Ladyjacks Open Conference Play With Pair Of Matches Over Weekend
9/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2007
NW State/Central Arkansas Game Notes
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Ladyjack volleyball team opens up Southland Conference play this weekend when Northwestern State and Central Arkansas make their way to the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
SFA (9-5) is coming off of a 3-0 win over North Texas, giving the Ladyjacks eight wins in their last nine matches.
The Demons (4-5) are riding a three-match win streak after their first win over Louisiana Tech since 2000; however, Northwestern State has picked up only one win from a team outside of Louisiana (Arkansas State). The Ladyjacks swept the Demons in the first round of the Ladyjack Invitational on Sept. 7, holding NW St. to only 19 points in the final two games combined. SFA hit a robust .342 in that match with JJ Jones coming only one kill away from a triple-double in only three games.
The Sugar Bears picked up a split at the Colgate Invitational and are in the midst of the school's best-ever start, going 13-2 in its first 15 matches. They have cooled off since an 11-0 start, but have still picked up sweeps in seven of their 13 wins. UCA currently leads the Southland in hitting percentage and kills, and sophomore Robyn Smith is leading the conference with 12.56 assists per game. The Sugar Bears are making their first-ever trip to Nacogdoches, with the Ladyjacks making the trip to Conway one year ago. Last year the Ladyjacks fought back to take a 3-1 win after dropping the first game. Shelly Swendig had 17 kills, and Traci Rohde and Lauren Railey each added a dozen kills in the win.
What to watch for:
• Debbie Humphreys has not lost a match in her career to either opponent this weekend. She is 30-0 against Northwestern State, and is 1-0 after last year's win over Central Arkansas.
• SFA enters SLC play riding a 51-match win streak over conference foes, currently the third-longest streak of its kind in the nation. The only schools with longer such streaks are Florida A&M (91) and Winthrop (54).
• Sophomore Briana Taylor entered the week ranked eighth in the nation with 1.70 blocks per game. After not seeing much court time in the season's first few matches, she is averaging 1.94 blocks per game in her last nine matches.
• Lauren Railey enters the weekend with 994 kills and 973 digs for her career, and will have an opportunity to become only the fifth Ladyjack ever to record 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
• SFA has out blocked its opponents 107-56 in its last nine matches.
