Stephen F. Austin
25-1, 14-0
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
16-10, 9-4
Williams Leads the Way as SFA Outlasts Islanders to Claim Share of 2019 SLC Title
11/7/2019 9:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Senior pounds down season-high 16 kills as rv SFA picks up share of 11th league crown
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Pushed to its first five-set Southland Conference match in over two years, the SFA volleyball team needed something to push them over the hump Thursday night.
They needed an x-factor and at the end of the night X was that factor.
Putting forth her finest offensive outing of the season, senior outside hitter Xariah Willams hammered home a season-high 16 kills - nine of which came in the final two sets - to help the Southland-leading Ladyjacks outlast an upset-minded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi squad in five sets inside the Dugan Wellness Center.
Thanks to the win - and a five-set win for Sam Houston State over Northwestern State - the Ladyjacks clinched at least a share of the 2019 Southland Conference regular season title. SFA has won the last three Southland regular season crowns and now has 11 in the history of the program.
SET ONE | rv SFA 25, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 17
• With the Islanders intent on shutting down SFA's outside hitters, that allowed the Ladyjacks' middle blockers to thrive on offense. Danae Daron and Xariah Williams sandwiched kills around a service ace from Corin Evans and that 3-0 run helped SFA moved ahead 8-5 in the early stages of the frame.
• Following that SFA run, the Islanders never retook the lead as the error-prone home team committed five unforced errors during a 5-1 Ladyjack run that hiked the visitors' edge to 16-9.
• Continuing to work the ball to their middles down the stretch, SFA received a termination from Daron as well as Mitchell's fifth and final kill of the set to power a set-clinching 4-1 run.
• Eleven errors stalled the Islanders' attack during the opening frame as the hosts hit only .021 in the set. Though SFA didn't put up eye-popping offense numbers as it hit .190, the Ladyjacks generated a pair of rejections to keep Texas A&M-Corpus Christi off-balance.
• Altogether, Daron and Mitchell combined for eight of SFA's 11 terminations in the set and hit .467.
SET TWO | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 25, rv SFA 23
• Following a service error by Carissa Barnes - one of two in the set committed by the Islanders - the Ladyjacks opened up a 17-12 lead and looked well on their way to opening up a 2-0 lead. Madison Green, however, had other plans.
• The Islanders' hybrid setter/outside hitter generated a kill before stepping behind the service line and serving up a trio of consecutive aces during the hosts' 5-0 run to knot matters at 17 apiece.
• Though Corin Evans finally stopped the Islanders' scoring spree with a termination, the Islanders had gathered up the majority of the momentum. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi answered Evans' kill with a 4-1 run that featured kills from Chloe Simon and Rachel Young to open up a 21-19 lead.
• SFA never led again, and even though Ariana Pagan pulled the visitors within 24-23 with a kill, the Islanders managed to knot things at one set apiece after Green and Sam Dumity took to the sky for a combo block that sealed the set.
• The Islanders out-hit SFA by a slim .167-.154 margin, but it was the service game that did the Ladyjacks in. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi generated a trio of aces which helped it get back in the set.
SET THREE | rv SFA 25, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 17
• Though the final score of the frame showed an eight-point win for the Ladyjacks, SFA kept the Islanders at bay for the majority of the set.
• An inefficient attack plan by the Islanders held the home team to cringe-worthy attack percentage of -.062 (seven kills, 10 errors) through the set.
• With its lead at 7-5, SFA put the set away with an 11-0 run that featured service aces from Evans and Bailey Mulder as well as a pair of terminations courtesy of Williams to extend the visitors' lead to 18-5.
• Even though Texas A&M-Corpus Christi used an 8-2 run to cut SFA's lead to 24-17, the Ladyjacks were able to end things with Evans' second kill of the set.
SET FOUR | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 25, rv SFA 23
• A neck-and-neck frame saw the Islanders finally take control with a 3-0 run that made matters 21-19 late. The third of three SFA service errors in the set started the surge before a Madison Green kill put the home team ahead 20-19.
• Twice - at 22 and at 23 - SFA managed to tie the score, but by employing consecutive terminations from Simon and Dumity the Islanders were able to send the match to a pivotal fifth set.
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hit .256 in the set to force SFA into a five-set Southland Conference match for the first time in over two years.
SET FIVE | rv SFA 15, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 9
• Wanting to end things as quickly as possible, the Ladyjacks came out as the aggressors and opened the set on a 7-2 run. Four Ladyjacks generated kills during that sizable surge to start the set including Hollas who had a pair of them.
• The Islanders got to within four, 10-6, when kills from three players powered a 4-2 run. Williams, however, would not let her team lose. The senior unloaded for her final three kills of the night during SFA's 5-3 run to finish the match.
• SFA's offense picked a great time to operate at its best clip of the night as the Ladyjacks hit .333 in the set.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Hollas finished one kill shy of a triple-double and had to settle for a 26-assist, 18-dig double-double instead. The senior was joined in double-double territory by Evans (12 kills, 15 digs) and Dean (21 assists, 16 digs).
• Mitchell wrapped up her night with eight blocks as SFA registered 10 total rejections. Maddie Miller went for a match-high 30 digs in the five-set marathon while Pagan just missed out on a double-double by finishing with nine kills and 11 digs of her own.
• The Islanders' loss overshadowed a fine performance by Green who went for 18 kills, 27 assists and 16 digs. That triple-double was Green's third of the season.
• Carissa Barnes came up with a team-high 27 digs while Kylie Filipiak added 11 terminations for the Islanders who saw their eight-match winning streak come to an end.
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hit just .096 for the match while SFA's offense operated at a clip of .204.
• SFA pushed its nation-leading win total to 25 matches and extended its winning streak to 18 matches with the five-set victory. It was SFA's first five-set Southland Conference match since playing five inside the Dugan Wellness Center against the Islanders on Oct. 14, 2017.
COMING UP NEXT
• For their final Southland Conference road match of the regular season, the Ladyjacks head to the Alamo City for a Saturday showdown with Incarnate Word. First serve from inside the McDermott Convocation Center is slated for noon.
-SFA-
