COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M sophomore Stephanie Aiple (pronounced EYE-plee) was named SEC Player of the Week for a second time, and she also was tabbed SEC Setter of the Week for a league-leading sixth time this season, the Southeastern Conference announced today.
Aiple, the 2015 SEC Player of the Year, averaged 12.11 assists per set while directing the Aggie offense to a .274 combined hitting percentage in road wins against both Missouri and Arkansas. The Round Rock Texas, native also hit .500 and averaged 1.11 kills, 1.33 blocks and 1.39 points per set as A&M extended its win streak to 14 matches.
Aiple had a career-high 62 assists in the victory against Missouri that clinched A&M’s first-ever conference championship. In the decisive fifth set, the Aggie setter recorded 14 assists as A&M closed out the match with a 15-10 victory. It marked the second time this season Aiple had 60 or more assists in a match and the eighth time she had 50-plus assists in a match this season.
Against Arkansas, Aiple dished out 47 assists and also set a season high and tied her career high with eight kills and finished with a season-high 8.5 points. She also added eight digs in the win against the Razorbacks.
Aiple, who currently ranks 16th in the nation and third in the SEC with 11.43 assists per set for the full season, finished SEC play with 11.50 assists per set in conference matches only. She directed an A&M offense that led the league in assists (13.46) per set and finished second in hitting percentage (.275) and kills per set (14.32). A&M also finished SEC play 16-2 (.889), marking the highest conference winning percentage in school history.
Other SEC honorees are Offensive Player of the Week Alex Warren of Mississippi State, Defensive Player of the Week Ashley Dusek of Kentucky and Freshman of the Week
Texas A&M received an automatic berth to the 2015 NCAA Volleyball Championship and will host first and second rounds, Friday and Saturday at Reed Arena. The Aggies (23-6), an all-time high No. 10 seed in the 64-team tournament, play host to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (31-4) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. The match follows another first-round match-up between Hawaii (26-1) and TCU (19-9) at 4:30 p.m. at Reed.
The two first-round winners will meet in the second round, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Reed, with the winner earning a berth into the Des Moines Regional, Dec. 11-12, at Wells Fargo Arena.
A&M, which enters the tournament riding a 14-match win streak and 12-1 in home matches, is making its fifth consecutive and 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. This marks the Aggies’ 19th appearance under 23rd-year head coach Laurie Corbelli.
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Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics