Stephen F. Austin
24-6 (12-2SLC)
Abilene Christian University
10-15 (6-7SLC)
Fast Start and Strong Service Game Push Ladyjacks Past Abilene Christian 3-1
11/2/2017 8:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SFA generates nine service aces in the win, remains tied with Central Arkansas for first in Southland standings
ABILENE, Texas - Facing one of the top blocking squads in the Southland Conference, the Stephen F. Austin volleyball team may not have operated as efficiently as it would have liked on offense but at the end of the night it did just enough to remain within striking distance of the program's ninth Southland Conference title.
Limited to an attack percentage of only .170 - its fourth-lowest of the season - a resilient SFA squad found a way to dodge Abilene Christian's towering front line down the stretch and escape with a 3-1 victory in order to remain in a tie with Central Arkansas for first place in the Southland Conference standings.
"Through the first two sets we were able to serve and pass well and that's really what helped us get ahead of them early on," commented SFA head coach Debbie Humphreys. "Tonight wasn't our sharpest performance, but we got a big win on the road so we'll take it. In the third set we didn't pass well, we missed serves so it just became a question of can we regroup and regain our composure in the fourth."
It was junior Peyton Redmond who led the way offensively for SFA as she generated a team-best 10 kills while completing her second double-double of the season with 12 digs. Only Lexus Cain dug up more shots than Redmond and with her 17 on the night the Amarillo, Texas, product moved up to fifth place in the Ladyjacks' record books in terms of career digs.
Danae Daron and Makenzee Hanna each hit .350 or better and turned in nine kills apiece. Daron finished with a team-best six blocks while Daron chipped in four rejections and two of the squad's nine service aces. Cain, Ann Hollas and Corin Evans each finished with a pair of aces and the Ladyjacks got 10 free points by way of service errors by Abilene Christian to earn the important win.
Until Hanna started a set-clinching run with a kill midway through the opening frame, Abilene Christian appeared ready to start the match with a win in the opening set. Trailing 14-11, SFA embarked on a 14-3 run to close the set which was made possible largely by the service games of Haley Coleman and Evans. Each of them put forth an ace during the run and SFA generated six kills as well in order to take a 1-0 lead.
Four of the first five points in the second went to the Ladyjacks and thanks to that the visitors stayed ahead for the entirety of the frame. Abilene Christian did manage to pull within one on three occasions - the last of which came when an attack error by Redmond cut SFA's lead to 11-10 - but Hanna put down a kill and added an ace as part of a run of five unanswered SFA points which put the visitors up 16-10.
Kills from Daron, Hollas and Redmond represented the majority of a 5-0 SFA run later in the frame that upped the Ladyjacks' lead to 23-14 and although the Wildcats fought off four set point tries by SFA a service error by Kendall Bosse ended the frame and gave the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Trying to get out of Moody Coliseum in only three sets, the Ladyjacks were instead forced to remain there a little longer to earn the win after the Wildcats came out strong in the third frame. In an attempt to generate a dose of their Moody Magic, the Wildcats generated five kills and two aces during a 15-4 run to begin the frame.
Although the Wildcats were able to jump on the Ladyjacks early on, SFA fought back by turning the service line into one of its best weapons of the set. Cain and Hollas each fired in a pair of aces during the frame with the latter's coming on consecutive points that cut the Wildcats' edge to 23-20 late in the frame.
Abilene Christian's massive lead proved too much to overcome, however, as an SFA error coupled with a block by the Wildcats closed out the third.
The squads swapped points and totaled four ties through the first 12 points of the fourth frame before Daron and Evans joined forces for a combo block that broke a 6-6 deadlock. That rejection represented the starting point of a 5-0 run by the Ladyjacks in which Hanna punched down a pair of kills to help make matters 11-6.
Although the Wildcats never regained the lead in the set they certainly made things interesting with a run late in the frame. Back-to-back kills from Lorin McNeil and Jacey Smith tied the frame at 23-23 - the first deadlock since the scoreboard read 6-6 earlier in the set. Two more ties - one at 24-24 and the other at 25-25 - forced extra points but Daron's ninth and final kill coupled with the Wildcats 29th attack error of the night pushed SFA to the finish line.
Three Wildcats finished with 10 or more kills and none had more than Smith who finished with a match-best 11. Lauren Walker and McNeill chipped in 10 winners each while Marybeth Sandercox finished with a match-best seven blocks to help the Wildcats finish with an 11-10 advantage in rejections over SFA.
In order to get to Huntsville, Texas, for one of its most important matches of 2017 SFA will need to put another 350 miles of road behind it. Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m., the Ladyjacks reignite their longstanding Piney Woods rivalry with Sam Houston State in a match rife with postseason implications. Sam Houston State trails SFA and Central Arkansas by just one-and-a-half matches for the top spot in the league standings.
"There will be something on the line for both teams on Saturday morning, so it should be a great match," Humphreys finished.
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