Ladyjacks Release 2019 Schedule
5/30/2019 3:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Two-time defending Southland champs play 30 matches in four states
2019 SFA Volleyball Schedule
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The two-time defending Southland Conference champion SFA volleyball team revealed its 30-match 2019 schedule in an announcement made Thursday by 32nd-year head coach Debbie Humphreys.
Through the Ladyjacks' challenging slate, they will visit a total of four states to take on adversaries from 10 different conferences. Six of SFA's foes finished among the top 100 in the final RPI ranking of 2018 and four secured spots in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIVC one season ago.
The Ladyjacks begin their 14-match non-conference schedule on the penultimate day of August by heading north to Dallas, Texas, where they will be one of four teams taking part in the SMU Doubletree Classic. SFA takes on in-state rival UTSA and the Missouri Valley Conference's Bradley on Aug. 30 before challenging tournament host SMU the following day (Aug. 31).
Ten of the team's 13 matches in the month of September take place away from Nacogdoches, Texas, and that stretch begins on Sept. 5, when the Ladyjacks travel to Chicago, Ill., for a matchup against the MVC's Loyola-Chicago. From there, SFA heads north of Chicago to Evanston, Ill., to take part in Northwestern's UnderArmour Tournament. The Ladyjacks' three-match run in the tournament which features eclusively UnderArmour schools begins Sept. 6, when they face off against Big 12 foe Texas Tech and defending Ohio Valley Conference titleholder Austin Peay. A rematch with the Big Ten's Northwestern - one of just three teams who defeated SFA in 2018 - comes on Sept. 7.
Following a stretch of seven matches either on the road or at neutral site venues to start the season, SFA makes its 2019 Shelton Gym debut on Sept. 10 by hosting Prairie View A&M. From there, the Ladyjacks head out to Jonesboro, Ark., where they will take on a trio of teams at the Arkansas State Invitational on Sept. 13-14. While in The Natural State, SFA is set to play Rice (Sept. 13) and the host Red Wolves (Sept. 13) before ending their three-match tournament slate with a showdown against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Sept. 14).
A second matchup with Prairie View A&M (Sept. 20) is how SFA begins its three-match schedule in the UT-Arlington Tournament the following week. On the final day of the tournament (Sept. 21), the Ladyjacks battle Chicago State and the host Mavericks to conclude their regular season non-conference schedule.
SFA begins its second-straight Southland Conference title defense in Shelton Gym when Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Sept. 26) and Incarnate Word (Sept. 28) come calling.
From there, SFA faces three consecutive Southland Conference road tests as the Ladyjacks head to Lamar (Oct. 3), McNeese (Oct. 5) and New Orleans (Oct. 9) to begin their nine-match slate in the month of October. Four of SFA's nine home matches take place in October and that run starts when the Ladyjacks return from New Orleans to host Abilene Christian (Oct. 12), Nicholls (Oct. 17) and Southeastern Louisiana (Oct. 19).
The Ladyjacks' final three matches of October will be played in three different states as SFA heads to Conway, Ark., for a rematch of the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament title bout with Central Arkansas (Oct. 24) before moving on to face Northwestern State (Oct. 26) in Natchitoches, La. Those two road bouts precede up a big-time Halloween night showdown with longtime Piney Woods rival Sam Houston State inside Shelton Gym.
In their final five regular season matches, SFA never once leaves the state of Texas. The Ladyjacks' start November with three-straight Southland Conference road matches at Houston Baptist (Nov. 2), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 7) and Incarnate Word (Nov. 9). From there, SFA wraps up the regular season in Shelton Gym by hosting Lamar (Nov. 14) and McNeese (Nov. 16).
Should the Ladyjacks made the cut for the Southland Conference Tournament, they will head to Conway, Ark., in search of a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The league's championship tournament is set for Nov. 22-24.
With the exception of SFA's non-conference matches in Illinois and its Southland Conference tilts at New Orleans and Central Arkansas, SFAVolleyBlog.net will carry all Ladyjack volleyball road matches on internet radio. For the sixth season, Greg Miller will be on the call for those broadcasts which will be available free of charge at SFAVolleyblog.net.
For complete coverage of the Ladyjacks' volleyball squad as it gears up for the 2019 campaign, follow SFA on Facebook (SFA Volleyball) and Twitter (@SFA_Volleyball). Additionally, continue to visit SFAJacks.com - the official home of SFA Athletics.
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