SFA To Host Pair Of SLC Matches Over Weekend
10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 9, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - After stepping out of conference on Tuesday to pick up a sweep of Louisiana Tech, the Ladyjack volleyball team heads back into conference competition on Friday with a pair of home matches set for the weekend against Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana.
First serve for Friday's tilt with Nicholls is set for 7:00 p.m. while Saturday is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. Each match can be followed via Gametracker or viewed via SFA All-Access by clicking the "watch" button on the volleyball schedule page. A fee of $5.95 is charged to view via SFA All-Access.
SFA (12-3, 3-0 SLC) currently sports the top record in the SLC and is riding a 10-match win streak after Tuesday's win over the Lady Techsters. Debbie Humphreys will boast a 50-4 combined all-time record against this weekend's opponents as her team is in the middle of its longest homestand of the season.
Sophomore Laurel Kuepker earned SLC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday for the second time this season and widened her lead in the individual SLC digs race with her 15-dig performance on Tuesday.
MC Bottles and Ashley Bailey each rank in the top three in both hitting percentage and blocks in the SLC, while outside hitter Shelly Swendig's .275 percentage ranks her in the top 10 as well.
Setter Whitney Schott went over the 1,000-assist mark against Louisiana Tech and is creeping up on UCA's Robyn Smith for the conference lead in assists.
A Look At The Opponenent
Nicholls State: After finishing near the league cellar last season, the Lady Colonels have been a bit of a surprise in the SLC having won four out of its last five matches to total five wins this year already despite being displaced by two hurricanes. Even more surprising could be the 2-1 start they have gotten off to in SLC play with the most recent win coming in five sets over Northwestern State in Thibodaux after nearly upsetting Central Arkansas the previous night.
Rachel Yezak was part of rejecting 11 shots against the Demons, as the Colonels totaled 13 blocks as a team in the match. Offensively Nicholls will spread the wealth, with four players averaging at least two kills per set this season, led by Manieka Golden's 2.21.
SE Louisiana: Southeastern Louisiana is in a similar situation as Nicholls, already having posted six wins this year after having only 10 all of last season. The Lady Lions also defeated Northwestern State in five sets last week for its first conference win and played close sets with Central Arkansas, despite falling in three.
They are most recently coming off a dominating sweep of Southern earlier in the week, and are doing much of their damage at the net ranking third in the league as a team with 1.98 blocks per set.
Outside hitter Lauren Mayer had 16 kills against Southern and ranks near the top of the SLC in aces, while Longview, Texas, native LaToya Anthony currently tops the SLC rankings with a 1.21 block per set average.
What To Watch For:
• Ashley Bailey has hit at least .435 in each of her last five matches, and no lower than .263 in any of her last nine. She has set a new career high in kills three times this season, including most recently with a 16-kill performance against McNeese State on Saturday.
• SFA is 37-2 in Johnson Coliseum since 2005.
• No opponent has hit .250 against SFA this season, with no team hitting better than .195 against the Ladyjacks since SMU on Sept. 6 in a five-set win for SFA on the Ponies' home court.
• During its 10-match win streak, the Ladyjacks have only had to come back twice, dropping the first two sets against SMU on Sept. 6 and falling in the first set at Central Arkansas on Sept. 26.
-SFA-
