SFA to Host Spring Tournament Saturday
3/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin women's volleyball team will begin its competitive spring schedule on Saturday when the Ladyjacks host Lamar, Sam Houston State and McNeese State in an exhibition tournament inside Shelton Gym.
SFA will open up play against Lamar at 10:00 a.m. before battling rival Sam Houston State at 2:00 p.m. and then McNeese State at 3:00 p.m. in the tournament finale. Admission to each match is free.
"The main goal for the competitive portion of the spring schedule is to lay the foundation for next fall and get the younger players some time," said head coach Debbie Humphreys. "There are a couple key areas of our game that we've really hit hard during individual practices and I want to see us carry that over to these three matches on Saturday. Overall, I want to see us take giant steps forward as a team with each tournament we compete in, and that all starts this weekend."
The Ladyjacks went 4-0 against Saturday's tournament field during the 2014 season, sweeping Lamar twice, McNeese State once and downing Sam Houston State in an exciting five-set match at home.
"Honestly, I don't think it matters who you play in the spring," Humphreys said. "It's just important that we see different teams with different styles. It's not going to hurt that we see these teams from our conference. We're already very familiar with them.
"I think the best thing about it is that we know we're going to be playing three competitive matches. That's what you want in the spring. You want to be put in some difficult situations so you're team can start learning how to respond to different challenges."
SFA returns several key components to a squad that went a perfect 16-0 over the Southland Conference regular season slate and won the program's eighth league title last fall. The dynamic middle blocking duo of Jacque Allen and Justice Walker, both of whom garnered First Team All-SLC honors in 2014, will be back clogging the middle for opposing team in 2015. The defense will be anchored by libero OJ Olson, who was also an All-SLC selection last year.
Tori Bates and Abby McIntyre return as threats at the outside hitter positions while Shannon Connell will handle setting duties.
Following Saturday's home tournament, the Ladyacks will be in action on Saturday, April 11 in Houston before wrapping up the spring with another home tournament on Saturday, April 25. Teams and times for those matches are yet to be announced.
Tournament Schedule
| Time | Matchup |
| 10 a.m. | SFA vs. Lamar |
| 11 a.m. | Lamar vs. Sam Houston State |
| 12 p.m. | Sam Houston State vs. McNeese State |
| 1 p.m. | Lamar vs. McNeese State |
| 2 p.m. | SFA vs. Sam Houston State |
| 3 p.m. | SFA vs. McNeese State |
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