Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Aug. 27, 2016 Final Stats
Game 3 | Southeast Missouri 
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - After dropping the first two sets of the afternoon to Southeast Missouri, Louisiana Tech dug deep and rallied to win the final three sets in dramatic fashion to claim their first win of the 2016 season.
"I am very proud of our players for working together and fighting for every point today," head coach Adriano de Souza said. "We started the day by saying we wanted to finish the tournament on a high note and compete at the level we know we are capable of."
The final match of the Redhawks Invitational did not play out how the Lady Techsters were hoping during the first two sets, as Southeast Missouri was in complete control after two sets.
The Redhawks captured the first set 25-20 and the second set 25-17. At one point during that second set, Southeast Missouri held a commanding 21-10 lead, before a late rally helped close the gap.
With their backs against the wall and the third set knotted at 22, Alejandra Aviles provided a spark with a perfectly placed ace to give Louisiana Tech a 23-22 lead. A block courtesy of Alexa Lister and Marta Monne, followed by an attacking error from Southeast Missouri gave the Lady Techsters a 25-22 victory in the third set.
The comeback was on at that point, as the re-energized Lady Techsters came out on fire in the fourth set. With the score tied at 5-5, Louisiana Tech went on to win five straight points and never relinquished the lead again, taking the fourth set 25-19 and forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.
"The players focused on winning one point at a time. We were able to really get into a rhythm during the third set and it continued throughout the remainder of the match," de Souza added.
LA Tech and Southeast Missouri went back and forth in the final set. After the Lady Techsters took a commanding 10-6 lead, the Redhawks gave one final push, chipping the deficit to 11-9. From that point, Louisiana Tech slammed the door and a Marta Monne kill gave Louisiana Tech a 15-9 win in the set and a 3-2 win in the match.
"In the final set, 10 of our 15 points came off of kills," de Souza said. "That is the kind of production we are looking for, we found a way to stay aggressive."
Louisiana Tech is back in action with a doubleheader next Friday at the Memphis Tiger Invitational. The Lady Techsters take on Eastern Illinois at 10 a.m. and Jackson State at 5 p.m.
