Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern Louisiana
SFA Beats Lady Lions in Thriller
11/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 22, 2002
NACOGDOCHES - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team's first-round match against Southeastern Louisiana Friday night appeared to be the team's last of the season for most of the match. But the Ladyjacks fought out of a two-game slump to knock-off sixth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana, 3-2 (30-22, 16-30, 25-30, 31-29, 15-11). The Ladyjacks are now 22-11 (.667) overall.
The Ladyjacks came out in game one and appeared to be on their way to an easy victory. But the momentum changed hands in game No. 2 as Southeastern Louisiana rolled to a 30-16 victory. The Lady Lions kept the momentum in game three as they took a 2-1 lead. SLU could do no wrong behind Juliana Neves' 17 kills and Sarah Gascon's team-high 32 digs.
But with the Ladyjacks season on the line, SFA stepped up to the challenge. SFA battled back from a six-point deficit in game four behind senior Angie Wood's (Houston, Texas) 22 kills and sophomore Joanna Benestante's (Houston, Texas) 13 kills. It wasn't just the offense that led the way to victory for SFA. Junior Julie Goodson (Alvin, Texas) recorded a career-high 32 digs to neutralize the Lady Lion attack as the Ladyjacks forced a fifth game.
Senior Jennifer Wilson (Friendswood, Texas), who had been silent for most of games two and three, came to life in the fifth game as she led SFA to the win with her 15 kills and five blocks. Senior Sunni Williams (Houston, Texas) set the tone for the offense with her 58 assists. Sophomore Brittany Burton (Livingston, Texas) finished the match with seven kills, two blocks and two assists.
The Ladyjacks return to action Saturday to take on No. 2-seed Lamar in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals. The match is slated to get underway at 4:30 p.m., from the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
-SFA-
