Volleyball tops ULM, falls to Lamar

Friday, September 6

Beaumont, Texas

10 a.m.

South Dakota State University

2-2,0-0Summit League

Louisiana Monroe

3-2,0-0Sun Belt

South Dakota St.

La.-Monroe

9/6/2019 9:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BEAUMONT, Texas – The South Dakota State volleyball team split a pair of matches on Friday at the Katrinka Crawford Invitational. The Jackrabbits defeated Louisiana Monroe in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-21, 17-25, 25-16, 18-25, 16-14), and fell to Lamar, 3-0 (14-25, 29-31, 19-25).

South Dakota State now holds an overall record of 2-3.

"Not our best outing across the day with a lot of highs and lows, but we continue to fight, learn how to adjust and play at a more consistent level," said head coach Nicole Cirillo.

South Dakota State 3, Louisiana Monroe 2
The senior duo of Ashlynn Smith and Makenzie Hennen tied for a team-best 15 kills. Hennen also led with 15 digs and added three blocks. Anna Nerad paced the Jacks with seven blocks and five service aces. Madison Fay tallied 20 assists while Tatum Pickar had eight digs and three aces.

Louisiana Monroe scored seven unanswered points to open up the first set. Their lead wouldn't last as the Jacks went on a 12-1 run to pull ahead. The Warhawks came within one point of the Jacks on more than one occasion but would never see a lead for the remainder of the set. State captured a 25-21 first set victory.

The second set was back and forth until it was tied at 14-14. Louisiana Monroe scored 11 of the final 14 points to capture the set, tying the match at 1-1.

ULM gained an 11-5 advantage early into the third set. The Jacks scored 12 unanswered points, including 3 service aces from Pickar, two kills by Hennen and a one from Nerad, to take the lead, 17-11. From there, the deficit was too much for the Warhawks to comeback from, resulting in a 25-16 third set win for the Jacks.

A kill by Nerad and a Hennen service ace set the Jacks ahead early in the fourth, 3-1. A 10-1 ULM run put State behind, 11-6. Short runs, featuring kills from Tori Thompson, Hennen and Nerad helped SDSU chip away at the difference. The Warhawks answered with seven consecutive points, which eventually led them to a 25-18 win in the fourth set to force a fifth.

The fifth set was back and forth until ULM held a 12-9 edge over the Jacks. Two kills from Smith, one by Burk and a Nerad ace helped to give the Jacks a 14-12 advantage. Although it took extra points to get there, kills by Smith and Thompson sealed the five set victory for the Jacks.

Lamar 3, South Dakota State 0
Hennen paced the Jacks once again with a team best nine kills, while Burk and Smith followed closely behind with eight and seven kills, respectively. Burk held a team-best two service aces. Fay dished out 24 set assists and added an ace and two kills. Nerad led the defense at the net with five blocks. Pickar recorded team-high 15 digs, while Hennen added 12.

Big swings from Smith and Nerad opened up the match for the Jacks. The score remained close until Lamar posted six unanswered points to pull away with a 14-6 lead. State was unable to close in on the difference as Lamar captured a 25-14 victory in the first set.

The Jacks capitalized on Lamar errors to jump ahead to an early 3-1 advantage in the second set. Lamar quickly came back to tie and for a majority of the set, the score was either tied or a team held a one point edge. The score remained tied at 13-all when the Jacks put up seven unanswered points, four of which Burk was responsible for, to take a 20-13 lead. The Cardinals came back to tie the set 24-24. The teams traded leads, going extra points until finally a service ace gave Lamar a 31-29 win in the second set.

Lamar led to begin the third set, but a kill from Hennen and three Cardinal errors gave the Jacks an 11-9 edge. Unfortunately, that would be the final lead that the Jacks would see as Lamar won the final set, 25-19.

Game Notes

The Jacks are now 1-0 all-time against Louisiana Monroe and 2-1 against Lamar.
These were the first matches of the season that weren't four set matches for SDSU.
- The Jacks are 1-0 in five-set matches, 1-2 in four sets and 0-1 in three.
Makenzie Hennen has posted a double-double in four of the five matches this season.
Anna Nerad recorded career-best seven blocks against Louisiana Monroe

Up Next
Stat completes the Katrinka Crawford Invitational on Saturday at 10 a.m. as it takes on Prairie View A&M.

-GoJacks.com-