Volleyball goes undefeated in conference play, heads to regionals this weekend

Amanda Booren - 11/2/2007 Sophomore Lindsey Schindler (left) and freshman Bruna Rocha lead 12th ranked San Jacinto to the Region XIV championship this weekend in Galveston.

PASADENA, TX – The San Jacinto College volleyball team completed the season with an undefeated conference record, and heads to the regional tournament this weekend in Galveston in search of a bid to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament.

With a conference record of 12-0 (26-11 overall), top-seeded San Jacinto will face Alvin (12-12, 6-6) Friday in the first semifinal match at Galveston College. Laredo and the host Whitecaps will square off in the second semifinal match at 7 p.m. The winners will play Saturday at 2 p.m. for a chance to play in the NJCAA national tournament, Nov. 14-17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“We have played very consistent throughout conference play,” said sixth-year head coach Sharon Nelson. “That kind of consistent play put a target on us for regionals. We enter as the number one seed, picked to win, but any given day anyone can beat anyone. We will still have to take care of the ball and play a solid weekend.”

San Jac’s hitting is led by sophomore Ligia Clemente (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and freshman Julia Teixeira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The duo combines for 46 percent of the team’s total offense (786 total combined kills). Teixeira ranks third in the conference in kills while Clemente is fifth. As a team, San Jac is hitting .244 on the season.

Defensively, sophomore Lindsey Schindler (Hallettsville, Texas / Hallettsville High School) leads the conference in blocks with 149 total, averaging 1.5 per game. Clemente is third with a 1.1 per game average.

This is the fourth consecutive regular season conference title for San Jacinto College, and is the second time in the last three seasons to finish undefeated. San Jac is ranked 12th nationally, and looking to get back to the national tournament for the third straight year.

“The season comes down to this weekend,” added Nelson. “You fight for national rankings and you fight to make the top four to enter the regional tournament, and then you fight for the conference championship. Whoever plays well this weekend gets the bid to go to nationals.”

For more information on the San Jacinto volleyball program, visit the athletics page of the San Jac website at www.sanjac.edu.