Texas A&M
13-6, 5-3SEC
Georgia
10-10, 2-6SEC
Aggies Pull Away in Fifth to Beat Georgia
Oct 24, 2014 | Volleyball
Aggie junior middle blocker Shelby Sullivan, the SEC leader in hitting percentage in conference matches, pitched in 15 kills while hitting at a .324 clip as A&M improved to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in Southeastern Conference play. Freshman opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor also reached double figures in kills with 12. Freshman Stephanie Aiple set up the majority of the kills, tying her career high with 56 assists and also posting her fourth double-double of the season with 13 digs.
A total of five A&M players posted double-digit digs, and the Aggies tallied a season-high 92 as a team. Freshman Amy Nettles, who donned the libero jersey for the final four sets, led all players with a career-high 18 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Emily Hardesty scooped up 15 digs, and sophomore defensive specialist Katelyn Labhart added a career-high 13. Senior outside hitter Sydney Wilhelm came off the bench in the second set and finished the match with 11 digs.
Georgia got off to a quick start in the opening set, using a 9-0 run to jump out to a 10-3 lead. A&M, which was outhit .227 to .163 in the frame, chipped away and used a 7-1 surge to get within 15-13 but could get no closer. The Bulldogs held a 23-19 cushion when Sullivan posted a kill and Labhart followed with an ace, but Tirah Le'au countered with a kill to put Georgia at set point. Le'au hit long on the next play, but teammates Megan Spencer and Jasmine Eaton blocked an A&M attack to close out the set.
A&M, which entered the match 2-5 when dropping the first set, got its middles going in the second set, with Babers and Sullivan combining for 15 of A&M's 19 kills and a .667 hitting percentage in the frame. The score was knotted at 8-8 when the Aggies used a 4-0 run to break away. A&M, which outhit the Bulldogs .410 to .256 in the set, later got back-to-back kills by Babers, and Nettles had a phenomenal play-saving dig during a long rally that ended with Georgia hitting long, giving the Aggies their largest lead at 17-12. Georgia later used a 3-0 run to get within 19-17 before Sullivan had four kills during a 5-1 A&M run that put the Aggies up, 24-18. Georgia fought off three set points before Babers clinched the win with her eighth kill of the set.
A&M came back from a six-point deficit in the third set and took its first lead at 22-21 as Reasor attacked the second ball for a kill. The Aggies went up 23-21 on a Georgia miscue, but the Bulldogs rallied for three unanswered point to be serving for the set. Reasor tooled the block to even the score, but Desiree McCray put Georgia at set point for the second time with a kill. Reasor countered with a kill and Georgia had another attack error which returned the lead to A&M and put the Aggies at set point. A&M, however, committed consecutive attack errors to put the Bulldogs at set point for the third time. Georgia hit out and then was whistled for being in the net to put A&M up 28-27. Georgia then committed another attack error as A&M escaped with the 29-27 win despite hitting .000 in the set.
There were 10 ties and five lead changes in the fourth set. Georgia equaled its largest lead at 13-9 before A&M scored five straight points, four courtesy of Bulldog attack errors. A&M then committed two attack errors during a 3-0 Georgia run that put the Bulldogs back in the lead, 16-14. A&M won five of the next six points to regain the lead 19-17, but Georgia had back-to-back kills to tie the score again. The teams then traded sideouts and were tied for the 10th time, 22-22, when A&M committed three consecutive errors to end the set.
A&M, which was playing its second consecutive five-setter, having defeated South Carolina, 3-2, on Sunday, never trailed in the final set. Leading 8-6, Reasor put down a Georgia overpass for a kill, and Labhart's serve hit the tape and rolled over for an ace. Sullivan and Aiple then teamed for a block to put the Aggies up, 11-6. A&M served long on the next play but got the serve back on a kill by Sullivan. McCray swiped the net on the ensuing play while trying to attack a ball that Sullivan had popped up on a block attempt, giving the Aggies a 13-7 lead and forcing a Georgia timeout. A&M served wide coming out of the timeout before Wilhelm blasted a kill through the block to put the Aggies at match point. Aiple and Babers then teamed for a block to give the Aggies their sixth consecutive win against the Bulldogs.
It was a fitting end for Babers who not only was making the 50th consecutive start of her career, but also was for the first time playing in front of her father, Bowling Green head football coach Dino Babers, who made a surprise visit to College Station to see his daughter play in person for the first time in her collegiate career.
Le'au finished with 16 kills to lead Georgia, which falls to 10-10 overall, 2-6 in SEC matches and 0-4 against the Aggies in SEC matches.
The Aggies return to Reed Arena on Sunday for an early 11 a.m. meeting against 16th-ranked Kentucky. It is an “Aggies CAN” event, and fans who donate two canned food items will be admitted free. Sunday also is the “Take a Kid to the Match” promotion in which four kids get in free with the purchase of one regular-priced adult ticket.
The match will be televised on the SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Nell Fortner calling the action.
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 by following @AggieVolleyball.
Texas A&M post-match quotes:
Texas A&M Head Coach Laurie Corbelli
On the team's performance in the third set…
“We were battling point for point. We couldn't slow down the right side. I don't think teams have come with the right side at us as much as this team did. It took us a while to really get adjusted to that. To win that third set was absolutely critical. I thought we had opportunities to win that fourth set as well. We were up 21-19 and gave up a three or four-point run. They came out and took that fourth set from us. They really executed and we did not. I was excited the team got back out there in set five. It was a tight match-up, and then we scored a run of points. The team really got confidence and more determined. That's what we've been working on in practice: finishing the game.”
On the momentum of the match…
“It definitely was who executed more persistently at the right time. I loved our fifth set. Our execution on side-out was perfect and really pretty. I think we found some players that were really on tonight. I am really proud of Amy Nettles coming in and doing some awesome things on defense and on her passing. That's really what we needed a steady out. I thought it was very difficult for them to figure out how to stop Jazzmin Babers. I was really proud of the night that she had as well.”
On Amy Nettles playing libero…
“I needed to try different things and to study our passing. Amy's passing numbers have been really high in practice, very consistent. I just decided that is what the team needed. We needed to find some way to steady it out.”
On going five sets…
They have some key returners and some senior leadership. The outside hitter is a senior, one of their middles in a senior, I think, and their right side. I kind of knew that they developed some teamness or team trust. It's the group that they always play with, and they play with a 6-2. I knew they were going to be tough, because they are relativity consistent with what they do. I knew that their middles were also potentially dangerous. I really wasn't sure what to expect tonight. I felt like our last time out at home, we struggled with kind of a slow start. When I saw the slow start happening again, I was kind of concerned and puzzled. Not sure what we need to change in preparation. I was pretty confused. I do know that we have a lot of new players in our program that are on the court. I looked out there at one point and four of them are brand new to our court as of August. Things are going to happen that are maybe just still getting to know each other. Still getting to know each other's moves and each other's tendencies, each other's emotions on the court; everything. I understand that to an extent, I would just like to see it smooth out sooner than later.
On the substitutions…
I was trying to find a spark, tried to find execution, tried to find someone that looked like their normal selves, other than Jazzmin Babers. I just didn't see our team out there. I saw hesitation and questioning. It was just something I had to do…and get to look for someone that was going to go in fearless and execute. We have been waiting for opportunities to get some of these kids on the floor. Lately we have been seeing those opportunities that have been perfect and they have gone in and done super jobs.
On Sunday's match up against Kentucky…
“I'm really looking forward to it. The last three times every set has been a two-point win by them. It's another opportunity for us to get that off our backs and search ahead. We really need it. We're really ready for it. I'm excited to have them be here and see how the team responds.”
Texas A&M redshirt sophomore middle blocker Jazzmin Babers:
On getting off to a slow start
“I don't think we had a major problem the first set; it's just us getting into the rhythm. Once we played one set we are all hot and ready to go. Amy [Nettles] brought great passes, which definitely helped for setting middles. I think it's more getting ready and deciding we actually want to play.
On the blocking…
“We talked about blocking in the intermission, but they just had really good coverage. We were blocking them on their side of the net, but they were just picking them up, so we just had to press a little bit farther and get there a little bit sooner so it would actually go down harder.”
Texas A&M freshman defensive specialist/libero Amy Nettles:
On bringing energy to the court…
“I just brought energy. Everyone knew what they had to do. I didn't have to do anything extra. Everybody just executed their job better and it just worked out for everyone else.”
On Sydney Wilhelm's play…
“Sydney is small, she knows that and she is fearless. It's contagious. If she goes up digging balls all over the place, and hitting balls, just being aggressive, it transforms everyone. Everyone just wants to give that little extra thing that she is doing.”
