SFA: #1 in Nation in a Serving Category

This post is an investigation into serving statistics during the 2014 regular season for all Southland Conference teams.  We'll look at both the best individual servers as well as team serving in this statistically minded post.

I discovered something amazing.  SFA has the best ratio of service aces to service errors in the nation as of this writing.  I discovered this by pure coincidence.  Here is how all this went down:  

I have been thinking about serving efficiency ever since I began teaching the 7-year olds on my city league youth team how to serve.  The games at this age can be won by teams that simply don't error while serving since there are so few rallies.  At about the same time I realized this, I travelled to Natchitoches to cover the UCA/NSU match.  I have long questioned the overall effectiveness of aggressive jump serves when they lead to a lot of errors and that night I watched UCA pound a lot of balls into the net or out of bounds on serves.  So, I got the idea to look at all the servers in the conference and look specifically at their ratio of aces to service errors.

I actually have had this idea before, but never really studied it in depth.  While researching individual service patterns in the conference, I noticed SFA had more aces than errors and I thought this was rare.  The average ace to error ratio in the Southland this year was right at 0.66 (think of this as 2/3). So, for every two aces you see in a Southland contest, those two aces will be countered by three service errors on average.  SFA's ace to error ratio is 1.26.  A little quick statistical work showed that this is over 2.5 standard deviations above average, a value which in bell-shaped data should occur only 1/2 of 1% of the time. Now, there are 334 DI Volleyball programs and 1/2 of 1% of the number 334 is between 1 and 2.  So, it hit me like a ton of bricks last night about midnight. If my calculations were right, then SFA might be in the top two or so in the nation in service ace ratio.

As quick as my fingers could get on the NCAA Volleyball Statistics website, I had found the data I needed to show that, yes.. SFA was FIRST IN THE NATION in the ratio of aces to errors.  In fact, there are only six teams in Division 1 NCAA Volleyball that have more aces than errors.  Here is the list:

1.  Stephen F. Austin.  125 aces/99 errors.  Ratio: 1.26

2.  Robert Morris         111 aces/95 errors.  Ratio: 1.17

3.  Pittsburgh               148 aces/133 errors  Ratio: 1.11

4.  IUPUI                     138 aces/128 errors  Ratio: 1.08

5.  Northern Iowa        120 aces/113 errors  Ratio: 1,06

6.  South Dakota St.    142 aces/141 errors  Ratio: 1.01

There you have it.  SFA has the best ace to error ratio - by quite a hefty margin - in the entire country.  I nearly peed my pants when I figured this out and sent volleyball SID Brian Newton an email about it at 12:40 AM last night.  Like all great SID's, he was still awake and working and we started talking about it in emails.  Fascinating stuff.  But wait, you think that's interesting?  This will blow you away:

Now, what about the top individual servers in the conference this year?  

Below, we look at the Top 20 ace producing players in the conference.  There are actually 21 data points since there was a tie for 20th.  To get into the top 20, a player had to amass 25 or more service aces.  All 21 girls are all listed at the bottom of this post for reference.  I plotted these 21 girls aces on the horizontal (x) axis below and their number of service errors on the vertical (y) axis. Check out the plot:

The slope of that trend line going through the data works out to be 1.45, which of course is really close to 1.5.  If you remember your high school geometry, a slope of 1.5 means as you increase aces by 1, you expect to increase errors by 1.5.  Now, multiply each of those numbers by two and what do you get?  For every two aces, you expect to increase service errors by three.  That's a 2/3 ratio.  Have we seen that before? Sure, that's the conference average that I alluded to above.  So, the above graph shows that the top servers in the conference still huddle around the ratio of 2 aces to every three errors.  That alone is rather interesting.

But, if you look carefully you'll see that there are three points in the graph that fall well above the trend line and four points that fall well below the trend line.  The remaining points fall relatively close to what the trend line would predict.

First, those below the trend line:  Holland and Ivy (SFA), Baresh (AMCC) and Sander (UNO).  There are your four most efficient servers in the conference.  They managed to crack the top 20 in aces, but at the same time, they kept their service errors amazingly low so that they fall well below the trend line.  This indicates efficiency:  high aces and low errors.  That's good!

But, what about those way above the trend line:  Schnars and Singleton (UCA) and McStravick (HBU).  These girls have way more service errors than what should be expected for the number of aces they achieved.  Amazing!  It was UCA's serving that got me on this crazy chase in the first place and sure enough, they have two of the three girls with the lowest ace to error ratios among the high ace girls in the whole conference.  See list below.  The fact that these points fall above the trend line represents more serving inefficiency than what should be expected.  That's bad.

By the way, that one lone point WAY over on the right is Southland ace leader Malina Sanchez who has 70 aces and 86 service errors.  Notice her data point is right near the line, so her ratio is right in line with what would be expected.  Another "by the way" fact... McNeese leads the NATION in aces, but is also one of only three schools with more than 300 service errors.  Also, Lamar has one of the worst ace to error ratios in the country (in the worst five).

Stop and think about something just a second:  Sanchez has 86 service errors and Schnars has 85.  SFA has 99.... as A TEAM.

Now, one might argue that jump servers like Schnars and Singleton get opposing teams out of system often on serves that land in bounds and this has a tangible benefit to their teams not accounted for in the numbers above.  That's fair to assume.  But, three counterpoints:  1) How do you know that isn't true for good servers who don't jump like Holland and Ivy?  2) You don't have any hard data ON THE WHOLE LEAGUE to substantiate that claim anyway (although it would be nice to try and track for the LEAGUE) and 3) one thing is for certain:  a service error results in a 0% chance you win that point.  

So, I think the above data suggest that a player who doesn't jump serve, but has something about their approach that leads to high aces and low errors is an overall better contributor to their teams total scoring.  To boil it down, let's just look at two extremes:  What would you prefer:  Holland (25 aces, 7 errors, short serves to get teams rushing in to the net and potentially out of system) or Schnars (36 aces, but 85 errors with a jump serve that can be difficult to return)? It's going to be tough to argue that Schnars' 11 more aces isn't cancelled out by her 78 more service errors!!  Plus, can you really explain away 78 more service errors by saying her jump results in more UCA points that Holland's short float results in SFA points?  I doubt it.  If so, I'll need some data and not just a hunch for me to believe it. 

Notice that an aggressive jump server like Devaney Wells-Gibson (she sometimes backs off on it, though) has been able to record more aces than errors (41/39).  So, I am not down on jump serving as a whole.  I just believe the control has to be there.

My conclusion is that aggressive jump serving needs to result in a VERY large fraction of balls staying in play when they are not aces.  Otherwise, the practice is too aggressive and the net effect is negative and the player should consider abandoning it.  I think my data above suggests exactly that.  For now, I nominate Holland, Sander, Ivy and Baresh (in that order) as the most efficient servers in the conference.  Holland's ratio in the list below is just absurd:

Ace to Error Ratios of Top 20 Ace Producing Servers (SLC 2014)

1. Holland (SFA)            25/7 (3.57)

2. Sander (UNO)            27/14 (1.96)

3. Ivy (SFA)                   30/18 (1.67)

4. Baresh (AMCC)         39/28 (1.39)

5. DiFrancesco (NSU)   29/24 (1.21)

T6. Nash (UCA)             25/23 (1.09)

T6. Hammoutene (UNO) 25/23 (1.09)

8. Wells-Gibson (SHSU)  41/39 (1.05)

T9. Kilpatrick (SHSU)      30/29 (1.03)

T9. Homer (SHSU)           30/29  (1.03)

11. Sellers-Wiebe (UNO)  25/27 (0.93)

12. Sanchez (McNeese)     70/86  (0.81)

13. Graham (McNeese)      30/38 (0.79)

14. Nicholson (AMCC)     42/54 (0.78)

15. Egea (NICH)               30/39 (0.77)

16. Jaeger (NSU)               26/36 (0.72)

17. Schwartz (NICH)         28/39 (0.72)

18. Hollowell (LU)             27/41 (0.66)

19. Singleton (UCA)          44/74 (0.59)

20. McStravick (HBU)       25/50 (0.50)

21. Schnars (UCA)             36/85 (0.42)

Ace to Error Ratios of SLC Teams 2014:

1. SFA          1.26

2. NSU          0.86

3. TAMUCC 0.83

4. UNO         0.77

5. SHSU       0.77

6. McNeese  0.70

7. UCA         0.64

8. HBU         0.62

9. ACU         0.62

10. UIW        0.52

11. SLU        0.50

12. Lamar     0.39

Interviews and Announcements

Links to recent audio interviews:

Senior Day:
Debbie Humphreys After UCA Match
Jill Ivy After UCA Match
Paige Holland After UCA Match

SFA 3, NSU 1:
Justice Walker After NSU Match (Natchitoches)
Jill Ivy & Paige Holland After NSU Match (Natchitoches)

I am happy to report that the Southland Conference has granted SFAVolleyblog.net written permission to cover the 2014 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament.  Of course, this event goes down in Natchitoches, LA next weekend - Friday, November 21 through Sunday, November 23.  I am pleased to be partnering with the conference office on this.  The first two days of the tournament will be covered by the Southland Digital Network.  The championship match will appear on ESPN3.  Details can be found at the SLC's Conference Tournament Central website.

Last year at this time I was ready to begin Internet radio broadcasts.  However, there really wasn't enough time to get the proper permissions and shortly before the tournament began in Corpus Christi, the league office let me know that it would be best if I didn't begin radio for the first time at the SLC Tourney.  In retrospect, this was wise.  By working out some kinks during the 2014 preseason, we were able to deliver 13 SFA broadcasts this year along with a special presentation of UCA @ NSU.  Response to the Internet Radio broadcasts has been positive.

I am repeatedly asked by fans when the next broadcast is planned.  I have received email and Facebook messages from several people saying that they have enjoyed staying connected in a fresh way during 2014. At a time where attendance at many SLC matches around the league is several hundred a night, it has been a strong showing to have had over 100 listeners many times during the season.  Our last broadcast topped out at 185 total listens.  The attendance listed in the box score for that match was 336.

There are some things I need to do better.  I've gone back and reviewed most of the broadcasts and noticed some things in terms of descriptions that I can do better.  Each time I do a game, I feel like it gets just a tad cleaner and more descriptive.  The goal is to quickly and accurately describe the play-by-play while sprinkling in a bit of analysis here and there.  Additionally, as all who know me pretty well are aware:  I am a passionate fan and so a fair bit of emotion comes through during the broadcasts.  I think this has to be measured, but I don't really intend to try and repeat the styles of larger media outlets.  I'll continue to be honest while always attempting to be respectful of both squads.  One thing I am committed to is complementing good play - even if it is from our opponent.  I've always believed that championing others doesn't have to be at the expense of "rooting for the home team". Good volleyball is good volleyball and listeners deserve to hear about strong efforts from all athletes involved.

This years' coverage of the Southland Conference Tournament will be more comprehensive than ever.  Last year, we posted 19 audio interviews during the three days and did live chats during all matches.  The 2014 Tournament coverage will be expanded to include:

1. SFAVolleyBlog Radio broadcasts all three days.  All seven matches will be broadcast live including all SFA matches.

2. Audio Interviews posted on the blog's SoundCloud site.  Many of these will be done between matches or right after matches are finished.  The audio interviews will be instantly processed and will appear online within 15 minutes of completion.  So, these will be "instant reaction" type interviews from players and coaches.

3. Video Interviews posted on the blog's YouTube channel.   Some of these interviews will be from a fixed location in Prather Coliseum that I'll set up on Friday morning when I arrive.  I wouldn't be surprised if there are one or two video interviews done on Friday and Saturday evening from the team hotels.  Since these have to be edited, they will go up at night.  This will provide you a bridge to the next day's games.

I have a post about serving statistics in the works.  This will go up within a week.  Also, my 6th Annual SFAVolleyBlog All-Conference Teams will be posted on Monday, November 17.  I expect the conference to announce the official teams and awards on Wednesday, November 19 although that is not confirmed.  I like to get my lists out ahead of the official ones so that I cannot be accused of undue bias.  You can familiarize yourself with my system by reading last years' lists at this link.

I do want to address a position that I have taken in times past again here in this post:  I do NOT believe that All-Conference selections should be purposely skewed towards the top teams in the conference.  Last year I wrote this:

"I categorically reject the notion that All-Southland Conference teams are meant to honor those teams that finished high in the standings by default and design.  To do this is unquestionably biased and duplicative. As a scientist, I just can't do things that are by their very design biased and duplicative."

I stand by this statement 100%.  If a player on a 9th place team is the second or third best player at her position, then she deserves to be honored.  We have standings, trophies and NCAA bids for the best TEAMS.  All-SLC teams are about players, not teams.

My methodology evolves, of course.  This year, I have done even more statistical analysis than in the past - especially for the hitters.  But, I have also made more notes throughout the year based on personal observation, information I've gleaned from conversations with coaches and information on team websites.  All in all, I have spent more time constructing the lists in 2014 than in any other year.

 Last year, 16 of the 18 names on the official lists appeared on my lists.  Of course, the goal isn't to "guess what the conference will do".  There is no point in creating the lists unless I feel as though my lists have a level of respectability and accuracy.  Despite that position, the official lists comprise the votes of 26 individuals (coaches and SID's), and of course, my list, is just one person's opinion.  However, I do feel qualified to vote.  As in years' past, I suspect I will be granted the media privilege of voting for the All-Tournament Team and the Tournament MVP.  As always, I will publish my ballot after casting it.

The 4-H Club

Last week while in Natchitoches to do radio for the NSU vs. UCA game, I wound up in a discussion with a handful of Sugar Bear fans who had made the trip down to Louisiana to support their team.  I love conversations like that.  They give such an opportunity to learn and to see how other people view players and teams - including how others think of SFA.

At one point - I guess after I had built up some credibility with them, a UCA fan ask me: "So, what's so different about SFA this year as opposed to last year?"  I gave an answer consisting of a subset of points in this post.  But, the question generated a lot of thought on the ride home and over the past day or so.  Thus, the blog gives me the forum for a wee bit of expansion.

So, what is different about this years' team?  What are the assignable causes of being 13-0 at this juncture as opposed to 7-8 with three matches remaining in conference play like we were in 2013?  Well, some of these areas of discussion are correlated, but here's a shot at what I think some of the main differences are:

The Team is Much More Healthy

Last year, it was tough to maintain a consistent lineup due to injuries both large and small.  In addition, the injuries were widespread.  I've always believed that roles are super important in volleyball.  Admittedly, I've come to realize I think this to a higher degree that many other people, but still 2013 was really a lesson in how difficult it is to obtain consistency and momentum with shifting roles.  Those roles shifted last year primarily out of necessity in trying to adjust to all the bumps and bruises.  This year, we lost JK Evans early in the year, but had the depth to accommodate that.  Plus, it wasn't a guarantee that she would play the majority of sets anyway.  Not in the way that it was more certain that Ivy, Olson, Allen and Walker would.

Like all teams, we have had our share of a few things pop up here and there.  Overall, though, it has been a healthy year to this point.  Madison Martin dodged a bullet and hopefully is just about over her wrist issue.  Given she played the entire match against UCA, I'd imagine that she'll be fine for Friday and next week.  Bartlett had to miss a match, maybe more, but there don't appear to be long term effects.

Health has allowed us to run basically the same personnel out there for the vast majority of matches while continuing to flirt with all the L2 possibilities or play the hot hand in that spot.  That consistency has allowed the club to gel and go out night after night trusting that the person playing on each side of you has familiarity with the entire system.  It's allowed us to establish that unquantifiable, yet important "feel" to the combinations on the court as we click around in the various rotations.

Paige Holland Has Taken Her Final Step Forward

What's to keep Holland from winning 2014 Southland Setter of the Year?  See, it's only a few weeks away from when all of the votes are counted and reported.  As I wrote about in the previous post on serve and receive (see last week, "First Contact"), we need to use both stats and the "eye" test when assessing players.  I've been (constructively) critical of voting in the SLC at times because I think people don't combine the two in the right dose.  This is one time where it is critical to use the right numbers.  Conference -Only statistics are important here since Holland's overall numbers include tournaments in which we still used the 6-2.  She is second in the league in assists per set in conference only matches.  Earlier in the year, I wrote about how wide open the setter situation was in 2014 across the conference.   In that post, I told  you my favorite was Kayla Armer of HBU.  She leads the conference in assists for conference matches and is only 0.02 assists per set behind Michelle Griffith of Sam Houston overall.  I have to think the three girls mentioned here are the candidates for the honor, with a wild card being freshman Nicholson at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.  HBU hasn't had the overall success that SFA and Sam Houston have had, so that may sway some voters away from Armer.  So, maybe it will come down to Holland and Griffith?  Who knows?  I really like Armer, but will have to really sit and think before making my pick.

No matter all of the above talk about Setter of The Year, the point being made is that Holland has played very consistently during 2014.  She has done a fantastic job of getting all of the hitters involved throughout the year.  Plus, she has been attacking and dumping on 2nd touch more often.  Go back and look at box scores.  Lots of times her kill-error-attack line looks like 6-1-10 or the like. Several people (at other schools) have specifically mentioned to me how disruptive her presence has been to their game plans to defend us.   Roughly 2/3 of the time during SLC matches, Holland's kills plus digs has equated to double-figures.   Five times she has had five or more kills and 7 or more digs.  Now, think.. get the numbers in the right context:  SFA has played a TON of three set matches in conference.  So, many times Holland is putting up between 1.5 and 2.0 kills per set along with 2.0 to 2.5 digs per set.  It is outstanding for a setter to average one kill per set.  Indeed, for the ENTIRE conference slate to this point, Holland has averaged 1.17 kills per set and 2.07 digs per set.   Taken all together, Holland's 2014 contributions have been vital.  Dare I say, worthy of (an) honor.

Now, from honor to honesty...

Honesty on the Left

For all the talk about the match against ULM at home where we "turned things around", I believe it just as important to go back to the last non-conference match of the season against Rice.  Tori Bates, people.  Tori Bates.  We got our answer just in time.  After Bates provided a big spark against Rice, she has been a consistent and effective starter.

During SLC play, Bates has averaged 2.33 kills per set while hitting .241.  That is a fantastic attack percentage when hitting primarily from the left.  I mean, 10th place OVERALL in the conference for the entire year is a girl hitting .263.  Not to mention that people hitting above .250 are almost always middles or right sides.  I did a study back in 2010 that estimated that primary left-side attackers average a hitting percentage around .170 in our conference.

Further, notice that we have more depth (and that depth has been mostly healthy).  Bartlett has contributed to help keeping the left side honest.  During conference play, McIntyre has averaged just under two kills per set (1.92) and hit at a .169 clip... that's average production for a second left side.  It is important to note that McIntyre has improved as the year has gone on.  Her overall attack percentage is .076 and is weighed down by the non-conference learning curve matches.

Do not for a second underestimate the combined effect of Bates, Bartlett, McIntyre and occasionally Kainer.  I know that our middles are putting up incredible numbers and I know that Jill Ivy plays for us, but I still maintain that one of the HUGE differences between this year and recent years is that we have a nice (maybe even slightly above conference average) total production from the left.  This matters SO MUCH.  I know I really go on and on about this, but this year has really underscored how important it is to get production all across the net and not just in the middle and one pin.

Not to go off the deep end, but could you imagine what a juggernaut our offense would be if we had conference leading level production on the left?  Holy smokes.  But back to reality... forget that.  The point is that we have good left side production and that gets more good looks for Allen, Walker and Ivy due to blockers having to respect the left.  That's a big part of our offensive success.  Bates, Bartlett and McIntyre are relatively unsung.  Remember those three if you see girls hoisting a trophy overhead in the days before Thanksgiving.

I mean, check it out:  SFA is hitting .293 in conference matches (which is ridiculously high) and .232 overall for the year.  Last year, those numbers were .187 and .167, respectively.  That's what Health, Holland and Honesty will do for ya!! Welcome to the 3H Club, ya'll.

Other factors contributing to our success:  Allen and Walker are improved.  Recently, they have blocked better.  There is little question they are athletic.  Not always the most technically proficient blockers, the two of them have done much better in that regard as of late.

Additionally, Madison Martin is in the role where her value can be leveraged.  She has really made me a fan this year.  So solid.

OJ Olson didn't really get mentioned in this post.  You know why?  Because she is incredibly consistent.  She's as good as ever.  She was great last year too.  Without her, last year would have been worse.  This year, I've been frustrated watching inferior liberos like Kilpatrick at SHSU and Todd at SLU win recent Defensive Player of the Week awards.  Arneson at NSU got hurt, Egea at Nicholls has some great stats, but Olson just wins out on the eye + stat meter.  Some other teams in the conference don't have a girl like Madison Martin to flank their libero and so they  get some libero stat inflation.  I know I probably sound a little whiny here at the end, but c'mon Southland voters.. wake up.. OJ Olson is as good a pick as any for Libero of the Year.  OK, rant over.

Finally, let's not ignore coaching effectiveness.  Humphreys and crew have done a nice job with all of the points above.  Think about it:  Health?  Well, the coaching staff made adjustments to pre-season workout routines and the amount of rest time during certain intense weeks of the conference season.  They have better gauged how to increase the likelihood we stay healthy by adjusting workout regimens.  Holland?  Humphreys knew something wasn't quite right when the team got back from South Dakota.  She ditched the 6-2 and it paid off.  Honesty on the Left?  We've already covered the Midas touch that was putting in Bates against Rice.  Plus, it appears as though we've used Bartlett and McIntyre in just the right doses.  We've been able to give them valuable experience while also maximizing their contributions at the right points in the season. 

So, maybe it should be the 4H club? 

See, you thought the 4-H club was just the nation's largest youth development organization?  That organization's H's are "head, heart, hands and health"?  I think that's fits us pretty good.  Humphreys is the head, the left side has played with heart, Holland has the hands, and we've been healthy all year.  In fact, I'm so inspired that I have re-written the 4-H Club Motto to mold it more to SFA Volleyball.

4-H Motto:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service

and my health to better living

for my club, my community, my country and my world.

The SFA 4-H Motto:

We pledge to head coach Debbie Humphreys

Our left side created greater honesty

Our setting hands belong to Holland

and our health has made us better.

We play as a team, for our university and the volleyball world is taking notice.

I should have been a poet rather than a statistician.

Maybe Not.

Weekend Links and Observations

This past weekend, SFA Volleyball won the Louisiana Tech Invitational in Ruston, LA.  Here's a recap, set of links to interviews (audio and video) and some observations about the teams' play at the tournament.

Weekend Results:

SFA 3, UNO 0 Box Score
SFA 3, UTPA 1  Box Score
SFA 3, Louisiana Tech 1  Box Score

Tournament MVP:  OJ Olson
All-Tournament From SFA:  Madison Martin and Justice Walker

OJ Olson Named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week


Tournament Interview Links:

Debbie Humphreys on Win over UNO (SoundCloud)

Paige Holland and Justice Walker on Win over UTPA (SoundCloud)

Interview with UNO Head Coach Millicent Van Norden (YouTube)

Interview with UTPA Head Coach Brian Yale (YouTube)

LA Lanford 2, Greg Miller 1 in Mini-Hoops Before UTPA Match (Twitter)


Observations:
There were lots of positives from this weekend, the most important being that SFA is riding a four game winning streak into Houston.  We all knew when the schedule came out that the middle two tournaments were weekends where we expected to walk away with championship hardware.  After being in all the matches up in South Dakota, but only able to get one win, the Ladyjacks sealed the deal in Louisiana.

Overall, I thought the three players that earned All-Tournament honors definitely deserved them.  I know Debbie Humphreys talked to me several times during the weekend about how steady the floor defense had been and that she wanted the net defense to rise to the same level.  Walker had a great hitting performance on Saturday by hitting 24-1-49 (.469) total.  That is truly outstanding work on offense.  No wonder she said in her interview she would rather get a big kill than blocks!  Of course, Justice got five blocks in the championship so she was doing her job there too.

SFA was granted three spots on the all-tourney team.  Again, all three girls named deserved it.  Despite the awesomeness of the back row (and my penchant to always acknowledge it), I think I would have voted Holland for MVP, and then cast my other two votes for Ivy and Olson.  Ivy had 46 kills in 11 sets (4.18 k/s) and Holland was simply magnificent at setter.  All that being said, I love it when passers and back row players get some glory.. they are usually the unsung heroes, so I don't begrudge the light being shined on players like Madison Martin at all. Can we start her fan club?  I am so glad we've gone to an offensive set where she can play across the back row.  It is a HUGE addition to the defense when she is in there.

The pin block on the right side attack against UTPA leaked a bit.  I am sure that is something that will get a lot of attention in practice.  The players teaming up there with the MB's are young.. and they'll progress and get better at net responsibilities on defense as we go from week to week.

All in all, it was a big step forward.  The company we will keep this weekend (Louisville, Rice) will be tough.  Because of that, I like the fact that we don't have a mid-week match and have more time to prepare.  We know we have to take additional steps forward in our overall game if we are going to hang with the Cardinals and Owls. Louisville is still receiving a few votes for the Top 25 and Rice just knocked off Marquette who was just outside the Top 25 earlier in the year.

Finally, heading into conference play next week, I love the challenges that Michigan, Arkansas, Louisville and Rice have brought us.  This has been my favorite non-conference schedule of the last few years that I can remember.  We have some momentum.  I am all for turning it up a notch in Houston this weekend and keeping the winning streak alive.

Expect a mid-week post focused on setters of the Southland Conference and who knows, maybe we can get to another YouTube video before Houston.  My microphone is scheduled for delivery tomorrow and I'll be anxious to try it out.

Internet Radio all weekend long in Houston.  We had 64 listeners for the UNO match, a record 118 for the UTPA match and 67 for the LaTech match (which overlapped with SFA Football).

Links to Audio Interviews From Arkansas: Humphreys, Ivy, Bartlett

Click the link below to hear SFA Head Coach Debbie Humphreys discuss the Ladyjacks effort and progress against Michigan.  Also check out the post match comments by Senior right side hitter Jill Ivy and Freshman left side Kelsi Bartlett.  The interview with Ivy and Bartlett was done after the 'Jacks picked up their first win of the 2014 season against Tennessee State in their final match of the Arkansas Tournament.

Notes:  Setter Paige Holland finished the tournament on a high point with 17 assists in two-setter format vs. Tennessee State.  Holland also totalled 25 digs in her 10 sets over the weekend.  She was SFA's representative on the All-Tournament Team.

Home Opener (Shelton Gym):  Monday, September 1 at 6:30 vs. North Texas

Click Here For Humphreys Post-Match Comments vs. Michigan

Click Here For Ivy/Bartlett Interview After SFA Beats Tennessee State 3-0

Focus On: Paige Holland

In the Math & Stat Department at SFA, I teach with a colleague named Roy Joe Harris. He's both a mathematician and a chicken farmer, which while odd enough, isn't close to what he's known for.  What he's known for is his amazing personality.  See, Dr. Harris is a sort of litmus test for whether I should invest time in others.  By this I mean that if you can't get along with Dr. Harris, then there must be something wrong with you.  He can get along with anyone and everyone always loves to be around him.  You are a true curmudgeon if you can't mesh with his personality.  I can get why some people don't like me.  I can reflect back on my actions and words at various times and calculate that other people would have been very put off.  Not, Dr. Harris.   He's just so incredibly likable.

This describes senior Paige Holland as well.  I  just can't imagine Paige developing an enemy or someone not being able to get along with her.  If I heard someone say that they didn't find Paige friendly and warm, then that would be my cue:  Mark that person off your list of wanna-be friends.  Can't get along with Paige?  Probably not going to be worth my effort.  You're probably a mean person.

Pleasant is an understatement. She'll go down in my mind as one of the most mature, courteous, grounded, and humble players I will have interacted with.  Paige is meek in the positive sense of the word.  It's cliche for someone my age with a teenage son to say, but Paige is the kind of person I hope my kid hangs out with in a few years when he gets to college.  I know Paige tries to make her teammates around her better, but regardless of when and how she is able to do that, she does something far more important.  Paige makes PEOPLE around her better.

If I'm Shannon Connell, I'm blessed to have Holland to work with.  With Connell seemingly integrated into the offense for this year and two more following, I can't think of a better mentor to coordinate with than Paige.

Click on the link below to watch the interview done with Paige after last Saturday's scrimmage.  On Wednesday, we'll hear from Janet Hill and on Thursday we will shine some light on the seven juniors that form the other part of the upperclassmen core.

You'll see more about this in days to come, but I did get the final OK from the group at Arkansas to do radio broadcasts from Fayetteville.  For now, all three matches this weekend are scheduled to be covered live on SFA VolleyBlog Radio, right here in this very space that you are reading.  All you have to do is point your browser to my site and click on the radio icon in Friday's post and the audio will start streaming over your phone, tablet, or computer.

Click Here For the Interview with Paige Holland

From Monday:  Click Here for the Interview with Jill Ivy

Paige Holland and Tori Bates Interview

After practice on Friday, I got a chance to sit down with Junior Setter Paige Holland and Sophomore Outside Hitter Tori Bates.  I'm actually awestruck by how humble both of these players are.  Bates is so unselfish as she discusses the team's offense and how she is integrated into the flow of things.  Holland, as she has been for three years, is the consummate professional and incredibly polite and thoughtful.

As always, I am so blessed and thankful that our players are accommodating to these type discussions.  Not only did we get in a great chat about setting, attacking, and SFA's prospects for the 2013 Southland title, but our 20 minute talk allowed us to stay inside and avoid the worst of a very welcome rainstorm that moved through Nacogdoches this afternoon.

Hopefully, this interview will help you get your game day fix.  Additionally, let us all hope that we have our full roster of players healthy going forward.  It was good to see Jacque Allen back on the court yesterday and it appears Bates won't be far behind. 

This would also be a good time to remind readers that the next LIVE CHAT room from the road will take place Saturday, September 28 at 2 PM as SFA takes on Northwestern State in Natchitoches.

Click the link below to listen to the interview with Paige and Tori:

Holland and Bates Interview

Veteran Previews: Paige Holland & Jill Ivy

This years' veteran previews begins with the sophomore class and we'll break this up into two installments. Later in the week I will share with you interviews with OH Katzy Randall and DS Janet Hill, but our focus in this post will be sophomore setter Paige Holland along with favorite target on the right side Jill Ivy.

As mentioned in the first post to start off this season a few weeks ago, I am committed to doing more interviews this year, both with our club and coaches/players from around the Southland Conference. So, unlike in years past where these previews were exclusively online interview transcripts, we'll add an audio component to the previews as well. Hopefully, posts like this will connect you more to the girls on our club and provide a more "real" experience as you actually get to listen to athletes as well as read their answers to questions I've posed to them.

Probably the player that had the longest leash last year on our club was freshman Paige Holland. Not that she needed it. Nonetheless, it was obvious that she was going to be tabbed the starter from early on in practices and that the year of Allison Gideon at the helm was one-and-done. Right from the get go, for better or for worse, Holland was going to be the setter without looking back.. or at least, that was the impression I got from the coaching staff before we even stepped on the court for our first match of 2011. All things considered, Holland didn't disappoint. She didn't finish in the top half of the conference in assists per set, but she didn't cause the offense to lag either. Remember, setters need good passes and their numbers are often correlated to how well back row players can dish to them..an area SFA struggled with at times during '11.

Holland did enough to instill confidence going forward and there was no reason to go looking for a replacement coming into 2012. We are probably better with Rister as a backup going into this year than we have been in that role for the last two years, but Holland will be the primary and all indications are that a step forward is coming. I'd look for the assists per set to slide above 10.00 this year and for her soon to be considered one of the top four or five setters in the Southland.

Jill Ivy didn't start off 2011 carrying nearly the load that she began carrying mid-way through the season. About a month into last year, she settled in on the right side and wound up being second to senior MC Bottles in total kills and kills per set. This tells me two things: one that I've thought for a long time and one that Ivy proved during her freshman year - first, SFA needs more production off the left pin. I have long argued this and I believe it firmly. The return to the top of the conference will correspond with a dominating left side attack. While running a lot more through middles than other teams in the conference, to have your leading two attackers be the M1 and the RS points to an area that needs improvement. Secondly, though, Ivy proved she can play and handle a large load. Health permitting, she's as good as a sure thing that SFA has on the front row and the conference agrees tabbing her a pre-season All-SLC pick.

What follows is a transcript of a Facebook chat the three of us had and then at the bottom of the post you'll find the audio component that was taped after the intrasquad scrimmage last Saturday. For what it's worth, I thought both girls were impressive in the scrimmage. Holland was on the mark for most of the afternoon and Ivy is clearly contacting the ball at a higher point that she was during 2011.

SFAVB: Jill, what is the #1 thing that you are most looking forward to this year? Are there any personal goals that you are particularly hopeful that you can achieve as you begin your sophomore season?

JI: The #1 thing I'm looking forward to the most is conference play. Last year, I don't think I had a good sense of the rivalries between SFA and other universities because I was only a freshman. Now, I can remember the wins and losses of last year and use them to create new personal rivalries. I have set a few personal goals for myself, like an all-conference pick, but the number one goal for me is winning conference tournament and getting a bid to the NCAA tournament. I believe that with the talent and heart we all bring to the court this year, winning conference and conference tournament is not only achievable but inevitable.

SFAVB: Paige, what about you, is there one component of your game are you most looking to improve upon during your sophomore season?

PH: This season I am really hoping to improve upon my front row game and also in the consistency of my play. If I am more aggressive as a front row setter and have the attention of the blockers on the other side of the net, our hitters will have more openings and be more successful. Also, if my sets are more consistent every game the hitters will be able to accurately time their approaches and find more openings in the block.

SFAVB: Following up on that, while on front row, what indicators or behaviors do you look for in opposing players to know where weak spots in defenses exist? What things are you watching for as a setter on the opponents’ side of the net?

PH: The main thing I look for on the other side of the net is a weakness in the block. If there is a short outside or a front row setter on the other side of the net, we usually attack that weakness as much as possible.

SFAVB: Jill, you played all over the front row in high school & club, but settled in on the right side last year. For people who don’t stop to think about it, describe what is more challenging about attacking from the right side as opposed to the left.

JI: To me, the most difficult thing about being a right side is having to wait until the ball passes over your left arm (guide arm) to swing. On the outside [left] your right hand is closest to the ball so it is less difficult to contact smoothly. Also, being a right handed right side you sometimes have to deal with awkward angles especially when being set an out of system ball.

SFAVB: Of course, blocking as a right side is a big responsibility so describe what you see out of our starting middles that you will close blocks alongside: Sabrina is a senior and Jacque is just beginning.. describe what you see as the strength of each one of these teammates.

JI: First of all I just want to say that they are both amazing players! They both bring an incredible amount of hard work and heart to court. Sabrina's strength is closing the block. She does a great job at making sure she lines up properly with the pin hitter which eliminates the split, helping the defense get in their correct spots. Jacque's strength is her speed. She's incredibly fast which helps her get to the pins fast enough to get herself set and balanced.

SFAVB: Concerning teammates, Paige, give us a quick one sentence impression that you have about each of the new front row attackers that will be on the team this year.

PH: Tori [Bates]: Tori is so intimidating! She is such a powerful hitter, yet also knows how to place the ball with a roll shot or tip in order to get a kill. I am so thankful that she is on my team and not my opponent.

Keeley [Kainer]: Keeley is already such a talented hitter, and I know as the season goes on she is going to become an integral part of our success. I can't wait to set her this year!

Cara [Leslie]: Cara has so much force behind her arm swing and gets a kill almost every time she gets a set. She improves every single practice and it is awesome to watch her play!

[Sydney] Zoiber: Zo is awesome to have on the court! The energy and hustle that she brings to her side of the net is contagious and makes everyone raise their level of competition.

SFAVB: Jill, I’ve heard a lot of positive things about your work (and work ethic) in the weight room. Describe the effect that the strength and conditioning staff as well as the training staff has had on you while you’ve been at SFA.

JI: The strength and conditioning staff has definitely had a positive effect. It's obvious that they want us to all be the best we can be physically and mentally on, as well as off, the court. Working with Brittany [Castledine] has been great because since she is a former SFA Volleyball player, she knows how to get us in the shape we need to be in so we can be as strong in the fifth set as we were in the first. The training staff has also been extremely important because they help keep all of us healthy all year. They do a great job at checking out everything and anything that could be wrong and making sure we can get back on the court as soon as possible.

SFAVB: Paige, one thing that fans will notice this year is that you've changed uniform numbers from #11 to #1. Is there a story there?

PH: The switch of numbers is actually a really simple story. All of my life I have looked up to my sister in every way, and because of that I ended up copying basically her every move. So when she started playing volleyball in junior high, I immediately wanted to play also. From the very beginning she was #1 and I have always chosen that number ever since because of her. So as soon as MC graduated I asked Coach Humphreys for her jersey, and I am so excited to be #1 this year!

SFAVB, Finally, Jill, describe one of the most fun moments you can remember last year while the club was on a road trip. Is there a funny story or particularly strong memory you have about something that happened on the road at some time last year?

JI: The funniest moment I can remember is in the locker room before the game against McNeese. We were all waiting for Coach to come in and give us our pregame talk. After she said a few words she made us all get up and stand in front of a mirror. All of sudden she started to yell a quote from the movie "Cool Runnings". She told us to repeat it, and so we all started to yell, " I see pride.. etc.". It was so random but after that we played, I think, one of the best matches of the season which gave us our spot in the conference tournament. The quote brought us luck so we ended up making a t shirt for conference tournament out of it.

SFAVB: Many thanks to both Paige and Jill for the time they sacrificed, not only to return questions via Facebook, but also to sit down and have the chat that you can listen to below:

Audio Interviews with Humphreys, Bottles & Holland

Debbie Humphreys on the clubs' progress so far, Allison Gideon and others stepping up, and the upcoming match against Sam Houston (5:03):

MC Bottles & Paige Holland talk about the atmosphere in Shelton, the improved play of Sabrina Burns and this weekend's challenges (4:50)