Stephen F. Austin
Georgetown University
SFA Closes out Non-Conference Schedule at Rice Adidas Invitational II
9/14/2017 10:37:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Ladyjacks head to Houston for three matches
SFA Match Notes
Match 14 | SFA (11-2) vs. Georgetown (6-3) | Friday, Sept. 15 | 3:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Listen (SFAVolleyblog)
Match 15 | SFA vs. Arkansas State | Saturday, Sept. 16 | 12:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Listen (SFAVolleyblog)
Match 16 | SFA at Rice | Saturday, Sept. 16 | 6:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch ($) | Listen (SFAVolleyblog)
THE FIRST SERVE
• In order to close out its non-conference regular season schedule, the Stephen F. Austin volleyball team heads south to Houston, Texas, where it will be one of four teams from four different conferences in attendance at the Rice Adidas Invitational II.
• The Ladyjacks begin their final weekend of non-conference play by taking on Georgetown at 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon in Tudor Fieldhouse before wrapping things up with Saturday matches against Arkansas State at 12:30 p.m. and Rice at 6:00 p.m.
• An online radio stream of each match will be provided on SFAVolleyblog.net with Greg Miller providing play-by-play and analysis.
LAST TIME OUT
• A highly unusual set of circumstances forced a venue change for Tuesday night's non-conference match between former Southland Conference rivals SFA and Texas State as a power outage on SFA's campus caused the match to be played at Central Heights High School just north of Nacogdoches. It was there that SFA's 11-match winning streak came to an end as the visiting Bobcats bested SFA in four sets.
• SFA sophomore Corin Evans turned in her fourth-straight double-double performance by generating team highs in kills (13) and digs (10) while also adding a pair of service aces and two block assists. That performance, however, was not enough against a Texas State attack that put forth a .223 attack percentage and finished with 58 kills - 19 more than SFA.
• Junior Peyton Redmond returned to SFA's rotation for the fourth time in the month of September and turned in a season-high seven kills in the Ladyjacks' setback.
• Senior Lexus Cain scooped up 10 digs, extending her streak of double-digit dig outings to nine matches. Those 10 digs increased her career total to 1,265 - the 10th-most all-time in program history. Cain needs 163 more digs to move part Krisna Johnson into ninth all-time in that category.
• Sophomore Ann Hollas added one service ace in SFA's loss, bringing her season total to 18 - the most service aces by any single player in the Southland Confernece and the 30th-highest service ace total among all NCAA Division I players.
• The loss by the Ladyjacks snapped the team's 11-match winning streak which was the longest in the nation headed into the match. That winning streak was also the eighth-longest in the history of the program.
• Despite the setback, SFA remains in possession of the best start through 13 matches in the history of the program. In addition to this season, the Ladyjacks also started 11-2 in 2008, 2005, 1998, 1994 and 1993.
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Record vs. Georgetown | 0-0
• In Nacogdoches, Texas | 0-0
• In Washington D.C. | 0-0
• At neutral sites | 0-0
• Humphreys vs. Georgetown | 0-0
• After posting only seven wins in 2016, the Hoyas have the opportunity to match and exceed their number of total triumphs from a season ago in Houston this weekend. Powered by potential BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate in junior Symone Speech, Georgetown is off to its best start since 2014 - a year in which the Hoyas also won six of their first nine matches.
• Speech is unquestionably the Hoyas' go-to player as she leads the squad in points per set (4.35), kills per set (3.67) and blocks per set (1.00). The attacking prowess of the junior is evident as well as she leads the BIG EAST and ranks 11th nationally with a hitting percentage of .475. Her play has helped boost the Hoyas' team attack percentage to .257 - the fourth-highest in the BIG EAST and the 45th-best among all NCAA Division I volleyball teams.
• In addition to Speech, two other players who do the talking for the Hoyas on offense include Alyssa Sinnette and Olivia King - both of whom average over two kills per set. Sinnette is hitting .138 and brings 2.45 kills per frame to the table while King attacks at a .124 clip and puts down 2.13 terminations per set.
• Five players in the BIG EAST are averaging four or more digs per set and among that group is Georgetown's Kenzie Higareda who makes an average of 4.33 scoops per set - the third-highest number in the 10-team league. Higareda's 156 total digs are the second-most in the BIG EAST and she has proven to be a service threat for the Hoyas, too, by leading the team with 11 service aces.
• Georgetown's matchup with SFA will be the first time the two programs have crossed paths on the volleyball court. It will also be the Hoyas first showdown with an opponent from the Southland Conference since they tangled with Nicholls in New Orleans, La., on September 4, 2004 - over 13 years ago.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Record vs. Arkansas State | 4-5
• In Nacogdoches, Texas | 2-1
• In Jonesboro, Ark. | 1-3
• At neutral sites | 1-1
• Humphreys vs. Arkansas State | 4-5
• Since 2014, the Red Wolves have won at least 21 matches per season, laid claim to two Sun Belt Conference regular season titles, made a pair of appearances in the Sun Belt Tournament title match and have attended one NCAA Tournament (2015). The coaches from around the Sun Belt predicted the Red Wolves' trend of league dominance to continue in 2017 when they were picked to finish first in the west division of the 12-team league.
• With three preseason All-Sun Belt picks - outside hitters Kenzie Fields and Carlisa May as well as middle blocker Jessica Use - steering Arkansas State, the Red Wolves have gone 5-5 to start the season. Included in that list of losses is a four-set setback to Southland Conference opponent Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark., last Thursday.
• May, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year, is among the best the Sun Belt and the nation have to offer in terms of offense. A junior, May ranks second in the league and 37th nationally by averaging 4.21 kills per set. Adding to the Red Wolves' potent offensive attack is Drew Jones who pounds down 3.53 kills per set to rank fourth in the Sun Belt in that category. The Red Wolves are one of two teams in the Sun Belt - Appalachian State is the other - that has two players in the top ten in kills per set.
• Distributing the volleyball for Arkansas State is Ellie Watkins who leads the Sun Belt and ranks 40th nationally with 10.96 assists per set. In the back row, Tatum Ticknor has been one of collegiate volleyball's best in the early stages of the season by producing 5.43 digs per set - the highest average in the Sun Belt and the 20th-best figure in the nation.
• Arkansas State will be the fourth and final team from the Sun Belt SFA will face in the 2017 regular season. The Ladyjacks have gone 2-1 against the league so far this season, posting victories over Louisiana-Monroe (3-0) and Little Rock (3-0) before falling to Texas State (3-1) Tuesday night.
SCOUTING RICE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Record vs. Rice | 9-11
• In Nacogdoches, Texas | 6-2
• In Houston, Texas | 2-8
• At neutral sites | 1-1
• Humphreys vs. Rice | 9-11
• In search of their fourth consecutive season of 20 or more wins, Rice closes out a seven-match home stand this weekend by serving as the host institution for the Rice Adidas Invitational II. Winners of three of their last four matches, the Owls will try to take down their fourth Southland Conference opponent in five opportunities this season. Rice has defeated Houston Baptist (3-1), Incarnate Word (3-2) and Abilene Christian (3-1) after dropping a four-set decision to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in its first match of the season.
• The biggest reason why the Owls lead Conference USA in digs per set is the play of Lee Ann Cunningham. In possession of the nation's 38th-highest digs per set average at 5.07, Cunnningham has helped Rice limit opponent to a .164 attack percentage so far through 2017.
• With Nicole Lennon and her team-best 3.66 kills per set leading the way, Rice ranks 18th nationally and fourth in Conference USA with 565 total terminations. In addition to Lennon, McKay Kyle (2.37 kills per set), Seyvion Waggoner (2.69 kills per set) and Grace Morgan (2.24 kills per set) each play a big part in the Owls' offense.
• Only seven players throughout NCAA Division I volleyball have racked up more assists than Rice setter Madison McDaniel has. The senior has totaled 461 of them so far in 2017 and her 11.24 assists per set is the fourth-highest average in Conference USA and the 29th-best average on the national scene.
• Rice was tabbed for a runner-up finish in the 13-team Conference USA when the league's preseason poll was unveiled in August of 2017. The Owls received one first-place vote while Western Kentucky received the other 11 and was picked to win its third-straight regular season title.
COMING UP NEXT
• The first Southland Conference test for the Ladyjacks will come within the walls of Shelton Gym when SFA welcomes Central Arkansas to Nacogdoches to begin the league play portion of its 2017 schedule. SFA and Central Arkansas currently possess the top two records in the Southland Conference and those two teams will tangle at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening.
