Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
SFA Tripped Up At Northwestern State
9/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 28, 2013
NWST 3, SFA 1 
NATCHITOCHES, La. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team dropped its first Southland Conference match of 2013, in a 3-1 (9-25, 20-25, 25-21, 22-25) decision to Northwestern State Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum.
The loss for SFA (10-6, 2-1 SLC) is the second-ever loss to NWST (7-8, 3-0). The Ladyjacks were 44-1 all-time entering the contest. The first program loss to the Lady Demons came in a 3-0 loss last season, also in Natchitoches, La.
Jill Ivy and Jacque Allen led the Ladyjacks, recording 11 and 10 kills, respectively. SFA was held to a season-low .099 attack percentage across four sets.
Freshman Shannon Connell recorded 32 assists and OJ Olson finished with 31 digs. Tori Bates (13) and Janet Hill (10) also finished with double-figure digs.
Allen led the Ladyjacks at the net, recording three block assists, as SFA recorded five blocks as a team.
After falling 25-9 in the opening set, the Ladyjacks had a chance to even the match with a 15-14 edge in the second set. At a 14-14 break point, sophomore Keeley Kainer put SFA on top with a kill from Connell. The lead was short-lived however, as the two schools would even at 15-15 and 16-16. Following an attack error that gave NWST a 17-16 edge, the Lady Demons went on an 8-4 run to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
The Ladyjacks responded in the third set, swinging a .308 clip and never trailng to keep the match alive. Ivy and Bates shared the workload, recording six and five kills to pull within one.
SFA threatened in the fourth, up 18-14, but NWST closed the match on an 11-6 run to seal the victory.
The Ladyjacks will look to get back on track, when they travel Oral Roberts for a 7:00 p.m. match Oct. 3 in Tulsa, Okla.
-SFA-
