Stephen F. Austin
3-0
Bradley
0-3
Evans and Williams Notch Double-Doubles in SFA's 3-0 Victory over Bradley
8/30/2019 9:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SFA starts 2-0 for second-straight season
DALLAS - After watching their two fellow seniors help lead the SFA volleyball team to victory in its season opener Friday morning, final-year players Corin Evans and Xariah Williams served as an exceptionally potent one-two punch for the Ladyjacks later in the evening.
Evans finished with a 10-kill, 12-dig double-double while Williams added a match and career-high 14 kills while completing the first double-double of her career with a team-high 12 digs to help the Ladyjacks start 2-0 for the second consecutive season as SFA knocked off Bradley 3-0 at the SMU Doubletree Invitational Friday evening.
SET ONE | SFA 25, Bradley 17
• At no point during the opening frame did Bradley's defense present enough of a problem to slow down the Ladyjacks who hit .371 in the opening frame.
• Junior setter Margaret Dean started the match off with the Ladyjacks' first service ace and junior Sheretta Hill ended SFA's 6-3 run to begin the tilt with the first of her three kills in the frame.
• SFA never trailed and watched its lead balloon to 16-9 thanks to a 4-0 run that was aided by a trio of unforced errors by the Braves.
• Bradley pulled within four points, 18-14, but after a Ladyjacks timeout seniors Xariah Williams and Corin Evans combined for three kills in a set-clinching 7-2 SFA run.
• In all, Bradley committed six unforced errors through the frame. Leading SFA's offense was senior Corin Evans who pounded down four of SFA's 16 terminations.
SET TWO | SFA 27, Bradley 25
• Hoping to win their first set of 2019, Bradley came out much more poised on offense and let their middles go to work. By doing so, the Braves were able to match SFA's potency on offense.
• Through the first 26 points of the set the score was tied 10 times until SFA took advantage of some miscues by the Braves.
• More Bradley errors - four in a row to be precise - allowed SFA to break a 13-13 tie and go ahead 17-13. Those miscues gave the Ladyjacks a bit of separation, but Bradley fought back and made SFA work for it down the stretch.
• After a kill by Ann Hollas made matters 22-19 in favor of SFA, Bradley used a Ladyjack service error, a service ace from Carlee Camlin and a solo stuff by Karagan Coggin to knot things at 22.
• The teams traded points until the scoreboard read 25-25. From there, SFA turned to Williams to finally clinch the set.
• Williams was the difference maker as the senior generated two of the Ladyjacks' final three points of the set via the termination. Her last one of the frame got her to 10 in a match for the first time in her collegiate career. On her serve, Evans ended the set with her eighth kill of the evening.
SET THREE | SFA 25, Bradley 20
• In the hopes of securing their first three-set triumph of 2019, the Ladyjacks took their offensive execution to another level.
• Bradley's lone lead came early when the Braves posted three of the first five points of the set. From there, Hollas lined a kill into Bradley territory to begin a 5-0 Ladyjack run which put SFA on top the rest of the way.
• The Braves did manage to cut their deficit down to three, 19-16, with a 7-2 run consisting of three terminations and four unforced Ladyjack errors but Taya Mitchell helmed a 3-1 SFA run with a kill and a block assist to squash Bradley's comeback bid.
• Kills from Hollas and Ariana Pagan ended the set - and the match - and helped the Ladyjacks finish with 19 terminations in the set.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• With Bradley focused on stopping SFA's middles, that allowed both Evans and Williams to take advantage. That pair combined for 24 of the team's 52 terminations and SFA hit .328 as a club during the victory.
• Hollas and Dean dished out 22 and 19 assists respectively while the former tied Mitchell for the team high in blocks with three.
• SFA extended its winning streak in regular season matches to 28 - a run which dates back to the 2018 season.
• No Bradley player reached the double-digit mark in kills though Rachel Pranger got close by finishing with nine.
COMING UP NEXT
• An all-Texas matchup awaits the Ladyjacks Saturday afternoon when SFA closes its three-match slate at the SMU Doubletree Invitational by taking on the host Mustangs. First serve in the first match between SFA and SMU since 2010 is set for 2:00 p.m. inside Moody Coliseum.
-SFA-
