SFA Closes Out SLC West This Weekend
10/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Southland Conference race as become a four-team logjam at the top with the Ladyjacks in the midst of it all; but, with only six matches remaining in the 2008 season, SFA faces a difficult road trip this weekend when they travel to face league-leader Texas State and upset-minded UT-Arlington.
First serve for Thursday's match with Texas State is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in San Marcos, with Saturday's match in Arlington slated for a 4:00 p.m. start. The match can be followed via Gametracker at www.sfajacks.com.
Texas State (16-12, 9-1) leads Lamar by only a half game in the SLC, but still has matches with UTSA and the Cardinals remaining on the schedule after tonight's tilt with SFA (16-5, 7-2). The Mavericks (5-19, 1-9) have lost nine of 10 conference matches this year, but did show signs of life two weeks ago when they upset Central Arkansas at Texas Hall in five sets.
The SFA/Texas State rivalry has really heated up in recent seasons with the Bobcats having knocked the Ladyjacks out of the SLC Tournament in three of the last four years, most recently last year when Texas State won in five sets in San Antonio. However, the regular season matches lately have gone SFA's way with the Ladyjacks having won the last seven.
SFA has lost two of its last four matches since going on a 13-match win streak that started them off at 6-0 in league play. They are coming off a five-set loss to Lamar on Saturday and more than likely need a sweep of this weekend's matches to maintain a realistic chance of claming a share of their fifth straight SLC crown.
Senior Lauren Railey is approaching another milestone in her career, as she is now just 47 digs and 46 kills shy of becoming the first ever Ladyjack with 1,500 digs and 1,500 kills in her career. She currently is ranked sixth in the league in kills with a 3.01 average and had consecutive double-doubles in kills and digs last week.
Ashley Bailey also continued to make her case for all-conference honors with 27 more kills in two matches last week. She ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage, hitting .347 through 21 matches and has moved into the top 10 in kills with her 2.61 kills-per-set average. She has been good defensively as well, recording multiple blocks in 11 of her last 12 matches.
A Look At The Opponents:
Texas State:
Since playing a tough non-conference schedule, the `Cats have thrived since jumping into conference play and sit atop the league with Lamar with an 8-1 record. Texas State was picked to win the SLC in the preseason and have won their last six matches overall after Tuesday's win over UT-Arlington.
Melinda Cave was named SLC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, but she is just one of a number of weapons for head coach Karen Chisum. Middle blocker Emily Jones-Wilkes leads the league in hitting percentage in conference-only matches, while Lawrencia Brown and Jessica Weynand are the two leaders in kills on the squad. They will also use a two-headed setting attack with Brittany Collins and Shelbi Irvin, who average nearly 10 assists per set between them.
UT-Arlington:
UTA won three of its first five matches to open the year, but went on a nine-match skid before upsetting Central Arkansas in five sets on the stage at Texas Hall on Oct. 17. Diane Seymour only sports three upperclassmen on the roster after last year's team earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.
They rank at or near the bottom of most of the statistical categories in the league, but there are several individuals on the roster that could pose problems for the Ladyjacks. Christy Driscoll ranks in the top five in the SLC in blocks at 0.91 per set, but that even trails teammate Emily Shearin's 0.95 per set mark. Shearin was named SLC Defensive Player of the Week early in the year for her play at the net.
What To Watch For:
• Lauren Railey needs 47 digs and 46 kills to become the first Ladyjack ever to accumulate 1,500 digs and 1,500 kills in a career.
• SFA has won the last seven regular season matches against Texas State and the last seven matches overall against UTA. All-time SFA is 21-19 against Texas State and 21-16 against UTA.
• Freshman outside hitter Amber Williams-Roberts posted a career-best 12 kills against Lamar and is hitting .293 and averaging 2.58 digs per set in her last four matches, including double-doubles in her last two matches.
• This is a key weekend in the SLC race with Texas State and Lamar each with one loss and UTSA and SFA each with two losses. The weekend will feature not only the Ladyjacks at the Bobcats, but also Lamar at UTSA.
-SFA-
