VBall makes it 10 straight over Jarvis

Calverley sets the table, Lions feast

Next home match on Tuesday vs TWU

WAXAHACHIE, Texas  --  The Southwestern Assemblies of God University women’s volleyball team won for the second time in three matches when they swept a best-of-five Tuesday match at home against Jarvis Christian College.

The Lady Lions won, 3-0; 25-20, 25-14 and 25-12.

Southwestern played most of their players and improved their overall record to 3-9.The game was not considered a Red River Athletic Conference game, as Jarvis didn’t field a team during the past two seasons.

SAGU's RRAC debut is this weekend in Oklahoma. Jarvis resurrected volleyball behind new Head Coach Devon Thompson, who was the Athletic Director at Texas College last year.

The Lady Bulldogs are now 0-2.

By taking all three from Jarvis, the Lady Lions continued their mastery over the team from Hawkins, Texas.

Dating back through the 2005 campaign SAGU has won 10 straight matches, that's thirty consecutive games, all ending with a 3-0 sweep.

Taylor Calverley (Mansfield, Tx / Grace Prep) continued her excellent play of late. The current RRAC Setter-of-the-Week showed her wares throughout the night. She averaged almost twelve assists per game on Tuesday.

The Lions outhit Jarvis for the match, .340 to .037, finishing with a 44 to 18 margin in kills for points.

First Game: SAGU 25-20

Team Lioness, playing in front of a crowd that packed one side of the gym and needed seating across the Sheaffer Center, built a 12-8 lead.

JJ Abbott (Kenmore, Wa / Cedar Park Christian) tipped a Calverley set, Brittany Briggs (Maypearl, Tx / Maypearl HS) fired an ace and Taylor got big bombs from Kassy Cox (Lufkin, Tx / Lufkin HS), Jessica Sodich (Ovilla, Tx / Ovilla Christian) and Caitlyn Hudson (Mansfield, Tx / Legacy HS).

The young Bulldogs battled ferociously. They were led by Taiesha (TIE-ee-shah) Brown, who had a solo block and an authoritative spike early on. In Jarvis had an 8-5 advantage in blocks for the match.

Jarvis, playing some inspired ball, reeled off six in a row to grab a 14-12 lead. Kyerra (KEE-air-ah) Woods landed an ace during the run.

They still led, 17-16, when a beautiful hit by Sodich split two defenders at a sharp angle, but was ruled out across the floor.

Freshman Emmalee Smith (Red Oak, Tx / Red Oak HS) set Hudson for a crosscourt, power jam that ignited a closing 9-3 finish for the win. Both Cox and Hudson had blocks for points.

Calverley scored on a quick hit, and then set Hudson and Cox for spikes during the run. A Jarvis setting error and a four-hit violation ended the set, much to the delight of a partisan crowd.

SAGU had a .324 hitting percentage in the set. They had 34 attacks that resulted in 16 kills. The team made only five hitting errors.

Second Game: SAGU 25-14

Like the first set, it was nip and tuck early. Tied at 8, Hudson gave Team Purp the lead for good on a strategic tip in the middle.

Alissa Kirk (Pataskala, Oh / Gahanna Christian) set the table for a kill by Caitlin Paschall (Waxahachie, Tx / Midlothian HS) for a 10-8 lead, sparking a 10-4 run for a 19-12 advantage.

A backward volley to the opposite corner by Cox, then back-to-back-to-back attacks from Calverley to Sodich broke the game open. Sodich hit one from the right side to the far corner, and then had a dink that found the floor and power surge for the 19-12 margin.

The Lions, sporting their new home whites, polished off the triumph with the final five points. Leading 22-14, Hudson pounded the left side with a Calverley helper. She crushed a Smith pass and detonated the game-point kill.

Southwestern swung a .282 attack at the 'Dogs by converting 39 tries into 16 kills. Like the first set, the Lions only five errors.

Game Three: SAGU 25-12

The Lions led start-to-finish, beginning with a Sodich to Hudson spike.

Calverley then rose up and slew the Bulldogs.

She lifted an offering that Cox sent down the rightside line. That play was so nice, she did it twice, with Sodich nailing consecutive shots that tightroped the same right sideline.

Calverley hung a pillowy set that Paschall deftly tapped into an opening on the interior. The junior setter then pulled the pin for her second ace of the game for an 11-3 stranglehold.

Sodich, who definitely had her ‘ups’ on Tuesday, spanked one from the right. Hudson overpowered a double-team block with a challenging attack to help build the lead to 16-5.

A solo rejection by Paschall preceded a double-team block by Calverley and Cox extending the lead to 18-10.

Facing match-point, Smith a levitating freshman, smoked an ace down the left flank that a Jarvis player couldn’t handle.

The Purple Pride capped the match with a splendid .476 hitting percentage. They fired 21 shots that resulted in 12 kills against only two miscues.

Stat Totals

Calverley's targeted trio of Hudson, a senior, and juniors Sodich and Cox revealed the effectiveness of the strategy.

Sodich, the RRAC's leader in kills per game (4.0 kpg), converted 30 attempts into 18 kills. The 5'8 leaper made just five errors to finish with a .467 hitting percentage. She added 12 digs.

Hudson played similarly, whacking 12 kills and committing only two errors. She was set up 24 times.  Her .417 accuracy, seven digs and two assisted blocks revealed a solid game.

The effective power of Sodich and Hudson produced season highs for both in hitting percentage.

Cox pounded eight kills during 20 tries. With three errors, the 6'1 middle hitter finished at.250. She contributed a team-best four assisted blocks.

Calverley wound up with 35 assists (averaging 11.7 per game) to go along with three aces.

Smith, who recently moved into the libero (le-BAIR-oh) position, had a pair of assists, eight digs and served for three aces.

Okie Dokie Weekend

SAGU will travel north of the Red River this weekend for three matches.

On Friday, September 21, they will take on Southwestern Christian University (0-11 record) in Bethany at 3:00pm, and then will face Langston University at 7:00pm. The LU Lions will begin their season this Thursday.

The next afternoon the Purple Pride will be in Muskogee where they will go up against Bacone College (2-9) at 1:00pm.

The Lady Lions next home action is next Tuesday, Sept. 25, when Texas Wesleyan University (10-7) visits the Sheaffer Center at 7pm.

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, SAGU 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.