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Nov. 29, 2007

Box Score

TOPEKA, Kan. - The Lady Buffs continue their quest for the program's fourth volleyball National Championship after emerging victorious in one of the most dramatic matches in school history. The No. 8 Lady Buffs rallied from behind in an epic fifth game to defeat No. 5 Grand Valley State (27-30, 30-24, 30-27, 26-30 and 22-20) during the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA-II Elite Eight in Topeka, Kan.

The match did not start out as planned for WT as it dropped the day's opening match by the score of 30-27, despite holding the lead much of the early portion of the game. WT got seven kills in game one from sophomore middle blocker Melissa Harper, who finished play with a team-high 19 kills on 37 attacks for an impressive .405 hitting percentage.

However, the young Lady Buffs showed composure beyond their years as they rallied out of the first break to jump out to a 3-1 lead in the day's second match. A kill by freshman middle blocker Lauren Thedford expanded the lead to seven at 23-16 as the Lady Buffs were able to take the second game and knot the match at one game apiece with the 30-24 win. Sophomore outside hitter Laura Prinsen was the offensive leader in game two with six kills, while setter Katie Rickwartz tossed up 15 of her 63 assists on the day. Prinsen finished the match second only to Harper with 18 kills.

During game three, another pair Lady Buffs stepped up in the total team effort, as sophomore Natalie Johnson registered five of her 12 kills on the day and junior libero Sara Contreras tallied six of her game-high 31 digs. Contreras and the defense were extremely active in the 30-27 game three victory as they held the Lakers to a game-low .176 hitting percentage.

After taking the first three points and establishing a bit of early control in the match's fourth game, the Lady Buffs battled back and forth with Grand Valley and held a slim 17-15 advantage. However, a 6-1 run by the Lakers gave them momentum and lifted them to a 30-26 game four win, setting the scene for the match's deciding stanza.

During the fifth and final game, the Lady Buffs fell behind 10-7, forcing a timeout by head coach Tony Graystone. Following the break, WT returned to the court refocused and took seven of the next nine points from the Lakers. The action remained tight as the Lady Buffs moved within one point of closing out the match at 14-12 on a kill by Harper. Grand Valley State, however, would not yield and tied the match at 14-14, forcing extra points in the already epic contest. The two teams would battle to six more ties, with the Lady Buffs facing elimination point on two different occasions, before a service ace by Sara Contereas gave WT a 21-20 advantage and set the stage for a Harper kill to give the Lady Buffs the victory.

Junior Kelly Culley produced a team-high six total blocks and 14 kills for the Lady Buffs, highlighting a list of five Lady Buffs in double-digit kills.

West Texas A&M now moves on to tomorrow's national semifinal round where they will face No. 2 Concordia St.-Paul for a chance to advance to the 2007 National Championship game. First serve for Concordia St.-Paul is set for 4 p.m. and fans can follow the action with live stats and a live web stream at Tournament Central.