Ladyjacks Earn Clean Sweeps Over Grambling, HBU to Open SFA Tournament

Friday, September 17

Nacogdoches, Texas

11:00 AM

Stephen F. Austin

6-3,0-0WAC

Grambling

1-5,0-0SWAC

Grambling

SFA

Ladyjacks Earn Clean Sweeps Over Grambling, HBU to Open SFA Tournament

9/17/2021 10:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The SFA volleyball team was sharp in a pair of matches on Friday to open up its second non-conference tournament, sweeping Grambling 3-0 in the opener and Houston Baptist in the nightcap to cap off a strong day of competition. SFA moves to 7-3 on the season and 4-0 at home with the victories.

MATCH ONE VS GRAMBLING
SFA never trailed in its first match of the day versus Grambling, and getting off to a hot start in the opening stanza set the tone for the match. A pair of kills from Payton Cerny and one from Kayla Grant helped SFA run out to a 5-0 lead, and sloppy play by GSU coupled with additional kills by Cerny and Leah Powell helped push that lead out to 15-2. The 'Jacks rattled off five straight points after taking a 20-13 lead to round out the set, as Powell, Ariana Pagan and Taya Mitchell each hammered home kills to close it out.

The second set featured some close play to start out, but the 'Jacks turned a slim 8-7 lead into a 13-7 edge with kills by Powell and three Grambling errors, then kept the Tigers at distance the rest of the way, keeping a steady lead out to a 22-15 margin. After Grambling closed the gap with three quick points, Pagan and Powell's kills helped secure set two, 25-18.

The 'Jacks left little up in the air in the third set, racing out to a 5-0 lead on kills from Hailey Hunt and Pagan to go along with three attack errors by the visitors. An 8-2 run a little while later opened up a 16-7 edge, and the 'Jacks kept the foot on the gas, extending the lead out to a 21-10 on a Kodi Garcia kill. A kill from Hunt and Ielan Bradley in the waning moments of the match secured a 25-13 final score and a clean sweep by the hosts.

SFA hit .320 in the match, with Pagan's 12 kills leading the way and Powell (9) and Hunt (7) supporting the attack. Kodi Garcia dished out 26 assists, while Maddy Borque tallied 14, and Alyssa Ortega led the team with 21 digs.

MATCH TWO VS HOUSTON BAPTIST
Having been played close by the Huskies on two occasions last season, the 'Jacks were in for a tougher test in the nightcap than they had faced earlier in the day. The 'Jacks would trail by as many as five points in the opening set before going on a massive run to turn the frame on its head. SFA's resurgence started with a kill by Pagan trailing 12-7, and kept going thanks to a kill by Ashley Procious, consecutive blocks by Procious and Cerny, and a Kodi Garcia service ace. By the time the Huskies stalled the run with a kill of their own, SFA had rattled off eight straight points to take a 15-12 lead. Emboldened by the run, the 'Jacks kept control of the set the rest of the way, winning seven of the last nine points to complete the 25-18 win.

The 'Jacks got off to a hot 8-2 start in the second set, buoyed by kills from Garcia, Powell, Cerny and Pagan. Holding and extending that lead out to 16-6, the 'Jacks then let off the gas and saw the Huskies turn a 10-point deficit into a 22-10 margin, and later tied the stanza up at 24-24, then 25-25. It was thanks to timely kills from Bradley and Cerny that SFA was able to steal the momentum back and take set two, 27-25.

HBU took a 2-0 lead to open the third set, but the 'Jacks responded with a 5-0 run, then extended the lead out to 12-6 minutes later. The 'Jacks kept a healthy 4-5 point lead throughout the rest of the set, and would close out the match with four of five points, including kills from Taya Mitchell and Bradley, and a service ace from Mitchell to take the set, 25-19.

Neither team hit particularly well in the match, with HBU coming in at .176 and SFA faring slightly better at .214. Pagan's 13 kills led both teams, while Powell notched eight and Cerny, six. Bryli Contreras and Kodi Garcia each recorded three aces, while Maddy Borque had two. Borque tallied 16 assists and Garcia, 15, while Alysaa Ortega and each tallied 16 digs, with Pagan recording a double-double effort.