella) at Florida State on Sept. 19. The senior co-captain posted double-figure kills in four consecutive matches leading up to the FSU match, and she was leading the team with 3.22 kills per set before suffering the injury.
Sophomore outside hitter Kiara McGee is second on the team among active players with 2.66 kills and 2.98 points per set for the full season and 2.74 kills per set in SEC matches only.
Sophomore libero Amy Nettles has led or tied for the team lead in digs in all but two matches this season and has posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 13 matches. She is averaging a team-high 3.65 digs per set for the full season, ranking 10th in the SEC. In home matches only, Nettles is averaging 4.11 digs per set.
Nettles is the only player to reach 20 or more digs in a match this season, posting a season-high and tying her career high with 27 in the 3-2 win against No. 15 Colorado State and notching 20 digs in a 3-1 win against Milwaukee.
Junior outside hitter Emily Hardesty and sophomore setter Stephanie Aiple lead A&M in double-doubles with three apiece.
The versatile freshman Kaitlyn Blake has started seven matches as either an opposite hitter or middle blocker. She is hitting .254 and averaging 1.98 kills and 0.77 blocks per set for the season.
Junior setter Kaysie Shebeneck made her first three starts of the season at No. 18 Florida State, at Florida A&M and at home against Arkansas after Aiple suffered a foot injury in the second set against Colorado State. Shebeneck, who led the Aggies to a 3-2 victory against the Rams, is averaging 8.88 assists per set and directed the Aggie offense to a .500 hitting percentage against Florida A&M, marking the third highest hitting percentage in program history. Shebeneck started four matches at setter last season. As a freshman, she started five at the opposite hitter position.
Freshman 6-7 outside hitter/middle blocker Montse Castro spent two weeks competing for Mexico at the Women's U20 World Championship in Puerto Rico in September. Castro, believed to be the tallest player in the history of the A&M program, has yet to appear in a match.
Four players -- Jazzmin Babers, Katelyn Labhart, Angela Lowak and Shelby Sullivan -- each received their Aggie Ring on Sept. 25, celebrating one of the most revered and symbolic traditions at Texas A&M. The tradition began with the Class of 1889.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State is 13-7 overall and tied with Tennessee for eighth place in the SEC with a 3-4 record after falling at LSU, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22, Friday in Baton Rouge, La.
Under the direction of first-year head coach David McFatrich (Arkansas, 1986), the Bulldogs have already surpassed their total number of SEC wins in 2014, when MSU finished 12th with a 2-16 record.
MSU is 2-4 in away matches, including 1-3 in SEC away matches.
MSU is holding its opponents to an SEC-best .151 hitting percentage for the full season.
MSU is second in the SEC with 1.50 aces per set for the full season and 1.52 aces per set in SEC matches only.
Senior right side hitter Alex Warren, who attended Roosevelt High School in San Antonio, leads the Bulldogs and is fourth in the SEC with 3.84 kills and 4.50 points per set in conference play.
Warren led the Bulldogs with nine kills but was held to a .067 hitting percentage in the loss at LSU.
Outside hitter Evie Grace Singleton, a junior transfer from Central Arkansas, leads the SEC with 0.53 aces per set for the full season. She is second in the league with 0.52 aces per set in conference matches only.
Singleton leads the Bulldogs and ranks fourth in the SEC with 4.09 points per set. She is averaging a team-high 3.38 kills per set for the full season, ranking fifth in the league.

UPCOMING

The Aggies conclude their three-match homestand, Wednesday, Oct. 21 as they play host to LSU. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena, and the match will be televised on the SEC Network.

SULLIVAN SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE

Texas A&M middle blocker Shelby Sullivan has been selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award for volleyball. 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.
From Richardson, Texas, Sullivan is one of 30 candidates representing NCAA Division I volleyball student-athletes who were selected based on their notable achievements in four areas: competition, classroom, character and community.
In the classroom, the 2014 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for volleyball sports a 3.841 cumulative grade-point average as a student in Texas A&M's highly regarded Mays Business School five-year Professional Program in which she is simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in finance.

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.