Stephen F. Austin
7-0
Prairie View A&M
1-14
Daron Delivers Record-Setting Performance as SFA Hammers Prairie View A&M
9/20/2019 6:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Senior hits .909 - the best single-match attack percentage in program history
ARLINGTON, Texas - Facing off against a Prairie View A&M squad which was looking for its first win of the season, the SFA volleyball team relied on a record-setting performance from senior middle blocker Danae Daron to ensure the Lady Panthers' first triumph of 2019 wouldn't come against the Ladyjacks.
Putting on an offensive showcase that ranks among one of the finest in program history, Daron established an SFA single-match record by putting up an attack percentage of .909 while striking for 10 kills as the Ladyjacks dispatched Prairie View A&M in three sets at the UT-Arlington Maverick Invitational Friday afternoon.
SET ONE | SFA 25, Prairie View A&M 21
• Proving difficult to put away, the Panthers managed to bounce back after the Ladyjacks hit them with a 7-4 run to begin the match. Corin Evans pounded down a pair of kills while Ann Hollas and Taya Mitchell generated one each through that opening statement.
• Another Mitchell termination made SFA's lead 9-6 but a pesky Prairie View A&M squad countered with a 6-2 run featuring four kills and a service ace to grab a 12-11 lead.
• A strong combination of offense and defense allowed SFA to get the separation it needed to put the Lady Panthers in the rearview mirror midway through the frame. A pair of kills off the hands of Ariana Pagan, one more from Danae Daron and a pair of block assists courtesy of Taya Mitchell powered a 6-1 Ladyjack surge that turned SFA's 16-15 deficit into a 21-17 advantage.
• SFA four-point lead was the largest by either team in the opening frame and allowed the Ladyjacks to hold off a strong Prairie View A&M surge near the end of the frame. Kills from three separate Lady Panthers in conjunction with an SFA attack error cut the Ladyjacks' edge to 23-21.
• The Lady Panthers' run - as well as the set - came to an end with back-to-back Prairie View A&M attack errors ended things. Though the Lady Panthers his .306 during the opening set, a trio of service errors helped break up their rhythm on offense.
SET TWO | SFA 25, Prairie View A&M 22
• Shaking off their slow start from the opening frame in a big way, the Ladyjacks came out firing from all angles as terminations from Daron, Evans and Xariah Williams powered a 5-1 run to begin the frame.
• Though it appeared SFA would cruise to victory thanks to its strong start, Prairie View A&M had other plans. Mitchell and Williams teamed up for a block that hiked SFA's lead to 12-8 before a 10-4 run by the Lady Panthers put them ahead 18-16. Captaining that surge was Alexis Marion (two kills, one service ace) and Tamaira Marion (three kills) who were mostly responsibly for putting SFA at a two-point disadvantage.
• SFA stared at another two-point deficit - this one at 20-18 - before ending the set on a 7-2 run to stop Prairie View A&M. Offensively it was Evans and Willams who helped SFA go on its match-clinching run by combining for a trio of kills. On defense Taya Mitchell did her part by coming up with a pair of blocks to keep the Lady Panthers at bay.
SET THREE | SFA 25, Prairie View A&M 17
• The eight-point margin at the end of the third represented the Ladyjacks' largest lead of the match.
• Victoria Pearson came up with a service ace to hand Prairie View A&M one of its two early leads in the set (3-2), but an attack error by Pearson as well as another kill by Evans put SFA ahead 4-3 and ensured the Ladyjacks wouldn't trail again.
• The Lady Panthers managed to tie things up one last time (5-5) after Mitchell misfired on an attack attempt, but Evans generated back-to-back kills as part of a 3-0 SFA run to break that deadlock.
• Prairie View A&M managed to pull within three points, 18-15, thanks to a termination from Alexis Marion as well as an SFA attack error, but SFA countered with a match-clinching 7-2 run to put the Lady Panthers away.
• Four Ladyjacks - Daron, Ann Hollas, Mitchell and Williams - hammered home kills while Madelynn Miller added that last of SFA's three service aces during the run. Each of the Ladyjacks' three winners from the service line came in the final frame.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Thanks to her amazing night on the attack, Daron now owns two of the top six single-match attack percentage marks in SFA history. Additionally, her attack percentage of .909 stands as the fourth-highest in a single match by an NCAA Division I volleyball player so far this season.
• Daron's strong outing was complimented by a great outing by Evans. The senior generated a match-high 13 kills and came up with two of SFA's three service aces while adding nine digs.
• Hollas dished out a match-high 30 assists while adding a pair of kills, seven digs and a block assist.
• Miller, the reigning Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week, scooped up a team-high 16 digs while Pagan finished with 11.
• In terms of front row defense, Mitchell led the way for SFA once again by turning in five blocks to go along with her seven kills.
• Pearson posted a team-high nine kills for the Lady Panthers who hit .133 as a club. Erica Jimenez totaled a match-high 19 digs and completed a double-double effort with 13 assists.
COMING UP NEXT
• Both of the Ladyjacks' two remaining regular season non-conference tilts will take place Saturday in Arlington. First up is a showdown with the WAC's Chicago State at 11:00 a.m. before SFA tangles with Maverick Invitation host UT-Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night at the College Park Center.
-SFA-
