Stephen F. Austin
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Ladyjacks Clash with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday Afternoon
10/13/2017 7:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Ladyjacks make bid for first win over Islanders since 2014
Stephen F. Austin (17-5, 5-1 Southland) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-10, 6-2 Southland)
Saturday, Oct. 14 | 1:00 p.m. | Dugan Wellness Center (1,000) | Corpus Christi, Texas
Live Stats | Watch | Listen (SFAVolleyblog.net) | SFA Match Notes
THE FIRST SERVE
• Saturday afternoon, the Stephen F. Austin volleyball makes a stop in Corpus Christi, Texas, to try and do something no Southland Conference squad has done since 2014 - defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home. First serve between the Ladyjacks and the Islanders inside the Dugan Wellness Center has been set for 1:00 p.m.
• By posting a win over Incarnate Word Thursday night and coupled with other results around the Southland Conference, the Ladyjacks rose to third place in the Southland Conference standings. SFA trails second place Central Arkansas (6-1 Southland) and league frontrunner Sam Houston State (7-0 Southland) for the top spot in the 13-team league.
• SFA continues to lead the Southland Conference in attack percentage (.254) and is also tops in the league in opponent blocks (1.41) and opponent service aces (0.80). The Ladyjacks are one of three teams in the league who are averaging north of 16 digs per set and they trail only McNeese (16.88 digs per set) for the top spot in the Southland Conference.
• In Southland Conference confrontations, SFA's attack percentage of .295 represents another league-leading figure.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• After enduring one of their most trying weeks in recent memory, the Islanders close out a two-match homestand inside the Dugan Wellness Center - a site where they have lost only one time since the start of the 2015 season.
• In Thursday night's meeting with Lamar, the Islanders got back on track after dropping consecutive Southland Conference matches for the first time since the 2013 season. Brittany Gilpin finished with 11 kills to lead the host Islanders past the Cardinals in three sets.
• Now in her final season of collegiate volleyball, Gilpin leads Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and ranks sixth in the Southland Conference with her kills per set average of 3.20. She is the only member of the Islanders' squad who has accumulated over 200 kills, but four other Texas A&M-Corpus Christi players have 100 or more to their credit so far this season.
• Do-it-all setter Kristyn Nicholson is one of those 100-kill generators and is averaging 1.62 per set while dishing out assists at a rate of 9.15 per set. A true all-around threat, she leads her team as well as the Southland Conference with 28 service aces - good for an average of 0.41 per frame.
• Madison Woods heads up the Islanders' defensive operation in the back row by averaging 4.49 digs per set. Only two Southland Conference players are averaging more digs per set than Woods who is one of four players in the 13-team league that have amassed 300 or more scoops in 2017.
• Offensively and defensively, Madeleine Doud is another one of the Islanders' leaders. Her 111 total kills (1.68 per set) are second only to Gilpin's total and in the front row her 0.68 blocks per set represent a team-high.
LAST TIME OUT
• Another appearance in the starting lineup for freshman Anyia Williams yielded another impressive performance from the first year player who slammed down a match-high 11 kills on the strength of a season-best .647 hitting percentage as the Ladyjacks bested Incarnate Word 3-0 inside the McDermott Convocation Center Thursday night.
With Williams leading the way, the Ladyjacks finished the match with an 11-3 advantage in total blocks over their Southland Conference adversaries from the Alamo City. Williams turned in a match-high five block assists as well as one of SFA's six service aces.
• Leading the Ladyajcks from the service line was junior McKenzie Brewer who tied a career high by posting a match-best three aces. Corin Evans, who was absent from the starting lineup for the first time since August, added two more aces to go along with a career-high five blocks.
• Senior Lexus Cain put forth another double-digit dig effort by running down a team-high 11. With that total, she needs only nine more scoops to move up to ninth place all-time in program history in terms of total digs.
• Sophomore Ann Hollas submitted her team-leading eighth double-double of the season as well, dishing out 22 of the Ladyjacks' 32 assists and tying Cain for team-high honors in digs with 11 of her own.
COMING UP NEXT
• After over two-and-a-half weeks on the road, the Ladyjacks make their return to Shelton Gym where they will play their next three Southland Conference contests. That homestand begins Tuesday night when SFA plays host to Southeastern Louisiana. First serve between the Ladyjacks and Lady Lions has been set for 6:30 p.m.
-SFA-
