Stephen F. Austin
Abilene Christian
Ladyjacks' Comeback Bid Falls Short in Five-Set Loss at Abilene Christian
10/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Abilene Christian 3, Stephen F. Austin 2 | 17-25, 25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12 | Box Score
Records: Abilene Christian • 6-17, 5-3 Southland | Stephen F. Austin • 12-8, 5-2 Southland
Up next: vs. Central Arkansas (9-11, 3-5 Southland) | Thursday, Oct. 20 | 6:30 p.m. | Shelton Gym
ABILENE, Texas - Two of the Southland Conference’s best blocking teams crossed paths in Moody Coliseum on Thursday night, but at the end of the night it was offensive execution that proved to be one of the biggest determinants of the outcome.
Abby McIntyre put down 17 kills for the second consecutive match and Justice Walker added 10 kills and a match-high seven blocks, but four Abilene Christian players notched 12 or more kills and the Wildcats solved SFA’s defense to claim a 3-2 Southland Conference win.
Even though SFA out-blocked the Wildcats 12.0-8.5, the home team finished with 10 more digs and held the Ladyjacks to a hitting percentage of .159.
Ann Hollas collected a 49-assist, 12-dig double-double and Lexus Cain scooped up a team-best 25 digs. Danae Daron reset her career high by putting down 11 kills on a team-best .474 attack percentage.
By bringing its defense to the forefront, the Ladyjacks negated the Wildcats’ offense almost entirely in the first frame. Outside of a 4-2 run by the home team to begin things, the Ladyjacks were able to control the set by notching three of their 12 teams blocks. Peyton Redmond shot in the first of her two service aces and kills from Ann Hollas and Haley Coleman provided the other offensive highlights for the Ladyjacks during a 6-1 run which put the visitors up 9-5.
Two of Walker’s six block assists in the match came during the course of a 6-1 SFA run that pushed the Ladyjacks’ lead to 20-13. Of the 43 swings the Wildcats took in the first set, nine ended in error and only 10 found the court of Moody Coliseum for kills as SFA held ACU to a .023 hitting percentage in the frame.
All of the problems the Wildcats experienced trying to navigate the Ladyjacks’ defense in the opening set went away in the second frame. Abilene Christian turned it up a notch on offense and finished the frame with a .325 attack percentage compared to the .119 figure the Ladyjacks put up.
Directly after Danae Daron’s first kill of the second put the visitors up 8-7, Abilene Christian set off an an 8-1 run that featured kills from three different players and a pair of SFA attack errors. Daron’s play down the stretch - especially her two kills and a block assist during a 5-1 SFA surge that pulled the Ladyjacks within 20-19 - allowed SFA to remain within striking distance, but ACU received three key kills from three different players down the stretch to secure its 25-23 win in the frame.
Much like they did in the second, the Wildcats seized control of the third set with an 8-2 run in the middle portion of the frame. A kill from McIntyre had put the Ladyjacks up 12-11, but three different ACU players registered terminations in the run that left SFA at a loss for answers.
Trailing 2-1, the Ladyjacks located their lost offense early on in the fourth set. Peyton Redmond submitted a kill and a service ace during a 6-3 opening statement by SFA. ACU took its second and final lead of the set when Lexi Mercier’s solo block made things 15-14, but Makenzee Hanna pushed SFA back in front for good with back-to-back kills.
Clinging to a 22-21 lead late in the frame, Hanna stood strong again and started a 3-0 set-clinching surge with another kill. Coupled with an ACU error and a combo block from Daron and Hanna, SFA took a 25-21 decision and moved to a fifth set for the second time in 2016.
Both teams played things point-for-point in the opening stages of the fifth, but ACU took control for good on kills from Grandcolas, Mercier and Smith during a 3-1 spurt that put the Wildcats up 8-6 at the switch.
Daron hammered down her career-best 11th kill of the night to get the Ladyjacks back within one, but ACU won the next four points to open up a 12-7 lead. The final SFA run came in the form of kills from McIntyre and Redmond as well as a solo block from Walker that trimmed ACU’s lead to 14-12, but an SFA service error ended the match and kept the Wildcats undefeated at home.
Jacey Smith led the Wildcats with 16 kills while Lauren Walk added 14 more on a .500 hitting percentage. Lexi Mercier and Marybeth Sandercox totaled 12 winners each.
Following three consecutive Southland Conference road matches, the Ladyjacks return to Shelton Gym next week to take on another pair of league opponents. First up in that stretch is a Thursday evening tilt with Central Arkansas. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
-SFA-
