Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State (semifinals)
SFA's Magical Season Comes to a Close
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
NATCHITOCHES, La. – The Stephen F. Austin women’s volleyball team saw their 17-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon, falling 3-1 (25-27, 25-23, 23-25, 24-26) to Northwestern State in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals in Prather Coliseum.
The four-set decision marks the first loss for the Ladyjacks since Sept. 20 when they dropped a match to Rice in the Rice Invitational II. SFA’s 17-match winning streak heading into the semifinals was the fifth-longest streak in the nation.
The Lady Demons (15-16, 10-6 SLC) held the Ladyjacks (24-8, 16-0 SLC) to a .148 attack percentage, but both teams displayed terrific defense throughout the match. Just four points separated the two sides in the end as every set was decided by two points.
“It was a match that saw two very good teams that are very balanced and are very familiar with each other,” said head coach Debbie Humphreys. “It was like we knew what they were going to do and they knew what we were going to do. We played multiple times this year – two very good teams just getting after it. I would imagine if you were a fan in the stands, it was just a phenomenal volleyball match to watch. It was a fun match to coach in. It was a fun match to be competing in.
“My hat’s off to Northwestern State. They stepped up at key times. Certainly if every set is two points, either team is in position to win. That is something that we have done a really good job with all season long: when we got ourselves into position, we were closing the deal. Today, it didn’t happen so much for us. I am pleased with the girls. I am pleased with how hard they fought. It has been a great season. It is tough to go out at this point but we need to hold our heads up and enjoy what the 2014 season has been.”
Senior Jill Ivy and junior Tori Bates each had 13 kills while sophomore Justice Walker had 11 to lead the SFA attack against Northwestern State.
Ivy’s 13-kill performance bumped her career total to 1,376, moving her into eighth all-time in SFA history.
Senior Paige Holland tallied 47 assists in the match and ends her outstanding career with 4,488 assists – the fifth highest total in program history. She was named the SLC Setter of the Year earlier in the week after her standout senior campaign.
The Ladyjacks had five players finish the match with double-digit digs. Junior OJ Olson had a match-high 23 digs, freshman Lexus Cain had 14 and junior Madison Martin chipped in 10. Holland and Ivy each finished the match with double-doubles after adding 13 digs and 15 digs, respectively, to their stat sheets.
Despite falling short of the NCAA Tournament, the Ladyjacks turned in one of the most successful seasons in program history, thanks in large part to the contributions of the four seniors – Jill Ivy, Paige Holland, Janet Hill and Katzy Randall.
-SFA-
