Ladyjack Volleyball Game Notes: Ladyjack Invitational
9/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 7, 2011
vs Texas A&M (7-0, 0-0 Big XII) - Sept. 9, 6:00 p.m.
vs Northern Illinois (7-2, 0-0 MAC) - Sept. 10, 4:00 p.m.
Game Notes
FOR STARTERS
With the first two weeks of the season, which included nine road matches, finally out of the way, SFA can finally open up the home portion of its season, which it will do on Friday with the first of eight consecutive matches at Shelton Gym.
SFA went 2-3 on its most recent road swing, a six-day, 1,500-mile trek that saw hotel stays in four separate states; however, SFA will play host to a pair of top-30 programs this week when it hosts Texas A&M and Northern Illinois in the Ladyjack Invitational. It is the first of two consecutive home tournaments for SFA, incuding next week’s innaugural Chilly Fillmore’s SFA Invitational.
The Ladyjacks have never beaten either the Aggies or the Huskies, and in fact have only hosted either team on one occassion - a 1990 loss to Texas A&M at Shelton Gym.
SFA vs THE AGGIES
vs Texas A&M, A&M leads 6-0
The last time: A&M 3, SFA 0 • Sept. 1, 2001 • Houston
SFA vs THE HUSKIES
vs Northern Illinois, NIU leads 2-0
The last time: NIU 3, SFA 0 • Aug. 29, 2009 •DeKalb, Ill.
LIVE AUDIO/VIDEO: Each match can be followed via Gametracker at www.sfajacks.com
FOLLOW SFA ATHLETICS: Fans are encouraged to follow along with SFA Volleyball and SFA Athletics as a whole via SFA’s social media sites on Facebook (SFA Athletics) and Twitter (@SFA_Athletics). Up-to-the minute match updates, as well as the latest news can be found via these outlets from all home matches and selected road matches.
BACK TO WHERE IT STARTED: SFA will be moving back to Shelton Gym for the 2011 season after spending 12 seasons at William R. Johnson Coliseum. The Ladyacks won three SLC titles at Shelton Gym from 1988 to 1998 and will re-open the facility on Sept. 9 vs Texas A&M, hosting the Aggies for just the second time in history and the first time since 1990.
OUT OF THE BLOCKS: The Ladyjacks got off to a 4-0 start, the best start for the program since the 1992 season when SFA opened up the year 6-0. It is just the 4th time under Debbie Humphreys that the team has opened up the year at least 3-0, joining the 2006, 2004 and 1992 in that category. In each of those seasons, SFA finished with no less than 26 wins and claimed SLC titles in two of the three years.
FIVE OF A KIND: In Saturday’s tournament finale vs UAB the Ladyjacks had one of its most balanced offensive outing in recent years, putting five players into double figures in kills against the Blazers. Led by Bottles’ 16 kills, along with 12 from Sabrina Burns and 11 apiece from Leslie Jackson, Katzy Randall and Jill Ivy, it was the first time since October 27, 2008, that SFA had five players with at least 10 kills.
TURNING THE PAIGE: Freshman setter Paige Holland has quickly taken to the starting setter role for the Ladyjacks through two weeks of collegiate volleyball, and will enter the weekend leading the Southland Conference with 10.34 assists per set. It’s not as though SFA hasn’t had success with freshman setters before, but Holland will have work to do to take hold of the single-season freshman total-assists record at SFA. The 2004 mark from JJ Jones, albeit in 30-point sets, of 1,244 assists (11.96) stands as the all-time record. Holland would have to average 38.7 assists per match for the remaining 22 regular-season matches of the year to surpass Jones’ mark.
OFFENSIVE BALANCE: Balance has been the name of the game through two weeks of the season offensively for the Ladyjacks as five players - Sabrina Burns, MC Bottles, Katzy Randall, Jill Ivy and Leslie Jackson - are all averaging at or near 2.00 kills per set. SFA hasn’t had a team with at least five players with at least a 2.00-kill per set aveage since the 2008 season and has only done it three times since 2000.
PREMIUM BOTTLES: Senior MC Bottles is looking to join Kristy Rhodes (1998-2001) and Wendy Walling (1990-93) as just the third player in SFA history to earn all-SLC honors in all four years of play. After earning all-conference second team honors last year, she was an automatic selection to this year’s preseason all-SLC first team as SFA’s only representative on the team. The middle blocker from Rowlett, Texas, surpassed 1,000 for her career on Wednesday at ULM and needs 200 more to move into the SFA all-time top 10.
YOUTH TO BE SERVED: After suffering through a disappointing 2010 season, the Ladyjacks will send a revamped roster to the court in 2011 with 10 new faces joining just six returners from a year ago. Of those 10 newcomers, only three are transfers, leaving room for seven freshmen. The seven freshmen are makes up the second biggest freshman class in the SLC behind only Northwestern State’s nine. Texas State has seven freshmen listed on its roster as well; however, two of them are redshirts from a year ago.
STICKING TOGETHER AT SFA: Two of SFA’s seven freshmen will come in with a sense of familiarity on the court in setter Paige Holland and outside hitter Katzy Randall, both of whom are expected to see significant playing time in 2011. The pair played their high school and club volleyball together throughout their prep careers, leading Magnolia High School to the Texas Class 4A State Tournament as sophomores and deep into the playoffs in both their junior and senior campaigns. Holland was named the 2008 Class 4A state setter of the year, while Randall earned all-state honors in each of her three years on varsity. The duo also spent three years playing on the same club teams, Willowbrook in 2011 and the Texas Tornados in both 2009 and 2010.
LADYJACKS PICKED 7TH/8TH IN PRESEASON POLLS: The Ladyjack volleyball team was picked both seventh and eighth in the Southland Conference in a pair of preseason polls conducted by SLC coaches and sports information directors. SFA is looking to rebound from an 12-19 season and was picked seventh in the the coaches’ poll with 59 points, while two-time defending league champion Central Arkansas was chosen as the favorite with five first-place votes. In the SID poll, reigning SLC Tournament champion UTSA was chosen as the favorite, despite having one less first-place vote than the Sugar Bears. SFA was chosen eighth in the SID poll, coming in ahead of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Northwestern State, Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana in both counts.
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