Sept. 18, 2010

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. - The Louisiana Tech volleyball team was able to bounce back after a Friday loss by sweeping past both Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State to close out the Nicholls Challenge at Stopher Gym on Saturday.

The Lady Techsters finished the Nicholls challenge as the runners-up to the University of Houston while seniors Kara Jones and Taylor Fritz garnered all-tournament selections for their performances.

"We passed better today. We struggled against Houston yesterday and we were able to tighten up our passing this afternoon which was nice to see," said head coach Matt Sonnichsen. "They rallied very well today."

Louisiana Tech (9-5) opened play Saturday morning against Southeastern Louisiana winning in straight sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-15).

Kara Jones led the Tech offensive attack with 14 kills while recording a .455 attack efficiency. Taylor Fritz recorded double-digit kills for sixth time in the last ten matches while Bianca Bin had 35 assists and three kills. Tech outhit Southeastern .257 to .075.

With hopes to avenge last week's loss at the hands of Tech at the Lady Techster Invitational, Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead behind two kills from Stephanie Mueller. However, after a called timeout, Tech would get on the board after a Kara Jones kill. Both squads traded points back-and-forth before Tech knotted the set at 7 apiece courtesy of an attack error by Southeastern. The Tech offensive attacked ultimately pulled together as the Lady Techsters effectively passed the ball while finding open spots on the floor hitting .325 in the set. After an attack error by Southeastern to give Tech a 15-14 lead, Louisiana Tech never looked back as they claimed the first set, 25-23.

The second set was hotly contested as both teams went on small scoring runs before ultimately evening the score at 12 points apiece. However, after an attack error by Cherish Krohn and a service ace by Jennifer Goodwin, Tech would build a two point lead that proved to be insurmountable as the Lady Techsters proceeded to go on a 13-5 scoring run to close out the set following a service ace by Kaylon Alexander.

Needing to halt the Techsters momentum to avoid their second-straight sweep, Southeastern came out of the break taking a 4-2 lead. The Lady Techsters would answer quickly as Taylor Fritz, Kassia Pinto and Kara Jones recorded kills to give Tech a 5-4 lead. With the scored tied at seven, Tech was able to silence the Southeastern offensive attack by limiting the Lions to a -.027 hitting efficiency while compiling an 18-8 scoring out to close out the match.

"It's tough to beat teams in back-to-back weeks," said Sonnichsen. "Our players showed nice focus and we were able to play steady and put the pressure on Southeastern."

With the win, Tech completes the season sweep against Southeastern and improves to 7-1 all-time against the Lions.

Seeking their first road win since knocking off McNeese State in Lake Charles last September, Tech needed all five sets to bounce Nicholls State (25-16, 22-25, 25-17, 27-25, 15-10) for their sixth win in their last seven matches.

"We started out pretty good but we lost focus in game two," said Sonnichsen. "We are doing a good job in the first game, but for some reason we lose focus in the second game and had a drop off. However, I was proud that we showed composure and maturity and played nice and steady volleyball to close the match."

For the Tech offense, Kassia Pinto recorded her fourth double-double of the season (11 kills - 16 digs) while Taylor Fritz picked up her second (14 kills - 18 digs) of the season. Kara Jones added 14 kills while Jennifer Goodwin picked up a career-high 13 kills and Lori Hunsucker had a career-high 31 digs.

Louisiana Tech built a 5-1 lead to start the first set following two kills from Jennifer Goodwin and one from Taylor Fritz. Nicholls State was able to recover as the Colonels evened the score at six. Trading the next eight points to square things up at 10, Tech closed out the first set on a 15-6 scoring run.

Tech continued where they left off as they built a 7-4 lead to start the second set. However, the Colonels were able to put together a 6-0 scoring run before Kara Jones snapped the streak with a kill. With Nicholls State controlling much of the second set, Tech was able to tie the score up at 18 apiece Nicholls State controlling much of the second set. Tech was able to tie the score up at 18 apiece behind a forceful kill from Caitlin Germany. Nevertheless, the Lady Techsters were unable to get any closer as the Colonels evened the match with a 25-22 win.

Louisiana Tech was able to capture the match lead by outhitting Nicholls State .152 to .023 in the third set. However, Nicholls State rallied late in the fourth set to take a 27-25 set win to force a decisive fifth set.

The fifth set was all Louisiana Tech. The Lady Techsters recorded a .188 hitting efficiency while holding Nicholls State to a .000 efficiency. The Tech offense rolled out to a 7-2 lead behind multiple kills from Goodwin and Jones, forcing a Colonel timeout. Nicholls State was unable to threaten in fifth set as a block by Jones and Pinto sealed the match for Tech, 15-10.

"It's always tough to beat a home team on their court no matter what the situation," said Sonnichsen. "That was nice that we showed the maturity and showed the composure to come back and win. We dialed in the concentration in the fifth game. Lori (Hunsucker) was key for us as her passing helped to improve our offensive numbers. That is something that we hope translates into conference play."

With the win, Tech improves to 6-1 all-time against Nicholls State.

The Lady Techsters return home to the Thomas Assembly Center Thursday at 7 p.m. to open up conference play against Western Athletic foe New Mexico State.