Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State*
40th Straight for SFA Volleyball
10/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 7, 2006
NACOGDOCHES - Senior libero Stephanie Figgers once again led Stephen F. Austin's defense posting 36 digs in a quick 3-0 victory over Sam Houston State Saturday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum. It was the fourth-best digs in a match performance in SFA history and led SFA to its12th straight victory and 40th straight Southland Conference win. The Ladyjacks now own a 16-3 overall record and are a perfect 4-0 in SLC action. The Bearkats fell to 7-9 on the season, and 2-4 in league play.
SFA rolled to a quick Game 1 win, after taking a the first lead of the game on a Jami Hill kill. The Bearkats would tie the game at two, but Traci Rohde's kill sent SFA to two straight points, and SHSU would not be able to catch up after that.
With a 9-5 lead, a kill from Shelly Swendig started a 10-2 rally that included four straight Ladyjack blocks. Rohde and Swendig started the block party and Rohde followed with a solo block, causing the Bearkats to call a time-out. Coming back from the break, SFA's next three points would come from the Rohde-Swendig duo. The rally helped SFA extend its lead and forced a 30-16 win.
SHSU struck first at the start of Game 2, scoring the first point on an attack error by Rohde, but SFA went on to score five straight points. The Bearkats were never able to come within four and the Ladyjacks went on to win, 30-15. In the third game, SHSU held SFA's lead to two points early on, but three straight points from the Ladyjacks extended the lead. Despite two three-point rallies from the Bearkats, they could not cut the lead significantly, sending SFA to a 30-18 win.
Rohde, the 6-2 Norman, Okla., native, posted 12 blocks, including three solo stops in the outing for a new career-high. It is the third time this season she has put up double-digit blocks. She also led SFA's offense with 13 kills on the night for her third double-double of the season and was the only Ladyjack to post double-digit kills in the match.
As for Figgers, the 5-4 Katy, Texas, native, either owns or is tied for every spot in the top 10. She, however, owns the top four all to herself.
As a team, SFA had a hitting percentage of .239 and forced SHSU to a -.020 average in the match.
The Ladyjacks return to the court Friday when they host Nicholls State at 7 p.m. followed by a Saturday afternoon match against Southeastern Louisiana at 4 p.m. Both matches will be held at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
-SFA-
