Stephen F. Austin
UTSA
`Runners Sting SFA On Senior Day
11/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2011
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Ladyjack volleyball team became just the second Southland team to take a set from league-leading UTSA, but the Roadrunners used a late push to sweep the season series from SFA, spoiling Senior Day at Shelton Gym with a 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 25-15) win on Saturday.
UTSA (19-9, 13-1 SLC) was coming off a 3-2 loss to Sam Houston State on Thursday, not only its first match loss of the league season, but also its first losses in a single set and put three hitters in double figures against SFA, led by Whitney Walls' 16 kills.
The Ladyjacks (13-16, 6-8 SLC) were trying to send seniors MC Bottles and Melissa Miksch out in style against the `Runners, and that prospect looked promising after SFA took the second set and jumped out to an early lead in the third set; however, UTSA began to pull away mid way through the third frame and eventually hit .265 for the match, compared to just .085 for SFA on the afternoon.
SFA managed to reject 10 shots on the afternoon, led by seven from Bottles who went over 400 blocks for her career in the match, but UTSA's McKenzie Adams had a hand in nine of the Roadrunners' 13 blocks on the day, along with 11 kills to help UTSA's cause.
Jill Ivy led SFA with 10 kills, while Katzy Randall added five blocks. Libero Madison Hanlan had 15 digs in just 2.5 sets, leaving the game with an injury midway through the third frame. Junior Amanda Hall came in to fill the libero jersey and played admirably, picking up eight digs and an ace in her time on the floor.
Paige Holland added 34 assists to her season total, along with six digs and a pair of kills and blocks.
The Ladyjacks hung with the Roadrunners in the first set behind four kills from Ivy and eight digs from Hanlan; however, UTSA hit .250 for the set and got 13 of its 14 kills in the set from Walls, Adams and Brittney Malloy on its way to taking a 1-0 lead.
Bottles then scored three kills and Sabrina Burns had a pair of blocks in the second set to help SFA knot things up at 1-1. The Ladyjacks wasted no time racing to a big lead, getting up 7-2 early on, and 17-10 midway through the frame before UTSA staged a run of their own. A 5-0 UTSA run got them back to within a point at 20-19 before the Ladyjacks made their final push, getting a kill from Ivy on the right side to square things up after two sets.
SFA started off well in the third set as well, getting up 6-2 early on after forcing three UTSA errors, but the Roadrunners quickly erased that deficit and eventually took its first lead of the set at 13-12 on a kill from Dempsey Thompson. SFA, who hit .163 in the set, kept it close behind two kills from Ivy, but UTSA eventually stretched out the lead behind a 5-1 run to get to 21-16 and cruised to a 2-1 lead from there.
In the fourth, UTSA asserted itself quickly, hitting .407 for the set compared to just -.214 for SFA and led by as much as 20-9 in the set before finishing things off for the 10-point edge.
SFA, who controls its own destiny to clinch a berth in the upcoming SLC Tournament, has two remaining regular-season matches left next week - at McNeese State and Lamar, beginning Thursday in Lake Charles, La.
-SFA-
