Giddy up, volleyball fans. If you’re ready for a “Jim Dandy” sporting event, then tonight’s your night.
The San Diego State women’s volleyball team (21-10) faces Sam Houston University tonight in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 7 p.m. match at Peterson Gym will advance to the second round and face the University of Texas Saturday evening.
“We are very confident,”Aztecs defensive specialist Mary Valenciano said. “We’re really working hard and we really want to win.”
Despite falling to Brigham Young in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals, SDSU attained a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Mountain Region, enabling the team to host its first-round match against the LadyKats.
Poised with their third straight appearence in the tournament, the Aztecs are confident they can win and play consistent volleyball without mistakes, something SDSU had difficulty with against the BYU Cougars.
“We didn’t make the plays when we needed to,” Aztecs head coach Mark Warner said. “They made the plays when they needed to beat us.”
One significant problem has developed for SDSU little is known about the Lady Kats.
“We know they are a strong team,” Valenciano said. “They have played against some strong teams this season, so we are expecting to see their best.”
SHSU reached the tournament by defeating Grambling State University in an NCAA play-in match last weekend. The LadyKats recorded a 25-14 regular season mark as a member of the Southland Conference and upset conference powerhouse Stephen F. Austin in the conference tournament.
“We have been playing well as a team,” SHSU middle blocker Jennifer Cron said. “We have been getting better down the stretch.”
The LadyKats are led by Cron and fellow middle blocker Tracy Bendele, who have combined for 1,131 kills on the season. Also leading the attack is setter Amy Stavinoha, whose 74 assists against Texas-Arlington and whose 69 assist efforts against Illinois State were season highs.
“We are a very young team,” LadyKats head coach Brenda Grey said. “The Aztecs have a lot of experience, and we are starting four freshmen.”
Yet starting four freshmen has not kept SHSU from playing good volleyball this season. Unexpectedly, the LadyKats put a terrific season together after starting out the ’96 campaign 0-4. With their second postseason appearance in the last four seasons staring them in the face, they’re not going to let SDSU walk all over them.
“Our goal is to get to the second round,” Cron said. “We want to set a record here at Sam Houston, but we aren’t putting any pressure on ourselves.”
The advantage tonight may come from the home crowd at Peterson Gym, which has seen the Aztecs go 8-1 this season. SDSU has compiled a 43-6 record at “The Pete” over the last four seasons, including a 21-2 home-court record the past two seasons. The Aztecs are also 9-2 in their last 11 first-round matches in the NCAA Tournament.
“We don’t want to play as we did in Vegas,” Aztec setter Andrea Clark said. “I think we can play well if we put that game behind us.”
