Oct. 6, 2007

Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas - The Ladyjacks played longer than a three-game match for the first time since Sept. 15, but hung on to knock off Texas State 3-1 (28-30, 30-23, 30-28, 35-33) to stay perfect in Southland Conference play.

SFA (16-5, 6-0) got its toughest challenge from a SLC opponent this season but still managed to run its conference win streak to 57 consecutive wins, just one shy of UTA's conference record of 58 in a row.

The Ladyjacks have now beaten Texas State(10-7, 3-2) four consecutive times, the first time that has happened since SFA beat the Bobcats six straight times from 1994-97.

"It never fails when we play them," head coach Debbie Humphreys said. "It is always a great match, no matter what the circumstances around the match."

Things would be hotly contested in the first game, as Texas State would hold a 16-15 lead midway through the frame. Jami Hill would then spark the Ladyjacks with two of her three aces in the game during a six-point rally to give SFA the lead at 21-16. The Ladyjacks would hold the lead as late in the frame as 25-22 after an ace by Kelsie Heppler, but the Bobcats would score eight of the next nine points to earn a game point at 29-26, before taking the game 30-28. SFA would hit .333 in the game, but the Bobcats hit a gaudy .459 with only three errors in 37 attacks.

The Ladyjacks would rebound in game two, leaving no doubt with a 30-23 win. SFA would have its first game point at 29-19 as Texas State's attack percentage would drop all the way down to .194 in the second stanza.

In game three, SFA would maintain the lead for the better part of the game until Kacey Wimpy found the mark with an ace to give Texas State the lead at 22-21; however, this game would come down to the final points as Lauren Railey would put home a pair of kills to get SFA to a game point before Melinda Cave's first error of the match gave the Ladyjacks the game 30-28.

Game four was by far SFA's longest and most dramatic game of the season as Texas State had its first game point at 29-26 before a ferocious late-game comeback by the Ladyjacks. It took the Ladyjacks three match points to close out the match as Traci Rohde and Shelly Swendig teamed up to deny Lawrencia Brown for the final point at 35-33.

Lauren Railey would lead the offense with 15 kills on 45 attempts, not committing a single error for a .333 attack percentage. She was one of four Ladyjacks with double-figure kills, set up by JJ Jones and Whitney Schott at the setter slots. Jones finished with 45 assists for the match, her highest total since the first match of the season, while Schott picked up her first career double-double with 17 assists and 11 digs.

The Ladyjacks will attempt to tie the Southland Conference record win streak of 58 wins on Friday, traveling to Huntsville to take on Sam Houston in the week's lone match.

-SFA-