Stephen F. Austin
Tennessee State
Ladyjacks Set to Host The Fredonia Hotel/Holiday Inn Express SFA Invitational
9/6/2018 2:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SFA battles Tennessee State, St. John's, Stetson and Grambling State over the weekend
The Fredonia Hotel/Holiday Inn Express SFA Invitational | Tournament Central | SFA Match Notes
SFA (5-2) vs. Tennessee State (1-5) | Friday, Sept. 7 | 1:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live)
SFA vs. St. John's | Friday, Sept. 7 | 6:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live)
SFA vs. Stetson | Saturday, Sept. 8 | 12:30 a.m. | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live)
SFA vs. Grambling State | Saturday, Sept. 8 | 5:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (Facebook Live)
THE FIRST SERVE
• Five teams from five different states - Florida, Louisiana, New York, Tennessee and Texas - are set to convene in Shelton Gym on the campus of SFA this weekend as the Ladyjacks host The Fredonia Hotel/Holiday Inn Express SFA Invitational. The eight-match invitational begins at 11:00 a.m. Friday morning with a showdown between Stetson and St. John's with SFA's opening match of the volleyball-filled weekend set for 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon against Tennessee State.
• Against the teams in The Fredonia Hotel/Holiday Inn Express SFA Invitational, the Ladyjacks have an all-time record of 14-0. Grambling State, St. John's, Stetson and Tennessee State all come to Nacogdoches for the invitational and of that group the only squad SFA has never faced is BIG EAST representative St. John's.
• Friday and Saturday's matches represent the majority of a season-long six-match home stand for the Ladyjacks. Since moving back into Shelton Gym prior to the start of the 2011 season, SFA has posted an impressive 66-20 (.767) record against the opposition. From 2015 until the present day, that winning percentage gets better as SFA is 35-5 (.875) in that span.
LAST TIME OUT
• Making their first 2018 appearance inside Shelton Gym, it took all of 78 minutes for the Ladyjacks to dispatch visiting Louisiana-Monroe in three sets Tuesday evening. Senior outside hitter Peyton Redmond led the way on offense by pounding down a season and match-high 13 kills while completing a double-double effort with 10 digs.
• Both McKenzie Brewer and Ann Hollas dished out 15 digs while the latter added 15 digs to post her team-leading third double-double of the season.
• A force all the way around, junior middle blocker Danae Daron racked up seven kills, a match and season-high seven block assists and tied a career high by posting two of the Ladyjacks' three service aces in the three-set victory.
• Freshman libero Sabrina Monaco added a match-high 16 digs as well as four assists. Her floor defense helped limit the Warhawks' attack percentage to a lowly .023 in SFA's sixth-straight victory over their foes from Louisiana.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
Series | SFA leads 2-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won two
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 1-0 (1.000)
At neutral sites | 1-0 (1.000)
In three-set matches | 1-0 (1.000)
In four-set matches | 1-0 (1.000)
Humphreys vs. Tennessee State | 2-0 (1.000)
Sutton vs. SFA | 0-0 (.000)
Last meeting | SFA 3, Tennessee State (8/30/14, match played in Fayetteville, Ark.)
• Once they hit the court of Shelton Gym Friday afternoon against SFA, the Tigers will be trying to put a stop to a four-match losing skid. Last weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn., Tennessee State found itself embroiled in a pair of four set matches and one five-setter but came up on the losing end of each tilt.
• Shifting between the middle and one of the pins for Tennessee State, Rachel Henderson is without question the most dangerous player on the Tigers' roster. The Fort Worth, Texas, product ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference having averaged 4.21 points per set with most of those coming via the kill. Henderson's kills per set average of 3.20 per set leads an offense that averages 11.68 terminations per frame.
• Strong at the front of the net as well, Henderson is tops on the Tigers' blocking charts. Her 1.16 rejections per set make her one of two players on the team who block at least one ball per frame with Hinalei Fihaki (1.00 blocks/set) being the other member of that tandem.
• Julia Pierson gives the Tigers a strong one-two punch on offense as she bring 2.88 kills per set to the table.
• Ranking second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 53rd nationally in digs per set, Tennessee State's floor defense is headlined by Gina Rivera Ortiz and her digs per set average of 4.32. Henderson (2.88 digs/set), Pierson (2.68 digs/set) and Laken Te'o (2.56 digs/set) all play additional supporting roles in the Tigers' defensive efforts as well.
SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Armed with a bona fide BIG EAST Freshman of the Year candidate in Italian right side Rachele Rastelli, the Red Storm head to Nacogdoches having won seven of its first eight matches to begin the 2018 campaign. Strong starts are nothing new for St. John's as the squad went 7-3 to begin 2017 and 8-1 through its first nine matches of 2016.
• Rastelli leads St. John's in points per set (3.83), kills per set (3.13) and service aces (11). She's joined by Amanda Sanabia as the team's leader in service aces and that tandem has the Red Storm ranked second in the BIG EAST and 32nd nationally with 1.81 service aces per set.
• In addition to bringing a strong service game to the table, Sanabia is also the Red Storm's best floor defender. She leads the team, ranks second in the BIG EAST and 60th nationally with a digs per set average of 4.91.
• Alongside Rastelli, Kayley Wood (2.80 kills/set), Lexie Lobdell (2.13 kills/set) and Nia Diaz (1.81 kills/set) all contribute heavily to the Red Storm's offensive attack. Diaz is the most efficient of that bunch as she leads the team and ranks 81th nationally with a .379 attack percentage.
• Hanna Wagner represents the best the Red Storm has to offer in terms of front row defense. She has totaled 29 rejections - 0.97 per set - to lead the team. Rastelli (0.60 blocks/set) and Diaz (0.50 blocks/set) bring two more front row stoppers to St. John's defensive scheme.
SCOUTING STETSON | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
Series | SFA leads 2-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won two
In DeLand, Fla. | 2-0 (1.000)
In three-set matches | 1-0 (1.000)
In four-set matches | 1-0 (1.000)
Humphreys vs. Stetson | 2-0 (1.000)
Deng vs. SFA | 0-1 (.000)
Last meeting | at Stetson 1, SFA 3 (8/26/17)
• With the Atlantic Sun's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year on their side in Hao Jin, the Hatters have already exceeded their win total from 2017 just six matches into the 2018 campaign. Last Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Stetson ended a two-match skid by taking care of Middle Tennessee State in four sets to up their record to 4-2.
• Currently the Hatters are the most efficient offensive team in the Atlantic Sun as they lead the league and rank 64th nationally in attack percentage with a mark of .249. That's due in large part to Jin and Brianna Schmid who attack at clips of .339 and .296 respectively.
• It's Eva Deisa who leads the Hatters offensively, however, pounding down 3.58 kills per set. A high-volume attacker, Deisa has taken almost 30-percent of the team's swings thus far in 2018. Jin (2.13 kills/set), Charlotte Earnhart (2.69 kills/set) and Schmid (1.33 kills/set) compliment Deisa's team-leading kills per set figure.
• Jin and Schmid compose quite the sturdy front row for Stetson with both players averaging at or over one block per set. Jin leads the team and ranks fifth in the Atlantic Sun with 1.04 rejections per frame while Schmid is right at 1.00 blocks per set.
• The second-highest digs per set average in the Atlantic Sun belongs to Stetson's Chelcie Spence who leads the team with 4.88 scoops per set. By herself, Spence has amassed 30.2-percent of the Hatters' dig total through six 2018 matches.
SCOUTING GRAMBLING STATE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
Series | SFA leads 10-0 (1.000)
Streak | SFA won 10
Last five matches | 5-0 (1.000)
Last 10 matches | 10-0 (1.000)
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 7-0 (1.000)
In Grambling, La. | 1-0 (1.000)
At neutral sites | 2-0 (1.000)
In three-set matches | 10-0 (1.000)
Humphreys vs. Grambling State | 10-0 (1.000)
Keys-Johnson vs. SFA | 0-3 (.000)
Last meeting | SFA 3, vs. Grambling State 0 (9/1/17, match played in Starkville, Miss.)
• In search of their first victory since a five-set victory at Southern in a SWAC tilt on Nov. 11, 2017, the Lady Tigers have dropped eight consecutive matches dating back to Nov. 17, 2017.
• Each of the team's first seven matches of the 2018 campaign have taken place away from the Lady Tigers' home state of Louisiana. Grambling State opened the season in Denton, Texas, at the North Texas Tournament where they won their only set of the season so far in a 3-1 setback to Southland foe Nicholls.
• The Lady Tigers' trip to Nacogdoches is the beginning of a stretch of four consecutive matches in the Lone Star State before the squad takes part in six straight matches in Louisiana.
• Kevreion Ward tops the Lady Tigers' charts in both points per set (2.32) and kills per set (2.05) while Tess Reynolds adds another 1.77 terminations per frame to a team attack that generates 8.14 kills per set.
• The lone double-digit blocker among the Lady Tigers' ranks thus far, Kayla Dougherty has amassed a team-high 12 rejections (0.75 per set).
• One of five players who have competed in all 22 of the Lady Tigers' sets, Kabria Dame leads the team's back row operation with a digs per set average of 2.36.
WHERE THERE'S A WILL(IAMS), THERE'S A WAY
• Just as she did through her freshman year, sophomore middle blocker Anyia Williams has proven to be a highly effective offensive threat for the Ladyjacks so far in 2018.
• Williams leads SFA and and ranks second in the Southland with an attack percentage of .353. Offensively, the sophomore is averaging 2.00 kills per set which makes her one of four Ladyjacks who are striking for at least two terminations per frame.
• Her defense has been a strong component of her game, too, as Williams is averaging a 0.85 blocks per set. She is one of four Ladyjacks with double-digit blocks, joining junior Danae Daron (21) and seniors Makenzee Hanna (14) and Haley Coleman (10) in that category.
THE KID IS ALRIGHT
• Through her first two-plus weeks of collegiate volleyball, freshman Sabrina Monaco has taken on the role of the Ladyjacks' libero and has proceeded to put up some of the best numbers in the Southland.
• The Southlake, Texas, product leads SFA and ranks second in the Southland Conference with a digs per set average of 4.80. That average is also the 10th-highest among all NCAA Division I freshmen thus far in 2018.
ACE IN THE HOLE
• Almost half of the Ladyjacks' 30 service aces so far this season have been racked up by two individuals - seniors McKenzie Brewer and Haley Coleman.
• Coleman leads the way with eight service winners while Brewer isn't far behind with seven to her credit.
SPREAD IT AROUND
• Once again the Ladyjacks have been relying on a varied offensive attack to get the job done. Haley Coleman (2.61 kills/set) is the only player who has exceeded 60 terminations, but Danae Daron (2.57 kills/set), Peyton Redmond (2.55 kills/set) and Anyia Williams (2.00 kills/set) are averaging two or more kills per frame as well.
COMING UP NEXT
• To conclude their six-match home stand, SFA welcomes Conference USA competitor and in-state rival Rice to Shelton Gym Tuesday evening for a non-conference showdown. First serve between the Ladyjacks and Owls is set for 5:00 p.m., and the match will be carried nationwide on ESPN and the ESPN app with Greg Miller and Brittany Castledine on the call.
-SFA-
