SFA Heads To Butler Classic
9/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Stephen F. Austin at Butler Classic
vs Indiana/Butler - Friday, Sept. 7, 2012 • 1:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. (CST)
vs Western Illinois - Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012 • 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
Video: None • Live Stats: www.butlersport.com
Game Notes
FOR STARTERS
What looked to be a rough weekend changed on a dime last weekend for Stephen F. Austin as the Ladyjacks closed out the UND Classic with a pair of wins over South Dakota and North Dakota and will look to keep that momentum on a high this weekend when they take part in the Butler Classic.
The weekend will serve as SFA’s final tune-ups before conference play begins the following weekend in Nacogdoches in conjunction with the Chilly Fillmore’s Invitational. SFA will get its first-ever look at Indiana before taking on Butler and Western Illinois, each teams SFA has defeated in the last three years.
SFA vs THE HOOSIERS
vs IND, First Meeting
vs BUTLER, Series tied 1-1
The last time: SFA 3, BUT 2 • Aug. 28, 2010 • Waco, Texas
SFA vs THE LEATHERNECKS
vs WIU, WIU leads 1-0
The last time: SFA 3, WIU 1 • Aug. 29, 2010 • DeKalb, Ill.
LIVE STATS: Each match can be followed via Live Stats at www.undsports.org
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.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior libero Madison Hanlan is off to a great start to her final season, earning all-tournament honors at both the UTA Invitational and UND Classic, as well as capturing the Southland’s initial Defensive Player of the Week honor last week, the fourth of her career. In the midst of that, she has moved into second place all-time at SFA in digs in Saturday’s win over UT Arlington. She has now totaled 1,724 digs for her career and needs 276 to join Stephanie Figgers as just the second Ladyjack to total 2,000 digs for her career. She has averaged no less than 4.24 digs per set each season to date and if she does that again, she will also join Figgers with four seasons that rank in SFA’s top 10.
STARTING STRONG: With SFA’s win over North Dakota on Saturday, the Ladyjacks picked up their fifth win in seven matches to start the year. It is the third time in the last four seasons the Ladyjacks have won five of their first seven matches. Should the Ladyjacks sweep all three matches this weekend in Indianapolis, they would be the fifth SFA squad to ever open up the season with at least eight wins in its first 10 matches.
20/20 VISION: On Saturday the Ladyjacks had a pair of hitters go over the 20-kill mark in a match, beginning with Jill Ivy’s 21 scores vs South Dakota and followed one match later by Katzy Randall’s 21 in a win over North Dakota. Each of them did that once as freshmen last season while the Ladyjacks had just three 20-kill performances as a team for the year. That gives SFA five 20-kill outings in the past two years after not having a single 20-kill match from an individual since 2007.
DOWN, BUT NOT OUT: SFA had to dig deep to pick up its win over South Dakota, falling behind 2-0 before ralling to knock off the Coyotes 3-2. It was the first time since the final match of 2010 vs Lamar in which the Ladyjacks dropped the first two sets before coming back to pick up the win. SFA has five such wins in five seasons since 2008.
PRESEASON ALL-SLC LADYJACKS: SFA had a pair of selections to the preseason all-Southland Conference first team going into the year, starting with automatic selection Madison Hanlan who was a second-team all-league choice a year ago. The other spot went to sophomore outside hitter Jill Ivy who avearged 2.45 kills per set as a freshman
LADYJACKS PICKED 5TH IN PRESEASON POLLS: After a season that saw the Ladyjacks push their way back into the Southland Confernce Tournament the coaches and SIDs in the league picked SFA to finish fifth in the SLC in 2012. Central Arkansas was picked to capture their third title in four years ahead of Oral Roberts, Sam Houston and Lamar.
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