Stephen F. Austin
SMU
Mustangs Sweep SFA In Classic Finale
8/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2010
WACO, Texas - The SMU Mustangs hit .277 and pulled off a 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-20) win over the Ladyjack volleyball team in the finale of the Holiday Inn and Suites Baylor Classic on Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
The loss by the Ladyjacks (1-2) snaps a modest three-match win streak over the Mustangs (3-0) dating back to 2006.
"I liked the energy that we had tonight, but we obviously still have a lot of room for improvement," head coach Debbie Humphreys said. "SMU has a good team this year and we are still trying to break in some new people. Now we just have to look toward ULM on Tuesday and try to give the fans a fun home opener."
Freshman setter Allison Gideon led the way offensively for SFA with 10 kills and 25 assists and was joined in double-figures by Kelsey Owens with 10 kills. MC Bottles added nine kills just one match after setting a career-high with 23 versus Butler and was named to the all-tournament team. She finished with just one attack error in SFA's final two matches of the tournament.
Owens added 11 digs for her second double-double of the day, and Melissa Miksch and Madison Hanlan added 18 and 13 digs, respectively. The Mustangs were led by Courtney Manning with 15 kills and four blocks, with eight of those kills coming in the final set.
Four kills from Kelsey Owens in the first set was not enough as SMU broke open a late 21-20 lead by scoring four of the final five points of the set, led by outside hitters Dana Powell and Kathryn Wilkerson who had nine and five kills apiece, respectively.
In the second the Ladyjacks had to play from behind, but the Ponies still managed to pick up the wire-to-wire win and led by as many as five points at 14-9 before SFA started carving into the lead. Kills from five different Ladyjacks helped spark a 7-2 run that tied things at 16-16 when Owens scored off the left block. But the Mustangs answered with a run of their own, scoring six out of the next seven points after a timeout to push the lead to 22-17 and then getting points once again from Wilkerson and Powell secure a 2-0 lead.
SFA looked as though it would turn the tables in the third set, using a 5-0 spurt to go ahead 17-14, but SMU middle blocker Courtney Manning then took over the set, picking up five of her eight kills in the set in the final 11 points for the Mustangs.
The Ladyjacks will jump into action at home on Tuesday against Louisiana-Monroe with first serve set for 7:00 p.m. from William R. Johnson Coliseum.
-SFA-
