Stephen F. Austin
Middle Tennessee State
SFA Falls In Second Match In Omaha
8/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2007
Omaha, Neb. - In a match-up of two teams that snagged NCAA Tournament first-round wins a year ago, the Stephen F. Austin volleyball team could not hold off Middle Tennessee as the Blue Raiders used a pair of late-game comebacks to take a 3-0 (32-30, 30-19, 33-31) win in the second game of the Bluejay Invitational.
The Ladyjacks (1-1, 0-0) held game-point opportunities in both the first and third games of the match, but the reigning Sun Belt Conference champions countered each time to pull out the wins. Middle Tennessee (3-0, 0-0) finished the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record for the tournament, not losing a single game in three matches.
SFA would get another solid match out of junior Lauren Railey with 17 digs and a dozen kills for her second straight double-double. Traci Rohde and Shelly Swendig would also pull in double-figure kills, and JJ Jones would tally 39 assists in the three-game match.
Ashley Asberry would pace the Blue Raiders attack with a match-highs of 15 kills and seven blocks. She was one of five Blue Raiders to tally at least 11 kills. Middle Tennessee would finish with .296 hitting percentage for the afternoon.
Early on it was Railey and Rohde that carried the load offensively, combining for eight of the first 12 Ladyjack points. But the Ladyjacks could not get within two points early on, until freshman Kelsey Owens and junior Shelly Swendig scored on consecutive points to give the Ladyjacks their first lead at 21-20. SFA would then go on a five-point spurt aided by a pair of blocks from the tandem of Railey and Ashley Bailey to drive the lead up to 27-22. But after earning a game-point opportunity at 29-24, the Ladyjacks were unable to close the deal as Middle Tennessee rallied behind Asberry and Ashley Adams to score eight of the next nine points and take a 32-30 win in the first frame.
Middle Tennessee, who knocked off Louisville in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, used that momentum from game one to jump in front 20-12 in the second stanza. They would register 24 kills and a .416 hitting percentage to a 30-19 win in game two.
Game three would see SFA return from the locker room with a newfound sense of resiliency. Blue Raider coach Matt Peck was forced to call a timeout after a Izabela Kozon attack error gave the Ladyjacks a 15-11 lead. Debbie Humphreys would then see her squad keep the Blue Raiders at arm's length with Bailey, Railey and Swendig all helping out on back-to-back blocks for a six-point lead at 27-21. But it was déjà vu all over again for SFA after having another game-point opportunity at 29-23 on a kill by Owens. Middle Tennessee would then claw all the way back to take a 30-29 lead when Asberry and Ashley Mead combined for three straight blocks. Middle Tennessee would eventually finish the game and match 33-31.
SFA returns to the court tonight at 7:00 p.m. for the finale of the Bluejay Invitational against the host, Creighton. The game can be heard live on www.kvss.com, or followed via Live Stats at www.gocreighton.com.
-SFA-
