GAME NOTES: Oral Roberts/Central Arkansas
10/3/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 3, 2013
Stephen F. Austin at Oral Roberts
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013 • 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Kenneth H. Cooper Aerobics Center (500) • Tulsa, Okla.
Radio: None • Live Stats: www.orugoldeneagles.com
Stephen F. Austin at Central Arkansas
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 • 12:00 p.m. (CST)
Prince Center (400) • Conway, Ark.
Radio: None • Live Stats: www.ucasports.com
FOR STARTERS
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team continues their journey towards their 18th 20-win season under head coach Debbie Humphreys. SFA, after opening Southland Conference play with a pair of sweeps over New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana, dropped its second-ever match in program history to Northwestern State. The Ladyjacks will look to get back on track with two road matches against Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas.
SFA is 2-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles. The Ladyjacks knocked off ORU 3-1 (14-25, 25-20, 25-22, 29-27) last season in Tulsa, Okla.. The Ladyjacks were victorous in both meetings verse the Golden Eagles in 2012.
Following the match verse the ORU, SFA will retake the road, traveling to Conway, Ark., to take on Central Arkansas Oct. 5. The Ladyjacks are 3-8 all-time against the Sugar Bears. SFA’s last victory over UCA came in 2008.
SFA vs THE GOLDEN EAGLES
vs ORU, SFA leads 2-0
The last time: SFA 3, ORU 1 • 11/8/2013 • Tulsa, Okla.
SFA vs THE SUGAR BEARS
vs UCA, SFA trails 3-8
The last time: UCA 3, SFA 2 • 11/17/2013 • Conway, Ark. (Southland Conference Tournament)
LIVE STATS: Each match can be followed via Live Stats. The Thursday, Oct. 3, match at ORU will be available at www.orugoldeneagles.com, while the Saturday, Oct. 5, match at UCA will be available at www.ucasports.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/@SFA_Volleyball). 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.
CONFERENCE PLAY: The Stephen F. Ladyjack volleyball team opened Southland Conference play with a pair of sweeps over New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana. The Ladyjacks were unable to keep their four-game win streak alive in week five, dropping matches North Texas and Northwestern State. The match verse UNT represented the final non-conference match for both teams, while the loss to NWST marked just the second time in program history that the Lady Demons have beaten SFA.
WALKER NAMED SLC OFFENSIVE POW: Freshman middle blocker Justice Walker was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week for week three of the 2013 season. Walker averaged 3.00 kills per set in helping SFA to a 3-2 mark, with a 3-2 win over Louisiana Tech and wins over Grambling State (3-0) and Houston (3-2) in the TCU Nike/Molten Invitational. The Fort Worth, Texas, native, finished with nine kills or more in all five matches, recording a season-high 15 against the Cougars in the tournament finale for both teams. Following the completion of round-robin play, Walker was named to the all-tournament team.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks returned to Shelton Gym Tuesday, Sept. 10, after opening the 2013 season with seven matches on the road. SFA knocked off Louisiana Tech 3-2 in the home opener before traveling to Fort Worth for the TCU Nike/Molten Invitational. The Ladyjacks went 2-2 across the two-day round-robin tournament. SFA fell to TCU and Ole Miss on the opening day, before rebounding with a pair of wins verse Grambling State and Houston. The match verse TCU was broadcast on FOX Sports Southwest.
HELLO, WIN COLUMN: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team opened the 2013 season winning its season-opening tournament for a third consecutive year. The Ladyjacks knocked off Troy in five sets, before sweeping Jackson State and tournament host Southern Miss, in the USM Invitational. Following the trip to Hattiesburg, SFA went to Louisiana-Monroe and swept the Warhawks. The three-set, three-match sweep is the first Ladyjacks since the 2009 season.
OLSON NAMED SLC DEFENSIVE POW: Sophomore libero OJ Olson was named the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2013 season. Olson averaged 4.73 digs per set in helping SFA to a perfect 3-0 weekend mark and the tournament championship at the Southern Miss Invitational. The Cedar Park, Texas, native was named MVP of the tournament for her efforts.
LADYJACKS PICKED 3RD/5TH IN PRESEASON POLLS: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team was picked third and fifth in the Southland Conference preseason polls conducted by league coaches and sports information directors. The Ladyjacks finished fourth in the regular season in 2012, being narrowly defeated by regular season and eventual SLC tournament champion Central Arkansas.
PRESEASON ALL-SLC: Junior Jill Ivy and Tori Bates were named to the preseason All-Southland Conference volleyball team announed by league officials Aug. 20. Ivy was an automatic selection to the first team, after receiving league honors in 2012, while Bates was named to the second team. Bates earned honorable mention All-SLC as a freshman.
Jill Ivy: Junior Jill Ivy delivered on a preseason selection in 2012, being named to the All-Southland Conference first team at the end of the regular season as well as an all-tournament team member. The Katy, Texas, native, led the team and finished sixth in the conference with 400 kills, averaging 3.03 per set, and finishing second with 96 blocks as a sophomore. Ivy recorded 10 kills or more in 26 of the 34-match season.
“PAIGE” TURNER: Junior Paige Holland has been a steady presence in the Ladyjack rotation in her first two years with the program. Holland appeared in every set as a freshman and all but two as a sophomore for SFA. The Magnolia, Texas, native, has averaged 9.34 assists per set in her career. Holland led the team and finished eighth in the conference with 8.53 sets per set as a sophomore and currently ranks sixth all-time in school history with 2,392 assists entering 2013.
WINNING: Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack head volleyball coach Debbie Humphreys enters her 26th season in Nacogdoches as one of the most successful coaches in the game today. The four-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year put together her 17th 20-win season in 2012, pushing her career win total to 556, which ranks among the top 25 active head coaches in the country.
BACK TO WHERE IT STARTED: SFA enters its third season in it’s second stint in the Shelton Gym. The Ladyjacks spent 12 seasons at William R. Johnson Coliseum before returning to Shelton Gym in 2011. The Ladyacks won three SLC titles at Shelton Gym from 1988 to 1998.
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