SFA Takes Win Streak to Tulsa Tournament
9/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Stephen F. Austin (5-3) at Tulsa (3-3)
Friday, Sept. 11 • 10:00 a.m.
Tulsa, Okla. • Reynolds Center
Watch Live • Live Stats • Radio (SFAVolleyBlog)
Stephen F. Austin (5-3) vs. Southern Illinois (4-2)
Friday, Sept. 11 • 5:00 p.m.
Tulsa, Okla. • Reynolds Center
Live Stats • Radio (SFAVolleyBlog)
Stephen F. Austin (5-3) vs. Arkansas State (6-1)
Saturday, Sept. 12 • 10:30 a.m.
Tulsa, Okla. • Reynolds Center
Watch Live • Live Stats • Radio (SFAVolleyBlog)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s volleyball team will look to build on its five-match winning streak this weekend when the team heads to Tulsa for the Hurricane Classic. The Ladyjacks will play Tulsa and Southern Illinois on Friday before taking on Arkansas State on Saturday morning.
The Ladyjacks have been red hot as of late, going 4-0 with four sweeps at the Hampton Inn & Suites SFA Volleyball Invitational last weekend and then cruising past ULM on Monday afternoon. Overall, SFA has won 15 of its last 16 sets played to improve to 5-3 on the season.
More than just getting a signature win against Texas Tech and then winning their home tournament, the Ladyjacks honored a special milestone last weekend. SFA’s decorated coach Debbie Humphreys notched her 600th career coaching win against Columbia on Saturday to become the 15th winningest active coach at the NCAA Division I level. She is in her 28th year at SFA.
Humphreys will try to add to her 601-win total when her team makes the trek to Tulsa. It will be tough sledding with SFA’s three opponents entering the weekend with a combined record of 13-6. To follow along with all of the action this weekend, follow the links above and be sure to listen to every match on SFAVolleyBlog.net with Greg Miller on the call.
NOTES
SFA vs. Tulsa: Friday’s match between SFA and Tulsa will mark the fifth meeting between the teams. SFA is 1-3 all-time against Tulsa, dropping the last three matches in the series.
Scouting Tulsa: Tulsa (3-3) was projected to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference, and won two of its three matches last weekend at the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa. Tulsa features two heavy hitters in Erica Bohannon (3.90 kills/set) and Rebecca Reeve (2.5 kills/set). The junior outside hitters landed 13 and 16 kills, respectively, when they beat Alabama last weekend.
SFA vs. Southern Illinois: SFA lost its only previous match against Southern Illinois 3-0 in 2009.
Scouting Southern Illinois: Southern Illinois enters the weekend with a 4-2 record. The Salukis, who are projected to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, won two of their three matches last weekend at the Saluki Invitational. Southern Illinois has all six of its 2014 starters returning and is led by senior middle hitter Taylor Pippen. Taylor (2.56 kills/set) is second in total kills (64) for the team behind sophomore outside hitter Andrea Estrada, who has 94 kills and a lethal 3.76 kills per set. Estrada, who was born in Colombia, was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team a year ago.
SFA vs. Arkansas State: The Ladyjacks have a favorable 5-3 all-time record against Arkansas State.
Scouting Arkansas State: Arkansas State (6-1), projected to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference, started the season by sweeping its first four opponents. Arkansas State’s junior libero Markie Schaedig was picked to be the Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year and was also named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team. Schaedig has delivered so far this year with 146 total digs and 5.62 digs per set. Arkansas State features two young outside hitters in sophomore Drew Jones (88 kills and 52 digs) and freshman May Carlisa (76 kills). Junior setter Mallory Warrington is also playing well with her 11.15 assists per set.
Last Time Out: SFA is coming off an early week match on the road at ULM, where the Ladyjacks got a 3-1 victory behind 33 kills combined between middle blockers Jacque Allen and Justice Walker. Walker posted a season-high 18 kills on an efficient .469 attack percentage and Allen slammed down 15 winners while hitting .393. The duo led SFA to an impressive .293 hitting mark on the afternoon.
SLC Standouts: After helping their team win the 2015 Hampton Inn & Suites SFA Volleyball Invitational last weekend, SFA seniors Jacque Allen and OJ Olson were named the Southland Conference Players of the Week, the league office announced on Monday afternoon. Allen was nearly unstoppable over the weekend, posting 37 kills (3.08/set) on a .559 hitting percentage. Olson registered a team-high 64 digs (5.33/set) in 12 sets played to lead the back line.
600-Win Club: SFA coaching legend Debbie Humphreys notched coaching win number 600 on Saturday afternoon against Columbia at the Ladyjacks’ home tournament in Shelton Gym. With the victory, Humphreys passed Nebraska’s head coach as the 15th winningest active coach at the NCAA Division I level. She is currently 601-306 (.663) in her 28th year at the helm for SFA.
Among the Nation’s Best: Junior setter Shannon Connell and senior libero OJ Olson are off to great starts to the 2015 season. Connell currently ranks 10th nationally in total assists (317) and Olson is 12th in the country in total digs (147) after two weeks of action. Connell leads the conference in assists per set at 10.93, which is good enough for 38th in the nation. Olson is averaging 5.07 digs per set to come in at 44th on a list of the NCAA’s best.
Chasing Records: A trio of Ladyjacks have been busy rewriting the SFA record books this season. Entering the trip to Tulsa, junior middle blocker Justice Walker ranks fifth all-time in program history with a career hitting percentage of .305. Senior libero OJ Olson is third at SFA in digs per set (4.28) and fourth in total digs (1,623) while senior middle blocker Jacque Allen sits third all-time in solo blocks (69).
All-Tournament: Senior outside hitter Tori Bates and senior middle blocker Jacque Allen were each named to the SFA Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament Team last Saturday for their terrific play on the weekend. The duo led SFA to four sweeps and a tournament title over the two-day event. Bates recorded 38 kills while hitting .318, and chipped in 17 digs to claim Tournament MVP honors.
Giant Killers: SFA stunned Big 12 member Texas Tech by way of a 3-0 sweep on Friday night in Shelton Gym as part of the Ladyjacks’ home tournament. SFA head coach Debbie Humphrey’s alma mater stood no chance against the likes of Ladyjack outside hitters Tori Bates and Abby McIntyre, who recorded 13 and 10 kills, respectfully, in the match. The win marked the first for SFA over a team from a Power Five conference since the Ladyjacks beat Indiana (Big 10) in 2012.
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: After the Hurricane Classic, SFA will head to Waco for the Baylor Tournament on Sept. 18-19. Southland Conference play will begin on Thursday, Sept. 24 when the Ladyjacks host Nicholls in Shelton Gym.
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