GEORGETOWN, Texas - With the first slate of the Pirates matches this season in the books, Head Coach Don Flora learned a lot from his team during the SU Invitational, facing three talented and competitive opponents in the span of three days.
The Pirates defeated a gritty George Fox team, a team that despite going 1-3, gave opposing teams trouble all week long. In their next game on Friday, the Pirates faced an Augsburg squad that went 3-1 in the tournament, defeating Concordia, UT-Dallas, and George Fox.
It was an impressive showing by the Pirates', defeating the Auggies 3-0.
"There was a fantastic environment in the gym tonight from the fans and the team. It was high-level volleyball between two different styled teams," says Coach Flora. It was apparent the Pirates felt the energy of their home court as they were on the Auggies early and often, winning the first set 25-16.
"We felt we handled the serve and pass portion of the game at an elite level tonight. Geneva Nedrow set the tone at the service line for the team at the start of the match," says Flora.
Not only did Nedrow tally three service aces in the match, but she handled Augsburg attacks with ease, racking up 14 digs on the night.
"The team defense had a technical showing tonight, Riley Brantley led the way with a solo block and five assist blocks, overall our blocking was part of the reason why we were able to hold a high-quality offense like Augsburg to a .043 hitting percentage," examined Flora.
On the offensive side, the Kuras sisters ran the show. Jessica (Sr.) and Christina (So.) combined for a total of 24 kills against the Auggies. On a career night for Christina, she had a match-high 15 kills for a .273 hitting efficiency. The Pirates went on to win sets two and three, 25-18 and 25-19, respectively.
Despite a fantastic performance by the Pirates on Friday, Southwestern was still subject to the ebb and flow of the early season. The Southwestern team that took on UT Dallas on Saturday night was not the same team that beat Augsburg a day earlier.
"There are matches that make you scratch your head, and this was one of them. UT Dallas found a rhythm after set one and we weren't able to manage the serve and pass portion of the game once they found that rhythm," recalls Flora.
After the Pirates won the first set, UT Dallas rattled off three sets to take the victory over Southwestern.
"This is the type of early season match that you learn and grow from. This program is built on learning. We look forward to developing as a team and as a program, each day and each match."
The Pirates go on the road next week to attend the Wesleyan (Conn.) Invitational, Friday, September 9th, and Saturday, September 10th.
Southwestern University Fall Invitational All-Tournament Team
Augsburg - Anel Vo, Libero, Kayla Gjerde, OH
Concordia - Sarah Ghormley, OH
UT Dallas - Madison Ball, Opp, Catherine Croft, OH
