| Nov. 19, 2004
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 McNeese State ends UTSA’s season in five-game thriller Box Score
BEAUMONT, Texas – Sophomores Meagan Daniel (Hereford, Texas) and DeeDee Strickland (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) posted double-doubles, but McNeese State ended the Texas-San Antonio volleyball team’s season with a 27-30, 30-23, 30-27, 22-30, 15-12 victory Friday night in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament.
With the win, the Cowgirls improve to 18-10 overall and advance to the semifinal round against No. 1-seed Stephen F. Austin. UTSA finishes the season at 16-16.
Daniel posted a match-high 23 kills and a career-high 26 digs in posting her 20th double-double of the year. Strickland turned in 63 assists and a career-best 23 digs for her 15th double-double of the season. Sophomore Connie Picard (Spring, Texas/Spring) led three other Roadrunners in double-figure kills with 19, while junior Jennifer Emelogu (Austin, Texas/LBJ) and sophomore Brittany Hildebrand (Converse, Texas/Judson) added 15 and 13, respectively.
McNeese State was led by 17 kills, 26 digs and five blocks (two solo) from Nicole James, while Trisha Seale and Lindsey Petzold posted 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Petzold added five blocks (one solo) as the Cowgirls out-blocked the Roadrunners, 10-5. Service errors were a difference, as well, as UTSA had a season-high 16 to only four for McNeese.
The Roadrunners blitzed out to a quick 6-2 lead to start game one. McNeese fought back to take their first and only lead of the frame at 12-11. UTSA answered with a 7-2 run to build an 18-14 advantage. The Cowgirls got as close as one at 21-20 and were within two at 28-26, but the Roadrunners held on for the 30-27 win, ending things on a kill by Emelogu.
McNeese controlled much of game two behind a strong outside attack from James and Seale, who recorded five kills apiece in the frame. The Cowgirls got out to a 5-1 lead, but UTSA rallied to knot the score at 9-all on a kill by Daniel. The Roadrunners then took their only lead of the game at 10-9 on a kill by Emelogu, as McNeese allowed only a tie at 13-all the rest of the way, tying the match at 1-1 with the 30-23 win.
The Cowgirls erased an early 2-0 deficit in game three and built a 12-7 lead out of the gates. The Roadrunners got as close as one at 13-12, but McNeese extended the lead to four at 21-17. Daniel got UTSA back in the game with four kills during a 6-2 run that knotted the score at 23-all, but the Cowgirls never gave in, holding off the Roadrunners in a 30-27 win.
UTSA stormed out to a 10-4 lead in game four and then extended its lead to seven at 15-8 on a kill by Hildebrand. McNeese rallied to within three at 16-13, but the Roadrunners posted an 8-3 run in building a 24-16 advantage. The Cowgirls would get no closer than six the rest of the way as UTSA rolled to a 30-22 victory to send the match to game five.
Game five was tight early until UTSA built a 9-5 lead. After a McNeese timeout, the Cowgirls went on a 7-1 run to take a 12-10 lead, the last two points coming on service aces by Kara Gaston. The Roadrunners kept it close behind a strong middle attack from Picard, but McNeese clinched the match, 15-12, to advance to Saturday’s semifinal.
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