V-Ball thumps NCAA Division 2 team
Lady Lions tops UT-Permian Basin, 3-1
Calverley, SAGU rolls to seventh win in last nine
WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Southwestern Assemblies of God University put three players in double figures in kills and Taylor Calverley (Mansfield, Tx / Grace Prep) racked up 46 assists to lead the Lady Lions to a 3-1 triumph over the University of Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday at Odessa’s Falcon Dome.
SAGU won the first two games, 25-22 and 25-21, before UTPB regrouped to win the third, 25-18. Southwestern rebounded to clinch the match with a grueling, 25-23 win.
The Lady Lions, who won for the seventh time in nine outings, defeated an NCAA Division II team for the first time this season.
After a slow start this fall, the team has come on like gang-busters! The squad has a 23-9 mark during the nine matches.
SAGU outscored UTPB 93-91 and outhit them .228 to .182. While the Falcons had the edge in blocking shots, the Lady Lions defensive prowess, digging up opposing attacks, was a huge factor.
The Lady Lions hit .200 or higher in all four games and held UTPB under .100 in the second (.088) and the fourth (.091).
With a 61-53 advantage in digs, SAGU’s resistance allowed the Purple Pride to establish a 158 to 137 margin in hits.
“The team played very well together,” said Head Coach Hansford Moore.
Perhaps the player of the day was Calverley. The junior setter made nine digs and all seven of her attacks went for kills. According to Coach Moore, five of her kills came during pivotal moments in the match.
Her strategy this weekend was to feed the ball to Jessica Sodich (Ovilla, Tx / Ovilla Christian) and Kassy Cox (Lufkin, Tx / Lufkin HS). They got 54 and 38 attempts respectively, resulting in 36 kills between the duo.
For the second day in a row the top hitter was Caitlyn Hudson (Mansfield, Tx / Legacy HS). She had 10 kills and hit a team-best .267.
She led the club in hitting (.252) for the second straight week. The senior moved into third on the school’s all-time kills list, passing Krystal Cisneros this week. Hudson made just 11 errors in 12 games.
Tailor-made Week
Calverley set-up the Big Three for a very productive week. (See their totals below)
Freshman JJ Abbott (Kenmore, Wash / Cedar Park Christian) swung 14 times for a season-best six kills and a .357 percentage.
“She was amazing this week,” Moore said of Calverley. “Her numbers were great, but they don’t tell the whole story.” She also contributed four assisted blocks.
Calverley totaled 130 assists in twelve games, averaging 10.8 per game. Her best effort was against Texas Wesleyan University on Tuesday, registering 47 helpers.
She eclipsed 3,000 career assists this week.
Five players were credited with six or more digs, led by Brittany Briggs (Maypearl, Tx / Maypearl HS). The junior scooped up 14.
Calverley and Sodich each had nine, Abbott had seven, Hudson a half dozen. Alissa Kirk (Pataskala, Oh / Gahanna Christian) chipped in with five.
After bye week, SAGU plays five matches in six days
The race in the Red River Athletic Conference has begun, and SAGU has vaulted to a 3-1 fourth place start.
Off this week, Southwestern will prepare for the following week's five matches; four of them at home.
The Lady Lions will face Mid-America Christian University (Ok) on Monday, October 8, at 7:00pm (CST). It will be broadcast by SAGU Sports Live.
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.
Attacking Trio
No. Player Att. K Er Pct. KPG
8 Caitlyn Hudson 95 35 11 .252 2.9
11 Kassy Cox 89 38 16 .247 3.1
5 Jessica Sodich 155 53 27 .167 4.4*
Key: Att – Attacks Attempted. K - Kills (spikes that produced a point). Er – Hitting Errors. Pct. – Percentage of Attacks good for Kills. KPG – Kills Per Game.
*Sodich leads the RRAC in kills per game with a 4.1 average
