Lady Saints Sweep SAGU in Volleyball
Our Lady of the Lake "Upsets" SAGU, 3-0
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Three days after playing with incredible intensity during a 3-1 defeat of the University of Dallas, who had an 11-3 record, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University went on the road and were swept by Our Lady of the Lake University, 3-0.
The Saints, in spite of a record that includes only one loss (to UT-Brownsville), continue to be voted towards the middle of the pack in the Red River Athletic Conference's weekly rankings, which is conducted by league coaches. Entering this week, OLLU was 4th with a 6-1 won-lost record. Ahead of them were #1 UTB (15-0), #2 Texas Wesleyan (10-11) and #3 SAGU (8-8).
They have now defeated Wesleyan, 3-2, and Southwestern.
Last season the Lady Lions split with Our Lady, winning at San Antonio, 3-1, and losing at home by the same score. After Friday night's winless effort, the Saints have now won two straight after dropping the first five matches in the series.
Three Match Scores
Our Lady won the first game, 25-16, and then took the next sets by out grueling SAGU, 25-21 and 26-24 in the third game. It was only the second time Southwestern has been whisked away, 3-0. During last year's 28-12 season, only four times did they go down in three; about the same once-in-ten match perecentage.
SAGU (9-9, 2-2 in the RRAC) had perhaps their lowest hitting percentage of the season, unofficially finishing the night with a .104 percentage. They attempted 96 kills at the net, with 29 of them scoring points. 19 times they made an error; hitting into the net, or out of bounds. The Lions record in the 70 games they played to date is 38-32.
Player Stats to Take Notes on
The Team Lioness kill totals reflect a combination of superb defensive work by OLLU, and an uncharacteristically wild night by SAGU attackers.
Brittani Toole (Whitehouse, Tx / Whitehouse HS) had a season-low eight, after smashing a season-high of 24 vs UD. Krystal Cisneros (El Paso, Tx / Del Valle HS) and Caitlyn Hudson (Mansfield, Tx / Legacy HS), the squad's other big guns up front, had seven and six kills respectively. Those three had six, three and six errors, giving them a combined .088 hitting %. They will bounce back.
OLLU's Leader Board
The fired-up Lady Saints, who were reportedly fueled by the low ranking, played very well, and also recorded a number of blocks, four by junior Jennifer Herrera. Sophomore setter Desirea Aguilar made 20 assists while freshman Jessica Chavez totaled another 15.
Freshman Marquisha Matthews had a match-high 11 kills, followed by Isela Flores, who had ten and two blocks. Senior Sarah Lindsay was the star on defense, racking up a match-high 17 digs.
More SAGU Numbers
Statistical figures of note for SAGU were 19 and 14. Freshman setter Taylor Calverley (Mansfield, Tx / Grace Prep) finished with 19 assists (6.3 per game), while junior defensive specialist Laura Espinoza (Duncanville, Tx / Duncanville HS) was perfect in passing, connecting on all 14 of her attempts. Calverley and Espinoza were the top pair in digs as well, making nine and seven respectively.
Toole and Cisneros both made three blocks, with Calverley and Kassy Cox (Lufkin, Tx / Lufkin HS) each registering two. Hudson led in aces with two, while Tina Brown (Seguin, Tx / Lifegate Christian) set-up teammates with three assists.
The Lady Lions drove 220 miles on Friday to play OLLU, and then departed for another 250 miles to the Rio Grande Valley. On Saturday they will take on the University of Texas at Brownsville at 1:00pm. The Lady Scorpions (15-0, 5-0), are ranked #5 in the nation in the most recent NAIA Coaches Poll.
Lady Lions Have 3 Home Matches Next Weekend
Southwestern returns home next weekend for three matches in less than 24 hours. On Friday, October 8, SAGU hosts Wiley College at 7:00pm. Then, at 11am on Saturday, the Lady Lions face Dallas Christian College. Finally, at 4:00pm, SAGU will clash with Texas College at 4pm.
