Sept. 11, 2000

Stephen F. Austin Wins SMU Invitational, Southwest Texas Defeats No. 23 Texas

Stephen F. Austin blazed through the SMU Doubletree Hotel Invitational without giving up a game. The Ladyjacks went 3-0 with sweeps of Jackson State, North Texas and host Southern Methodist. In game two versus SMU, SFA found itself down, 8-0. The Ladyjack offense rallied with 12 unanswered points to turn the momentum and deny the Mustangs the chance of defending their tourney title. Kristy Rhodes, the Southland's offensive player of the week, slammed a match-high 25 kills and hit .469 with only two errors in 49 attempts. Marissa Dorcheus was also an all-tournament selection. Southwest Texas started the week's action with an upset of No. 23 Texas in front of a record crowd of 1,568 in San Marcos. The Bobcats then hosted their B&G Properties Classic. Jennifer Dallao, the League's defensive player of the week, missed the Straham Coliseum record of 32 digs by two in the win against IUPUI. Head Coach Karen Chisum earned her 500th career victory, moving her into 15th place among NCAA Div. I winningest active coaches. She is only the 15th coach to reach the 500 Div. I win milestone in NCAA history. League-leading Lamar went 3-1 at the New England Challenge, taking Boston College, 3-2, in a very tight match. The rally-scored fifth game saw eight lead changes with Lamar breaking the BC service on two match-point opportunities. Northwestern State, playing in the Georgia State Tournament, lost a two-hour heartbreaker to the host, 3-2, before bouncing back against N.C.-Greensboro, 3-0, to finish the weekend with a two-two split. In the match against Georgia State, Christina Stone posted 23 kills and Elizabeth Perez added 20 kills of her own. UTSA's Tamara Luckemeyer took over the Roadrunners' record for career kills on her fifth kill against Cal-Irvine. She now has 1,647 career kills to best the school mark of 1,630. In the same match, Natasha Biggers picked up her first triple-double of the season with 11 kills, 11 digs and 71 assists. UTSA faced some tough opponents in the USC Met-Rx Invitational - two Pac-10 foes, No. 4 USC and the three-time Atlantic-10 Conference champion. Freshman Charlsie Heifrin once again posted some nice numbers with a .346 hitting percentage, 64 kills, 5 block solos, and 11 block assists. Trisha Walker led UTA to its first victory of the season, a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She averaged 4.6 kills and 4.7 digs per game in the Texas Tech Tournament. Her 24 digs versus George Mason was a season high. Louisiana-Monroe picked up its first win with a 3-2 victory over Centenary at the Mississippi State/Ramada Inn Classic. Audrey Benitez was named to the all-tournament team. On a West Coast swing, McNeese State dropped a pair at the California Golden Bear Classic after defeating UL-Lafayette earlier in the week.

Southland Conference play opens Tuesday for all teams except UTA, which faces TCU.

Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week Kristy Rhodes * junior * middle blocker * Stephen F. Austin This 6-0 junior from Cypress, Texas, recorded 49 kills, including 25 against Southern Methodist, two service aces, and a .451 hitting percentage to earn Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. Rhodes, who led the Ladyjacks to the tournament title, was named MVP of the SMU Invitational and was first in kills, blocks and attack percentage.

Also nominated: Shenequa Bedford, SWT, Trisha Walker, UTA, Charlsie Heifrin, UTSA

Previous winner: Brigette Birdwell, Lamar

Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week Jennifer Dallao * senior * outside hitter * Southwest Texas This 6-0 senior from Belleville, Ill., was a defensive rock for Southwest Texas, registering 92 digs in 22 games for an average of 4.18 dpg. She added three block solos and 18 block assists, and recorded her first triple-double of the season (kills, assists, digs) to earn the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week award. She was named to the all-tournament team in SWT's Classic.

Also nominated: Jenny Orndorff, SFA, Trisha Walker, UTA, Stacy Schmidt, UTSA.

Previous winner: Natalie Sarver, Lamar.

For a complete look at standings, results and statistics, go to the Southland Conference web site at www.southland.org