SFA Puts Three On Preseason Teams
8/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 21, 2008
FRISCO, Texas - The Southland Conference announced its annual preseason all-conference teams on Wednesday, with three veteran Ladyjacks earning spots on the squads.
SFA's three players was the second most of any team, trailing only preseason conference favorite Texas State who had seven named to the squads. Not surprisingly, senior outside hitters Lauren Railey and Shelly Swendig were each first team selections, while redshirt junior middle blocker Ashley Bailey earned her first preseason selection by being named to the second team.
Railey was an automatic first team honoree after landing on the All-SLC First Team at the conclusion of 2007. She was the offensive go-to player for the Ladyjacks, leading the team with 3.22 kills per game and finishing third on the team with 3.55 digs per game. Railey also enters her senior season ranked in the top 10 all-time at SFA in attacks, kills and digs and is expected to move into the top five all-time by season's end.
Swendig was a preseason all-conference selection last season and upheld that distinction with another outstanding season. She finished third for SFA with a .232 attack percentage and her 61 assists for the year were the most by any non-setter on the Ladyjack roster. Swendig posted 17 matches with double-figure kills and saved her best for last, scoring 17 kills in the SLC Tournament title match against Texas State.
As for Bailey, she came on midway through the year to see significant playing time and took advantage of the opportunity, especially defensively in 2007. She totaled 100 blocks in only 82 individual games and was named SLC Defensive Player of the Week twice. Her 1.22 block-per-game average was tops on the team, the fifth best in the Southland.
SFA begins defense of its fourth-straight SLC title on Aug. 29th in Lexington, Ky., against Western Carolina as part of the Miami (OH) Tournament. The Ladyjacks then travel to Oxford, Ohio, to conclude the tournament with matches versus Miami (OH) and Saint Louis on Aug. 30th.
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