Sharp in All Phases, SFA Downs SHSU 3-0
10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Box Score
Stephen F. Austin 3, Sam Houston State 0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-11)
Records: SFA (15-11, 7-3 Southland), Sam Houston State (10-13, 4-5 Southland)
Up Next: at Lamar • Saturday, Oct. 24 • 1:00 p.m.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Even though it wasn’t technically home, the Stephen F. Austin volleyball team seemed more than happy to be competing in the stats of Texas following its week-long sojourn in Louisiana.
Pitted against bitter rival Sam Houston State, the Ladyjacks submitted what was arguably their finest all-around performance of the season as SFA took out the Bearkats 3-0 in Johnson Coliseum on Thursday night.
Simply put, it was all there for the Ladyjacks against their in-state rivals. Senior Jacque Allen led an all-out defensive assault against SHSU by amassing two solo blocks and five additional block assists as part of a 13-1 blocking advantage by the visitors.
On offense, junior Justice Walker put down a team-best 12 kills while hitting at a .455 clip. Makenzee Hanna continued her torrid pace as of late, adding 10 more terminations to SFA’s total. The Ladyjacks hit .248 compared to .076 by SHSU in the one-sided bout.
A mixture of early offense and a hefty dose of front row defense helped the Ladyjacks capture the opening frame. A hot start by the hosts, which culminated with a Brooke White service ace, put SFA at a 6-2 disadvantage early on before Hanna stepped up to key the visitors’ comeback.
Contributing two kills and a service ace during a 5-1 surge, the freshman out of DeSoto, Texas helped SFA knot things at seven points apiece. The Bearkats final lead of the frame came courtesy of a Breanna Homer termination that made matters 8-7.
From there, Walker took over and punched down two kills and added a solo block during a 5-0 run by the visitors that ensured SFA wouldn’t trail again. The Ladyjacks’ edge ballooned to as many as many as six points by way of a 4-0 streak by the visitors that featured another ace – this one off the hand of Sam Rodriguez.
Olson struck pay dirt on her only swing of the frame when a low ball off her left hand found the far corner and handed the visitors the frame via a 25-22 tally.
The biggest threat posed by the Bearkats came in the middle frame when the home team opened up a 13-9 lead in a bid to tie the match at one set each. SFA would have non of it, though, as Jordan McArdle instigated a 7-2 run with one of her six kills. That, when coupled with four unforced miscues by Sam Houston State, put SFA on top 16-15 and set the stage for a finish fraught with drama.
Up 22-20, the Ladyjacks promptly allowed their rivals to swing the momentum in their favor with a 4-0 surge. With their second straight-set Southland Conference win of the season still in sight, the Ladyjacks got consecutive spikes from McArdle and Hanna to grab a 23-20 edge.
The squads swapped points, but with the set deadlocked at 25 a kill from Walker followed with another ace from Hanna put the visitors in front 2-0.
Having sufficiently demoralized their long time rivals in the set two win, the Ladyjacks showed no mercy in finishing the Bearkats off. SFA’s front row players erected an almost impenetrable wall at the front of the net and amassed five blocks as a part of a 7-2 run by the visitors to begin the clinching set.
While the Ladyjacks were busy getting kills from all angles on offense, their defense left Sam Houston State bamboozled. Due in large part to SFA’s strong front row play, the Bearkats hit -.135 in the last frame.
Pouring it on with a backbreaking 12-2 run that featured another pair of aces from Rodriguez as well as two kills apiece from Allen, Hanna and McArdle, SFA was able to exit Johnson Coliseum with a win for the first time since 2007.
Shannon Connell tallied another 29 assists in the victory while senior OJ Olson chipped in 11 digs. With 18 more, she will become the third player in program history to reach 2,000 career digs.
From Huntsville, the Ladyjacks will embark on a short journey to Beaumont for a Saturday confrontation with the Lamar College Cardinals. First serve for SFA against its Southland Conference adversary is slated for 1 p.m.
-SFA-
