Volleyball Recap (Week 5) - Around the SCAC

Volleyball Recap (Week 5) - Around the SCAC

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - One of the most exciting weekends of the season took place in Shreveport, La. this past weekend as SCAC Cross-Divisional play was in full swing.

The Gold Dome on the campus of Centenary College played host to all eight teams in the conference as the Divisional teams from the North and South squared off.

Austin College
The 'Roos went 1-3 on the weekend. They started things off greatly, defeating Schreiner 3-1 thanks to a 13 kill performance from Presleigh Watson. Following a four set loss to Texas Lutheran and a loss in straight sets to Southwestern, Austin College played in a thriller against Trinity to finish the weekend. The Tigers would win the match in five sets, but great performances from Watson, Rebecca Franklin, and Rachel Fusselman gave the 'Roos an opportunity to pull the upset. The 'Roos will welcome in Jarvis Christian and Dallas Christian on Tuesday before taking on Concordia and LeTourneau in Longview on Saturday.

Centenary College
The host team had a tough weekend, going 0-4 and losing all four matches in straight sets. They dropped their first match to TLU on Saturday followed by a loss to Schreiner in which Desiree Frey had 11 digs on the afternoon while Rachel Perkins had a total of 18 kills. The following day, Centenary loss to Trinity and Southwestern. The Ladies will take all of next week off before returning to action on October 7th as they take on Jarvis Chrisian on the road. 

Colorado College
The 10th-ranked Tigers went 3-1 on the weekend in Shreveport, beginning with an epic five set match against  16th-ranked Trinity. Behind a 19 kill, 12 dig performance from Abbe Holtze and a 25 dig performance from Sophie Merrifield, Colorado College won the match, winning the fifth set 16-14. The Tigers couldn't build off that win later in the day though as they fell in straight sets to Southwestern. Colorado College bounced back though with a pair of wins over Schreiner and Texas Lutheran. The Tigers return home to host the 2014 Pikes Peark Challenge this upcoming weekend. 

University of Dallas
The Crusaders tangled with some of the top teams in the conference and showed that they belong, going 2-2 on the weekend. On the first day, Dallas lost a pair of close matches to Southwestern in four sets and Trinity in five sets and Jaime Birzer had 29 kills in the two matches. The following day, the Crusaders swept Schreiner and finished the weekend strong with a 3-1 victory over Texas Lutheran behind 11 kills from Birzer. Dallas will take on Wiley College on the road Tuesday before hosting Jarvis Christian and taking on Dallas Christian on the road.

Schreiner University
It had been a tough start to the 2014 season for Schreiner, but they were finally able to taste their first win of the season, defeating Centenary in straight sets thanks to a pair of 10 kill efforts from Lauren McQueen and Alyssa Chapman. Kathryn Wallace added 10 digs. The Mountaineers finished 1-3 overall for the weekend, falling to Austin College, Colorado College, and Dallas in straight sets. Schreiner will take the entire week off and return to action Tuesday, October 7th at home against Howard Payne. 

Southwestern University
The big winners this past weekend was the Southwestern Pirates as they were the only team to go 4-0 on the weekend and moved into a tie for first place in the SCAC Standings. They opened the weekend with a tough 3-1 victory over Dallas and followed that up with a sweep over 10th-ranked Colorado College. The following day, the Pirates picked up two more sweeps over Austin College and Centenary. Kaitlyn Foster led the way with 39 kills over the weekend, including 11 each in the two wins over the Crusaders and Tigers, and 72 digs. Chandler Lentz added 75 digs for the weekend. The Pirate will return home this upcoming weekend to take on Elmhurst and Hardin-Simmons on Saturday. 

Texas Lutheran University
The Bulldogs went 2-2 in Shreveport over the weekend as they opened things up with a sweep over Centenary and a 3-1 win over Austin College thanks to a 14 kills effort from Brette Threadgill and a 33 dig performance from Megan Lee. The following day, the Bulldogs fell to Colorado College in straight sets and the University of Dallas in four sets despite a 26 dig effort from Lee. Texas Lutheran will head to Georgetown this upcoming weekend to take on Elmhurst and UT-Dallas on Friday.

Trinity University
The 16th-ranked Trinity Tigers had a wild weekend in Shreveport, going 3-1 including three of their matches going into fifth sets. They opened the weekend with a tough five set loss to Colorado College, but bounced back with a five set win over Dallas thanks to a 14 kill and 19 kill performance from Maggie Emodi. The following day, the Tigers defeated Centenary in straight sets before finishing the weekend with a five set victory over Austin College. Emodi was excellent all around, picking up 16 blocks over the weekend and 57 digs. The Tigers welcome in Our Lady of the Lake on Thursday in their lone match of the weekend.