SFA Wraps Up Tournament Play at Baylor
9/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Stephen F. Austin (6-6) at Baylor (7-2)
Friday, Sept. 18 • 7:00 p.m.
Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas)
Watch Live • Live Stats • Radio (SFAVolleyBlog.net)
Stephen F. Austin (6-6) vs. Rice (8-3)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 12:30 p.m.
Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas)
Radio (SFAVolleyBlog.net) • Live Stats
Stephen F. Austin (6-6) vs. UNC Greensboro (10-2)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 4:30 p.m.
Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas)
Radio (SFAVolleyBlog.net) • Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin women’s volleyball team will conclude its 2015 non-conference tournament schedule this Friday and Saturday at the Baylor Classic inside the Ferrell Center in Waco. The Ladyjacks will play the host team on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. before facing Rice and UNC Greensboro on Saturday.
SFA has had an up and down start to its season, dropping three straight matches in Auburn before going on a six-match winning streak in a span of eight days which included a 4-0 record and a team title at the SFA Volleyball Invitational two weeks ago. The Ladyjacks have since lost three in a row to quality teams at the Hurricane Classic in Tulsa and most recently fell on the road against North Texas.
Friday and Saturday will be the final chance for SFA to fine-tune some things before Southland Conference play gets rolling next week. The Ladyjacks, winners of 16 straight league matches and the reigning SLC Champions, will host Nicholls on Thursday night in Shelton Gym with a 6:30 p.m. start time.
Fans can follow all of this weekend’s action via the links above. Greg Miller will be providing play-by-play at SFAVolleyBlog.net for every match, and updates will also be available on Twitter (@SFA_Volleyball).
GAME NOTES
SFA vs. Baylor: The Ladyjacks enter the first match of the Baylor Classic with a 3-9 record all-time against the Bears. The meeting will be the first between the two programs since 2010.
Scouting Baylor: Baylor (7-2) took second place last weekend at the Dayton Invitational in Ohio with a four-set win over Eastern Illinois and a five-set victory over Dayton. The Bears’ leading players include sophomore outside hitter Katie Staiger, averaging 2.89 kills/set, and freshman right side hitter Shelly Fanning, averaging 2.66 kills/set this year.
SFA vs. Rice: Saturday’s showdown with Rice will be the 21st meeting all-time between the two programs, with the series knotted at 10-10. Last year, the Owls got the better of the Ladyjacks 3-1 in a tight match at the Rice Invitational.
Scouting Rice: The Owls (8-3) claimed the Rice Adidas Invitational championship last weekend after defeating No. 23 Colorado, Sam Houston State and Louisiana-Lafayette. The Owls are ranked seventh in the country in total assists (543) and eighth in team kills (576) this year. Ranked seventh in the nation in total assists, sophomore setter Madison McDaniel has averaged 10.82 assists/set over the team’s first 11 matches. Juniors Leah Mikesky and Chelsey Harris lead the team in kills/set. Mikesky, an outside hitter, averages 3.47 kills/set while right side hitter Harris averages 3.55 kills/set.
SFA vs. UNC Greensboro: SFA will face UNCG for the first time in program history this weekend.
Scouting UNC Greensboro: UNC Greensboro (10-2) captured its second Spartan-Aggie Invitational title last weekend after sweeping Alabama State, North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Muench averaged 5.67 kills/set and was named the tournament’s MVP. Her season average is 3.69 kills/set. Junior outside Jessica Brezwyn follows Muench, averaging 2.55 kills/set. UNCG is currently on a seven-match winning streak dating back to Sept. 5.
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks are coming off a midweek non-conference loss at North Texas in Denton on Wednesday night. Despite getting out to early leads in each of the first two sets, SFA dropped the match 3-0 to fall to 6-6 on the year. The Ladyjacks were paced offensively by outside hitters Haley Coleman and Tori Bates, as each finished the match with eight kills. Senior libero OJ Olson continued her impressive start to the 2015 season with a team-high 14 digs in the match.
Among the Nation’s Best: Senior libero OJ Olson has been a digging machine this year for the Ladyjacks. She currently ranks fourth in the country in total digs (246) and is 11th in digs per set (5.47). Junior Shannon Connell and freshman McKenzie Brewer have also been busy this season at the setter position, helping the Ladyjacks post the 22nd most assists in the nation with 525. Led by outside hitters Tori Bates and Haley Coleman along with middle blockers Jacque Allen and Justice Walker, SFA also has the 19th most total attacks and 27th most kills nationally this year. The Ladyjacks rank first in the SLC in both categories.
Chasing Records: A trio of Ladyjacks have been busy rewriting the SFA record books this season. Entering the trip to Baylor, junior middle blocker Justice Walker ranks fifth all-time in program history with a career hitting percentage of .293. Senior libero OJ Olson is third at SFA in digs per set (4.36) and total digs (1,722) while senior middle blocker Jacque Allen sits third all-time in solo blocks (71).
600-Win Club: SFA coaching legend Debbie Humphreys notched coaching win number 600 on Sept. 5 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 602-309 (.661) in her 28th year at the helm for SFA.
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 weekend trip to Baylor, the Ladyjacks will begin Southland Conference play at home in Shelton Gym. SFA will open the league slate with Nicholls on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. and then host McNeese State on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1:00 p.m.
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