Stephen F. Austin
UC-Riverside (New Mexico Tournament)
Ladyjacks Sweep Season Opener
8/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2006
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team got its 2006 season out to a great start Friday with a quick win in the season-opener against California-Riverside. The Ladyjacks posted a three-game sweep of UCR in their first match of the weekend at the Hilton Albuquerque Tournament, hosted by the University of New Mexico. SFA won handily, topping the Highlanders by scores of 30-21, 30-26 and 30-13.
Junior Traci Rohde and sophomore Shelly Swendig each put away nine kills, tying for the team lead in that department. Swendig hit .273 for the match, but was outdone by freshman Kelsie Heppler, who recorded six kills with just two errors in 12 attacks for a .333 hitting percentage in her Ladyjack debut. Sophomore Lauren Railey recorded 14 digs to edge out senior libero Stephanie Figgers for the team lead. Rohde added four block assists, and Railey turned in three. Junior J.J. Jones posted five service aces to go along with her 39 assists. Jones also put away five of her nine attacks with one error for a .444 attack percentage.
SFA won the first point of Game 1 on a kill by senior Laura Cramer and never relinquished the lead. UCR pulled to within one point several times, the last coming when a Ladyjack attack error left SFA in front 13-12. But the Ladyjacks reeled off seven straight points and won 11 of the next 13 points to take a commanding 24-14 lead. Cramer and Rohde recorded two kills each during the decisive SFA scoring spree.
SFA opened Game 2 with the lead as well, but fell behind, 4-3, on the game's seventh point and trailed by as many as six points before rallying for the 30-26 win. UCR was ahead by a score of 16-10 when Railey and Rohde teamed up for a block that swung the score and the momentum SFA's way. The Ladyjacks won six of the next seven points to tie the score at 17. The teams then traded the lead several times before SFA won the final five points of the game, three of them coming on service aces by Jones.
Game 3 was SFA's best of the match. The Ladyjacks hit .429 for the game, putting away 16 of 28 attacks with just four errors to capture a decisive 30-13 victory. Rohde recorded five of her team-leading nine kills in the match and served two aces to lead SFA to the win.
The Ladyjacks will return to action in the Hilton Albuquerque Tournament on Saturday. SFA is set to take on Utah State at 10:30 a.m., central time. The Ladyjacks will be back on the court at 8 p.m. to meet tournament host New Mexico.
-- SFA --
