State player thinks her game has improved substantially

AUBURN, Ala. - Texas A&M middle blocker Jazzmin Babers entered the regular season finale against Auburn needing only four blocks to break the school record of 552 career total blocks. The senior, who has started all 121 matches throughout her career, finished with 11 blocks to help lead the Aggies to a 19-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-23 victory today at Auburn Arena.Texas A&M completes the regular season 21-8 overall and 15-3 in Southeastern Conference play and finishes in at least a tie for third place in the final SEC standings. Auburn suffers its fifth consecutive loss in the series against the Aggies and ends its season 15-16 overall and 9-9 in SEC matches.Babers, who earlier this season became A&Ms all-time career leader in block assists and passed Cindy Lothspeich (1994-97) to break the career total blocks record, led the Aggies to 20 blocks on the day, breaking the team record for most blocks in an SEC match. The Aggies, who tied the school SEC record with 32 block assists, also set a team SEC season record as they finished the conference season averaging 3.0 blocks per set.The Aggies got off to a sluggish start and were outhit .216 to .207 in the opening set. The score was knotted at 12-12 before the Tigers got a kill courtesy of an A&M overpass and then served back-to-back aces to take a lead they would not lose. Auburn later used a 3-0 run to go up 21-16 before a kill and a block by Kaitlyn Blake put A&M within 21-18. The Tigers then went on another 3-0 spurt, including a fifth ace that put Auburn serving for the set, 24-18. McGee put down her fifth kill before Auburn closed out the set with a kill.The second set was tied at 3-3 when A&M caught fire, scoring seven unanswered points to take a 10-3 lead. The Tigers cut the deficit to 14-11 before a kill by McGee and a record-setting block by Babers and setter Stephanie Aiple began a 5-0 surge by the Aggies. A service error ended the run but McGee immediately put down her fifth kill in five attempts in the set to ignite a set-ending 6-0 run. Babers and Emily Hardesty teamed for a block to cap the win and even the match at a set apiece. It marked the sixth block of the set for A&M, which hit .500 while holding the Tigers to a -.097 hitting efficiency.Auburn held a 10-9 advantage in the third set when A&M went on a 4-0 run to take the lead. Auburn, which was outhit .367 to .219 in the stanza, quickly got back within a point at 14-13 but could get no closer. The Tigers stayed within a point at 22-21 before a block by Babers and Aiple, a kill by Blake and a block by Blake and Hardesty closed out the set, 25-21, giving A&M a 2-1 lead in the match.A&M held its largest lead of the fourth set at 14-9 when Auburn began a comeback. The Tigers eventually tied the score at 18-18, but a block by Aiple and Blake, an Auburn attack error and an Ashlie Reasor roll-shot kill put the Aggies ahead, 20-18. The Tigers countered, getting a solo block and two kills during a 4-0 run that put Auburn on top, 22-21, giving the Tigers their first lead since 5-4. Hardesty tied the score with her team-leading fourth kill of the set, and Blake and McGee tallied A&Ms seventh block of the frame to return the lead to A&M, 23-22. Auburns Brenna McIlroy answered with her sixth kill of the set, but the Tigers served long to put A&M at match point. Auburn seemed to fight off match point as McIlroy appeared to have gotten a kill as the ball landed inside the A&M baseline, but A&M coach Laurie Corbelli challenged that the ball had sailed outside the antenna. Upon further review, the Aggies won the challenge to end the match.McGee led all players with 16 kills while hitting .313. Reasor finished with eight kills while hitting .467. Blake pitched in eight blocks in the Aggies record-setting block performance, and Hardesty came off the bench to add a career-high six blocks. Victoria Arenas led the Aggies in digs with 13.Auburn, which had four players in double-figure kills, including a team-high 15 by McIlroy, led A&M in kills (54-50), attacks (150-119), aces (7-3) and digs (53-50). The Tigers, however, finished with 33 attack errors, the most by an A&M opponent this season, as A&M outhit Auburn, .311 to .140, and held the Tigers to five team blocks.The Aggies, who ended the regular season having won 15 of their last 17 matches, are expecting to receive a sixth consecutive and 24th overall berth into the NCAA Championship. The 64-team field will be announced Sunday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.Texas A&M postmatch quotes:TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH LAURIE CORBELLI:On overcoming the slow start to get the victory... I am really relieved that this match is over. It was really a struggle most of the way through. I thought we started really flat. Emotionally it seemed really hard to get really excited and super high for this one, for whatever reason. I was really proud of our attackers. I thought Kiara McGee came ready to play in a really strong fashion. [Ashlie] Reasor did some awesome things, and she just needed a match like this to get her confidence up and let her see herself as the great player she is. As always, I think Steph Aiple directed the offense beautifully, and Jazz Babers with no errors, and with all the blocks that we had. Our blocking is only getting better and better, and that is really a highlight for me. At the end of the season thats what we really like to have happening.On Babers setting another blocking record... She is definitely going to be hard to match in terms of blocking with any future players because of how instinctive she is with her blocking. She is a very smart blocker. We will really miss that next season. She is much deserving of that career record.On thoughts finishing the regular season and awaiting the NCAA announcement... I feel a sense of relief that we have made it through the SEC grind, and we have a day off to rest and rejuvenate and get a new start on somewhat of a new season with the NCAA tournament. I have no clue what the NCAA Selection Committee is going to do. We always have our feelings about it, but I just prefer and wait and not even think about it until we see it. Cheap Stars Jerseys Authentic . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Cheap Stars Jerseys . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. http://www.cheapstarsjerseys.com/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Cheap Stars Jerseys China . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Wholesale Stars Jerseys . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. MOBILE, Ala. -- Anna Nordqvist was putting like a rookie again -- and thats a good thing. The Swede said she had perhaps her first "really good putting day" since her rookie year in 2009 with a course-record 61 on Saturday in the third round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. South Koreas Chella Choi shot her second straight 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Jessica Korda and Nordqvist, who is seeking her first win since capturing the LPGA Championship and season-ending LPGA Tour Championship as a rookie. "I just felt like I tried to trust myself and trust my line and just hit it," Nordqvist said. "Usually, Im very close to making a lot of putts but its just the difference of making them. It just felt like sometimes I couldnt miss." Choi twice made three straight birdies to move to 17 under, and has made only two bogeys in three rounds on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trails Magnolia Grove complex. Her best finish in four-plus years on the tour is a tie for second in the Manulife tournament in Canada last March. Choi, who had three top-five finishes last year, said she started checking out the leaderboard "every hole" at the start of the tournament and feels mentally stronger now in her bid to finally get a win. "I know my shot and my putting," she said. "I think just my mental and my experience and just confidence ... so I think I can do it. Hopefully." Nordqvist broke the course record of 62 set by Sydnee Michaels on Friday. Korda, the second-round leader, shot a 69. The American had a bogey on No. 11 when the ball landed in a divot and she tweaked her right wrist, and a double bogey on No. 12. She rebounded with a 33-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole. "It was left to right and it was pretty," Korda said, laughing. That was set up by what she said was a 325-foot drive sparked by the mentality that: "Oh, I havent hit the green in two almost all day, I need to go for it." Nordqvist had a run of five birdies starting on the third hole and added a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th hole. Nordqvist, whoo did have one bogey, holed a par-saving bunker shot from some 10 yards on 12.dddddddddddd "Today was a lot of fun," she said. "I started out with a couple birdies, hit a lot of good shots, and I think I missed one green. And then I made that bunker shot and it was just like, I couldnt stop smiling, couldnt stop laughing." Win drought aside, the former Arizona State player thinks her game has improved substantially since making the splash as a rookie because shes more consistent. "Its fun being in contention and having people watch," she said. "Thats what you work hard for. Its a lot more fun playing up there than playing for 50th or 60th, so its a good place to be." Defending champion Stacy Lewis was four strokes back with a 63 after opening the day in 35th. She won both Alabama tournaments last year. Lewis had a string of four straight birdies from Nos. 5-8 to start a stretch of eight in 10 holes. Gone were the mistakes of the previous two days when she had a double bogey and two bogeys each round for 70s. "It was one of those stress-free days," Lewis said. "I needed something like that to get back into the tournament." Webb and Korda will play together for the fourth straight round. Webb had her first bogey since early Thursday but already had three birdies in the first six holes. "I got off to really quite a nice start," the 38-year-old Australian said. "I was cruising along and then threw a three-putt in there on No. 7 and sort of lost a bit of my momentum there and didnt really get it going again. I had a lot of in-between numbers today and just wasnt guessing right." The courses low round entering the week was 64 by Danielle Downey in 2008 and Webb and Sjodin in 2011. In fact, Lewiss low round in last years win was 67. That might not cut it on a weekend when Webb pointed out, "I nearly got lapped at 69." Charlottetowns Lorie Kane shot a 67, and is nine back at 8-under 208. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., turned in a 72, leaving her at 210. Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ont., shot a 70, and is at 214. ' ' '