Netters face TWU tonight in Ft Worth

Previewing RRAC Season Opener

Cisneros leads Lady Lions against rivals

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Riding a streak of six consecutive winning records during the regular season, Hank Moore and the volleyball team at Southwestern Assemblies of God University begin league play on Tuesday in Fort Worth.

The Lady Lions, 7-7 after thumping two winning teams on the road during the weekend, will take on their rivals, Texas Wesleyan University, Tuesday night at 7:00pm in the Sid Richardson Center (1201 Wesleyan Street at Rosedale). 

It will be the Lions' 15th straight road game this fall and first of ten matches against foes from the Red River Athletic Conference. TWU's won-lost ledger is 6-9.

Moore’s club split a pair of meetings against the Lady Rams in 2010, with the home team winning both times. In the RRAC post-season tourney, hosted by Texas Wesleyan, Southwestern won 3-2 in the semi-finals.

Comparing the Lions and Rams

Entering Tuesday’s best-of-five match, both teams are in the middle of the pack in terms of hitting percentage; SAGU at .167, TWU at .165. Wesleyan is third in kills per set at 13.1, while Southwestern is fifth at 10.9.

When it comes to serving aces, the Rams are second in the conference, averaging 1.8 aces per set. SAGU is fourth at 1.3.

Defensively, always a staple in Moore-coached teams, the Purple Pride are second in digs per set at 18.9, besting the Lady Ewes’ 17.3.  At the net, SAGU sends 2.4 attacks back-to-sender, which rates #3 in the RRAC. TWU is fourth at 1.9.

Individual Leaders

The Lady Rams have two players in the RRAC Top 10 in hitting percentage; Katherine Rosenbusch (.244) and Bailey Bunting (.243), who are #8 and #9. SAGU’s most accurate attackers are Krystal Cisneros (.236) and Kassy Cox (.231), who come in next at #10 and #11.

The Wesleyan Women place three of the best in kills per set (or game); Rosenbusch (2.7), Bailey (2.3) and Alex Hendee (2.0). Southwestern has four in the Top 20; Jessica Sodich (2.4), Cox (2.4), Cisneros (2.3) and Caitlyn Hudson (2.0).

Taylor Calverley sets the table for Lady Lion attackers to the tune of 8.5 per set, which is 4th in the league. TWU uses a two-setter offense. Stephanie Dominguez (5.1) and Angelica Arroyo (4.6) distribute the ball well to a frontline that has a slight edge in height.

Laser serves from the back line has SAGU’s Devan Guynes  at #3 in the RRAC with 24 aces. Hudson and Laura Espinoza have registered 14 and 10 for the Lions. Marissa Rangel, Arroyo and Elena Vannaman have blistered 21, 18 and 15 respectively.

Defensive Numbers

Blocking opponents’ attacks is a strength of Cisneros, who has racked up 75 solo and assisted blocks, an average of 1.4 per set. Cox has an 0.9 avg. The Rams duo of Bunting and Rosenbusch each block 0.8 per set.

Saving would-be points by opponents with defensive digs is where Espinoza and Hudson are standouts. Espinoza is third-best in the league, averaging 5.1 per set; Hudson is at #15 at 2.9. The Rams leaders are Rangel 4.0, Dominguez 3.0 and Vannaman at 2.6.

In the most recent RRAC coaches poll, the Lady Rams are rated #3 in the conference. Their record includes an 0-4 outing during a recent tournament in California, where TWU faced some very tough, national competition.

The Lady Rams have a 23-29 mark in sets played. Meanwhile, the Lady Lions are 28-28.

Access the Match on Livestats

Follow the match via Livestats, a written account of the action as it happens. It includes a scoreboard of the games and current player statistics. You can access this service for free from www.ramsports.net/schedule. Click on livestats.

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde , Sports Information Director at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.