No. 1 SFA Defeats No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Four Sets
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NATCHITOCHES, La. – No. 1 seed Stephen F. Austin marched to a 3-1 victory over No. 8 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in game one of the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, La. Each squad boasted a player with a triple-double performance as SFA’s Ann Hollas (10 kills, 10 digs, 20 assists) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Madison Green (10 kills, 14 digs and 44 assists) accomplished the feat.
The victory extends the Ladyjack’s winning streak to 27 matches, continuing the longest active streak in NCAA Division I volleyball. SFA prevailed after falling behind 4-1 in the opening three sets. Danae Daron registered a team-high 15 kills on 31 attacks for a .452 hitting percentage.
The Islander’s Julia Carter tabbed a match-high 20 kills on 33 attacks for a .606 hitting percentage. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was unable to overcome Stephen F. Austin’s presence at the net as SFA held a 10-2 block advantage over the Islanders.
Stephen F. Austin awaits the winner of No. 4 Abilene Christian vs. No. 5 Houston Baptist in the first semifinal Saturday at 12 a.m. on the
Southland Digital Network.
Set One
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi jumped to an early 5-1 lead over the Ladyjacks to open up the match. Stephen F. Austin stormed back with a 9-2 run in order to take an 11-8 advantage. SFA extended their lead to 17-14 following a kill from Hollas that forced an Islanders timeout. After returning to action, Stephen F. Austin proved to be too much and eventually closed the opening set 25-21 following an Islander ball handling error.
Set Two
The Islanders began set two with another 5-1 run that once again stunned the Ladyjack squad. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi continued their efforts and managed keep the SFA offense at bay until the middle of the set when Anyia Williams blasted a kill for Stephen F. Austin that leveled the score at 14-14. On the next possession, SFA’s Coleman set a ball for Mckenzie Brewer who placed a shot between Islander defenders that gave Stephen F. Austin their first lead of the set at 15-14. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held strong and regained their advantage at 23-22 following a kill from Julia Carter. A timeout then led to consecutive points from the Islanders who went ahead 25-24. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi continued their success and closed the set on top with a 29-27 victory following six kills from Carter.
Set Three
Once again, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi found an early rhythm and streaked out to a 4-1 advantage. Stephen F. Austin retaliated with a 6-2 scoring run that placed the Ladyjacks ahead 7-6 early on in the set. The teams proceeded to trade leads until an Islander attack error pushed SFA ahead 15-14. SFA’s Hollas then tallied her ninth kill of the match that placed the Ladyjacks on top 18-14. Though the Islanders managed to tie the game at 23-23, Coleman dealt an ace for Stephen F. Austin that finished the set at 25-23.
Set Four
Stephen F. Austin learned from the first three sets and wasted no time racing to a 12-4 advantage at the beginning of game four. Danae Daron’s fifth block of the afternoon proved to be the exclamation mark for the Ladyjacks who cruised to a 25-14 fourth set victory.