Stephen F. Austin
Rice
SFA Edged By Rice In Tournament Finale
9/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s volleyball team fell just short against the Rice Owls on Saturday afternoon in Tudor Fieldhouse, dropping their third and final match of the Rice Invitational II 3-1 (25-16, 26-24, 23-25, 25-20). SFA finished 1-2 over the two-day event, beating Texas Southern and falling to Louisville on Friday.
Senior Jill Ivy was named to the All-Rice Invitational II Team after a terrific tournament. The outside hitter compiled 36 kills on a .257 attack percentage, dug up 22 balls and dropped in three service aces across SFA’s three matches. The all-tournament honor is Ivy’s second of the season.
The tight match saw 20 ties, seven lead changes and small scoring margins for the majority of play. Ivy and junior Tori Bates paced the offensive attack with 17 and 14 kills, respectively, for SFA. Senior Paige Holland notched her fifth double-double of the year, collecting 46 assists and 13 digs on the afternoon. The Ladyjacks showcased their talented back line with four players recording double-digit digs. Junior libero OJ Olson racked up 26, freshman Lexus Cain had 16 and junior Madison Martin chipped in 10.
SFA (7-7) got off to a slow start, attacking at a .029 clip in set one compared to a .367 mark set by Rice. The Owls (10-4) went on an early 7-0 run to go up 11-3 and never looked back, winning the set by a score of 25-16.
Bates provided a huge spark off the bench for the Ladyjacks when she entered to begin set number two. The outside hitter made the most of her first minutes in the tournament, notching five kills in the frame to help Stephen F. Austin build a 21-14 lead.
The Owls mounted a furious comeback however, going on a 12-3 run to win the set 26-24. The Ladyjacks had set point at 24-22 but Rice rattled off four straight to close it out and go up 2-0 in the match.
The Ladyjacks used a one-two punch from Ivy and Bates to get back on track in the third. The score remained within a three-point window for much of the set, but SFA won four of the last five points, capped by a Bates exclamation point kill, to win 25-23.
The two squads remained neck and neck in a back-and-forth set four. Rice pulled away late to edge SFA 25-20 in the deciding set and claim the 3-1 victory.
The Ladyjacks will now look ahead to the Southland Conference schedule as conference play begins on Thursday, Sept. 25 in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, where SFA will take on Nicholls. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
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