Ladyjacks Open Season at Auburn Tournament
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SFA (0-0) at Auburn (0-0)
Friday, August 28 • 7:00 p.m.
Auburn, Ala. • Auburn Arena
Watch Live | Live Stats
SFA (0-0) vs. Samford (0-0)
Saturday, August 29 • 9:30 a.m.
Auburn, Ala. • Auburn Arena
Live Stats
SFA (0-0) vs. Jacksonville (0-0)
Saturday, August 29 • 5:00 p.m.
Auburn, Ala. • Auburn Arena
Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s volleyball team is set to begin its 2015 season at the War Eagle Invitational hosted by Auburn on Friday and Saturday. The Ladyjacks will play host Auburn on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. and then face Samford (9:30 a.m.) and Jacksonville (5:00 p.m.) on Saturday in Auburn Arena.
SFA is coming off one of the best seasons in program history, going 24-8 overall in 2014 and winning the eighth Southland Conference regular season title in program history with a perfect 16-0 record. The Ladyjacks dominated league play with 13 sweeps in 16 SLC victories, dropping only four sets in the regular season.
The ‘Jacks will look to build on their memorable 2014 campaign this weekend with a strong showing in Auburn. SFA will line up across some talented units between the three matches, but head coach Debbie Humphreys feels great about where her team is entering the year.
“We have a wonderful opportunity in front of us this weekend,” Humphreys said. “Anytime you can play an SEC school along with Samford and Jacksonville in one weekend, it really sets the bar for our players as far as what the expectations are for the season. We’re excited and we’re ready. The teams we’ll see this weekend will help us determine what are weaknesses are and the areas we need to improve on.
“Our non-conference schedule is set up to where we are going to be challenged every time we step out on the court. The goal of this team is to make sure we make improvements every week throughout the entire season. If we do that, we’ll be in a really good place.”
SFA’s Friday night match against Auburn will be broadcast live on the SEC Network+, which can be accessed online through ESPN3 or on the Watch ESPN app. Live stats for the Saturday matches will be available through the links above. For more information on Ladyjack volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (@SFA_Volleyball).
NOTES
SFA vs. Auburn: Friday night’s matchup between Auburn and SFA will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Scouting Auburn: The Tigers were picked to finish ninth in the SEC standings in the league’s 2015 preseason coaches’ poll, coming off a 2014 season in which the team went 13-18 overall and 5-13 in conference play. Auburn tied for 10th in the SEC standings one year ago but returns all six starters and libero along with 11 of 12 letterwinners from its 2014 roster. The Tigers boast a strong returning core offensively with junior middle blocker Stephanie Campbell (2.66 kills/set), sophomore outside hitter Courtney Crable (2.78 kills/set) and sophomore outside hitter Macy Reece (2.68 kills/set) back on the team.
SFA vs. Samford: The Bulldogs and Ladyjacks will meet for the fourth time on Saturday morning, with SFA leading the all-time series 3-0. The last match between the two programs was on Sept. 17, 2010 with SFA taking a four set decision. The Ladyjacks also won matches against the Bulldogs in 1993 and 2001.
Scouting Samford: Samford was picked to win the Southern Conference for the third straight season heading into 2015. Last year, the bulldogs finished 20-13 overall and 11-5 in league play, winning the tournament title to advance to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Alabama in the first round. Samford returns three starters from last year’s squad along with seven letterwinners. Junior outside hitter Erin Bognar notched 380 kills (3.11/set) a year ago and junior setter Erika Pifer also returns after recording 1,286 assists (10.81/set) in 2014.
SFA vs. Jacksonville: The Ladyjacks are 1-0 in the all-time series against the Dolphins heading into the second meeting on Saturday. SFA won the only other meeting on Aug. 26, 2011 by a final of 3-1.
Scouting Jacksonville: The Dolphins were picked to finish third this year in the Atlantic Sun Conference in a vote of the league’s coaches. Last season, Jacksonville won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The team finished with a 19-15 record overall, including a 7-7 mark in conference action. Senior Emily Laskelle was named to the 2015 preseason all-conference team. She was second on the team in kills/set in 2014 (3.08).
Building on 2014 Success: The 2014 season was a special one for the Stephen F. Austin women’s volleyball program. The Ladyjacks won the eighth SLC regular season championship in program history with a perfect 16-0 record, and finished 24-8 overall. SFA put up a 48-4 mark in sets played during the SLC slate with 13 sweeps in 16 matches. The Ladyjacks won 17 straight matches overall heading into the SLC Tournament semifinals – the fifth longest winning streak in the nation at the time. Following the year, senior Paige Holland was named the SLC Setter of the Year, Debbie Humphreys was honored as the SLC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her decorated career and SFA placed five athletes on the All-Conference teams.
Key Returners: SFA returns a strong core of talent to the 2015 roster, highlighted by 2014 All-Southland Conference picks Jacque Allen (senior, MB), Justice Walker (junior, MB) and OJ Olson (senior, DS). Allen and Walker were the top two middle blockers in the league last year, combining for 494 kills and finishing first and second in the league, respectively, with .333 and .321 attack percentages. Olson was one of the best defensive specialists in the nation last year and ended the year ranked 19th in all of NCAA Division I in digs per set (5.27). The Ladyjacks also get senior outside hitter Tori Bates back this season. Bates is SFA’s top returning threat at outside hitter after slamming down 183 kills (2.01/set) in 2014.
Newcomers: There are eight new faces in the SFA locker room this season. At outside hitter, Debbie Humphreys and her coaching staff added Courtney Schade (Cypress, Texas), Haley Coleman (Rockwall, Texas), Makenzee Hanna (DeSoto, Texas), Makayla Randle (Katy, Texas) and Kara Beckmeyer (Hockley, Texas). McKenzie Brewer (Grapevine, Texas) joins the team as a setter, Haley Stuart (Sabine, Texas) comes on as a middle blocker and Sam Rodriguez (New Braunfels, Texas) is a defensive specialist. Six of the eight newcomers will be true freshmen with Stuart and Rodriguez listed as redshirt freshmen.
Chasing Records: Three Ladyjacks have already secured their places in the SFA record books before the season has even started. Senior middle blocker Jacque Allen currently ranks third all-time in program history in blocks per set (1.18) and is fifth in solo blocks (63). Junior middle blocker Justice Walker has been efficient in the attack over her first two seasons in purple and white, currently ranking fifth all-time in SFA history with a .295 career attack percentage. Entering her senior campaign, libero OJ Olson sits third all-time in program history in digs per set (4.22) and is seventh in total digs (1,476).
Nearing the 600-Win Club: Debbie Humphreys is closing in on a significant coaching milestone as she is set to begin her 28th season in charge of the Ladyjack volleyball program. With 24 wins during the 2014 season, Humphreys bumped her career win total to 596 to crack the top 20 winningest active Division I volleyball coaches list. She owns an impressive .663 winning percentage in her 27-year SFA career, including a .743 mark in SLC play. Humphreys could reach 600 wins at SFA’s home tournament next weekend.
Picked to Repeat: SFA was picked as the favorite to win the 2015 Southland Conference regular season title in preseason polls conducted by the league’s coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced on August 5. In both polls, the Ladyjacks received 11 of 12 possible first place votes and 143 total points as overwhelming favorites for the 2015 season.
Preseason All-SLC: The Ladyjacks placed four student-athletes on the 2015 Preseason All-Southland Conference Teams, with senior middle blocker Jacque Allen, junior middle blocker Justice Walker and senior libero OJ Olson being selected to the first team and senior outside hitter Tori Bates landing a spot on the second team. The four picks were the most by any team in the league.
Looking Ahead: Following the War Eagle Invitational, the Ladyjacks will host the SFA Volleyball Invitational in Shelton Gym from Sept. 4-5. SFA will play Columbia, Northeastern, South Dakota State and Texas Tech over the two-day event.
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