Aggie volleyball is poised and ready to finish off their successful home campaign as they prepare to host the No. 14 ranked Gators. Heading into the game, the Aggies’ motto and mindset is ‘work.’
“We’re never going to give up,” Ashlie Reasor said. “This team will not give up at all. I know those big points, we really want to win them – the momentum shifters. It shows the team’s maturity too. Even though there are long rallies, it shows that we can give the extra effort to give that point.”
The Texas A&M Aggies (20-6, 13-2 SEC) will welcome the No. 14 Florida Gators (20-5, 12-4 SEC) on Sunday in A&M’s last home game of the season. The match at Reed Arena will start at 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon and will further establish the making of the final SEC standings. A&M’s home court advantage may be what the Aggies need to get revenge on the Gators for their earlier sweep this season.
The rematch can determine the final spots in the SEC conference heading into postseason. Both teams have had promising success this year to push for a spot in the NCAA tournament. In their previous matchup in Gainesville, Fl., the Aggies fell to the Gators in a sweep. In fact, the Gators were the last team to defeat the Aggies since A&M has gone on its impressive streak.
“Being the oldest, you know what it should look like,” senior team captain Shelby Sullivan said. “This is what it should look like, this is what a team should look like, this is how the work ethics should be. It’s assuring and a good feeling to know everyone’s on the same page. We all love each other so much. These are the games we play for – the big ones.”
The Aggies established a 11-1 home record for this season following their sweep over No. 19 UK, which set the Aggies on a seven game home win streak heading into their final home game against Florida. The sweep also marked the team’s substantial 11-game win streak that sets them atop the SEC standings. Florida’s away record stands at 7-3 before taking a trip to LSU Friday night; the team has shown inconsistency on the road with losses to struggling teams like Auburn and Arkansas.
A&M’s final four games of the season, in addition to the recent sweep over UK, includes three of the top teams in the SEC conference. Ahead of the rest of the conference, Texas A&M holds a conference record of 13-2, followed by Missouri at 12-3, Florida at 12-4, and Kentucky at 11-4 with a large margin ahead of the remaining schools. The Aggies’ season home stretch not only includes the sweep over UK, but also includes Florida and Missouri. A&M’s final game is against Arkansas, who is the only team that defeated the Aggies at home this season.
“Great volleyball in Brazos Valley this weekend [against Florida],” Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said. “We always appreciate the 12th Man so much, it’s so much more fun and very difficult for the opponent… I hope people will come out and support and honor these players that are some of the best in the country and it’s going to be a battle.”
First serve commences at 1:00 p.m. Sunday in Reed Arena for the Aggies’ final home game of the season. The Gators road record coupled with the Aggies dominant success, particularly at home, leaves room for A&M to seek revenge and upset No. 14 Florida.