Ladyjacks To Open 2008 Season On Friday
8/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team is set to open up the 2008 campaign on Friday with a trio of matches over the weekend in Kentucky and Ohio.
SFA opens up with an 11 a.m. match on Friday against Western Carolina in Lexington, Ky., before traveling north to Oxford, Ohio, to take part in the Miami (OH) Tournament on Saturday against Saint Louis and Miami (OH).
Saturday's matches can be followed via Gametracker HERE by clicking on the link to the right of the schedule.
Debbie Humphreys' teams have won five of their last seven season-opening matches, including last season's 3-1 win over Montana State. The Ladyjacks have won nearly 85 percent of their matches over the past four years and were recently picked second in the SLC preseason polls after finishing 65th in the RPI last season - 40 spots ahead of the next closest SLC team.
Senior outside hitters Lauren Railey and Shelly Swendig are expected to lead the offensive attack, having each garnered preseason first team all-conference honors. Junior Ashley Bailey also was named to the preseason second team after finishing fifth in the SLC in blocks per game last season.
A Look At The Opponents
Western Carolina: The Catamounts finished 9-24 in the Southern Conference last season, only picking up four conference wins. The youthful team only sports one senior, Liz McLauchlin, and should be led offensively by junior Katie Hennessey who finished fourth on the team with 211 kills in 2007.
Saint Louis: With a 23-win season in 2007 and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006, head coach Anne Kordes has made her Billikens as one of the quickly rising teams in the Atlantic 10. They are the preseason pick to claim the A-10 West Division with seven letterwinners returning, all with starting experience. Juniors Whitney Roth and Sammi McCloud each earned all-conference honors in 2007, with McCloud named to the first team after averaging 4.11 kills per game in conference play. Roth is already ranked second all-time at SLU in assists and was named the A-10 Setter of the Year last season.
Miami (OH): The Redhawks are coming off an impressive season that saw them qualify for the NCAA Tournament after winning the MAC Tournament with a sweep over then nationally-ranked Ohio in the title match. It was the second time Miami (OH) had beaten the Bobcats on the year, snapping Ohio's 52-match MAC win streak earlier in the season. They return 11 letterwinners from last year's team including all-conference selections Emily Schroeder, Megan Griffin and Andrea Atteberry.
What to watch for:
• With 20 kills on the weekend, senior Lauren Railey will pass Angie Wood to move into No. 9 on the all-time list at SFA.
• In 2007, SFA posted more kills than its opponent on 23 occasions, putting up a 22-1 record in those matches.
• Ladyjack assistant coach Erin McClanahan will get a look at her alma mater on Saturday, having played for Saint Louis from 2003 to 2005. She is still ranked in the top five all-time at SLU in assists.
• Saturday's match with Miami (OH) will be the first time SFA has taken on a MAC opponent since 2002 when the Ladyjacks fell 3-1 to the Redhawks.
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