Stephen F. Austin
Houston
SFA Drops Opener Of Houston Tournament To Cougars
9/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 15, 2007
Sept. 14, 2007
Houston, Texas - The Ladyjacks volleyball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but could not hold off the host Houston Cougars as SFA fell 3-2 (30-32, 24-30, 31-29, 30-25, 15-3) in the first round of the Houston Tournament.
"It was a great start for us," head coach Debbie Humphreys said. "We had them on the ropes but just did not finish the deal. It is one of those matches that we just have to learn from."
Humphreys watched on with delight as her Ladyjacks (6-5) won a hard-fought game one by a 32-30 margin when Shelly Swendig and Briana Taylor turned back Justine Farmer for the game's final point.
Game two saw SFA use 13 kills, five blocks and five service aces to go up 2-0 heading into the locker room; however, that is when the momentum shifted.
Bill Walton's Cougars (5-6) would increase their hitting percentage in each of the final three games, while the Ladyjacks went the other way. The fifth game saw Houston hit a gaudy .556 in the 15-point race, while SFA posted 10 attack errors in the final frame.
The loss snaps the Ladyjacks' win streak at five matches and is the first loss in three tries against Conference USA opponents - all three matches have gone the full five games.
SFA could not contain Farmer - the reigning Conference USA Player of the Week - as she went for 29 kills on 71 attempts for a .254 hitting percentage on the night. Defensively she finished with 17 digs and four blocks. It is the most kills SFA has given up to any individual this season.
Taylor led SFA at the net once again, turning away a career-best 13 blocks on the evening along with five kills and four service aces. Her 13 blocks - all block assists - is the most block assists a Ladyjack has ever posted in a match, and her total block count is tied for the second-best mark in the history of the school.
Freshman libero Laurel Kuepker became the first Ladyjack to join the 30-dig club on the year with her 32 digs on the night. It is the second-best dig mark put up by any Southland Conference player this season.
Lauren Railey led the offense with a season-high 18 kills and 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. Senior JJ Jones just missed another triple-double with 38 assists, 11 digs and nine kills.
SFA will continue the Houston Tournament on Saturday with a pair of matches versus Wake Forest and Rice. The first match against the Demon Deacons is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. while the match against Rice is set for a 5:00 p.m. first serve.
-SFA-
