Bearkats Welcomes Oral Roberts With A Win
by Cheval John
Oral Roberts Eagles volleyball team didn’t know what to expect when they played Sam Houston State Bearkats on Thursday night.
During their 15 year history in the Summit League, the Eagles posted a 155-31 record, winning seven regular season titles, seven post-season tournament title, and made seven NCAA tournament appearances.
ORU joined the Southland Conference on July 1 and were looking to make a statement in their first game as a member.
Though they got off to a great start in the first set by scoring the first five out of eight points, the Bearkats settled down and dismantled the Eagles in straight sets 25-17, 25-21, 25-18.
Senior outside hitter Kendall Cleveland led the Kats with 16 kills, 5 blocks and three digs.
She produced 11 out of the teams 25 points in the third set alone with her dominant play and overwhelmed ORU.
“I just said to her (Cleveland), ‘My wish for us this weekend is for you to have a great match tonight’ and she did,” head coach Brenda Gray said.
“We wanted to show them that just because you are new. … Doesn’t mean that you will walk all over us,” Cleveland said.
“I think we got out there and proved that tonight.”
After being down 8-6, theBearkats scored the next six out of eleven points to take a 14-11 on a pair of kills by sophomore Devene Wells-Gibson, Kaylee Hawkins, and blocks by Cleveland and fifth-year senior Kim Black.
They went on to win the first set 25-17.
The Bearkats started the second set by scoring the first six out of nine points to make it 6-3.
The Eagles fought back as they went on a 11-8 run to tie the set at 14.
The Bearkats scored the next three points to take a 17-14 lead on a error by ORU, a kill by Cleveland and a block by Hawkins.
They finished them off in the second set 25-21 and went on to win the game to secure a 1-0 record in league play.
Wells-Gibson concluded the match with 11 kills and 10 digs while Black had 7 kills, 7 blocks, 6 digs and an ace.
Tatum Fredeen led the Eagles with 9 kills and Joana Gruber contributed with six.
They are now 0-1 in league play (4-8) overall.
The Bearkats host Central Arkansas on Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum at 2 p.m.
Bearkat Volleyball Team Set For Oral Roberts
by Cheval John
There are always a first time for everything.
Your first day of school. Your first day of work.
For the Sam Houston State Bearkat volleyball team, it will be their first meeting against Oral Roberts University at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum on Thursday at 7 p.m.
ORU joined the Southland Conference this past July and the Bearkats are looking forward to the matchup.
“Obviously, Oral Roberts is new to the conference,” assistant coach Ellen Andrews said. “It’s interesting to open the conference season with them.”
The Bearkats (4-7) finished their two week road trip at the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans with a 1-2 record.
That win came against host Tulane in the last game of the classic.
Oral Roberts also have a record of 4-7 and are on a five-game losing streak.
Three of their players have a total of 100 kills or more.
“We’re really optimistic about the conference season because we knew that we scheduled a really tough ‘pre-season,’ Andrews said.
“We are pretty battle tested at this point.”
Over the last 11 games, the Bearkats has totaled 526 kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Devene Wells-Gibson leads the team with 155 kills, which is No.3 in the conference.
“Devene is a very good volleyball player,” Andrews said.
“She has a good knowledge of the game. … She’s very calm on the court.”
Contributing to the offense is defensive specialist Tayler Gray.
The junior from Huntsville ranks No.4 in the conference with 424 assists.
Libero Jamie Haas leads the defense with 163 digs.
Though she is not in the spotlight, the senior from Deer Park produced spectacular defensive plays that creates an opportunity for the Bearkats to score.
“Sometimes they are not given enough credit for what they do because they are not the flashy players,” Andrews said.
“Jamie is setting up a lot of points for us. … She knows what she is doing out there.”
The Bearkats believe that their preparation will serve them well when they play host to ORU.
“We watch some film on them,” Andrews said.
“We have a good game plan on what we need to do to take care of them.”
Remembering 9/11
by Cheval John
Today, we remember the day when 3,000 people lost their lives on that infamous terrorist attack on 9/11..
Everyone knows exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.
Firefighters and emergency workers risked their lives to try and save those who were trapped in the Twin Towers.
We were mesmorized by the images that were shown on television and were in a state in delusion.
We wondered, “How could 19 terrorist hijacked four planes and struck two buildings in New York City and hit the most secured place in the world, “The Pentagon” in Washington, D.C.?
For me, this day is still troubling because of the fact that there are people who are willing to kill others and bring fear to the masses.
What it also did was bring everyone together and brought a sense of pride to this nation.
We realized that life is short and that we must cherish every moment that is given to us because we don’t know when it will be over.
I really hope that we will never forget 9/11.
God Bless America.
Bearkats Opens 2012 Season With Win Over Cardinals
by Cheval John
In front of a crowd of 11,061 at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium, the Sam Houston State Bearkat football team dismantled the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals 54-7.
The win gives them a 1-0 record for the season and increase their win streak to 10 games at Bowers stadium.
Running back Tim Flanders carried the ball 15 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
In the process, he became SHSU’s All-Time leader in career rushing yards (2,709), breaking the career mark held by Charles Harris (2,688).
The Bearkats started the route in the first quarter when Flanders broke a few tackles and went 41 yards for the touchdown that made it 6-0.
The Cardinals made things interesting early on when corner back Chavis Barron intercepted a pass from ‘utility’ player Richard Sincere and returned it 20 yards to the Bearkat 36.
Three plays later, quarterback Zach Rhodes connected with running back Trent Rios for an 18 yard score that tied it at 6.
The extra point gave them a 7-6 lead.
The Bearkats regrouped as Flanders rushed 8 yards for the score to regain the lead 13-7.
They added another score when wide reciever Trey Diller took a shovel pass from quarterback Brian Bell and went 21 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 20-7 by halftime.
The Bearkats picked up from where they left off when running back Keshawn Hill rushed 11 yards for the score that made it 27-7.
Their defense played their part as they held the Cardinals offense to 88 total yards for the night.
One of their playmakers, Robert Shaw intercepted a pass from Rhodes on the Bearkat 47 and took it 19 yards all the way to the Cardinal 19.
Several plays later, Bell threw a 3 yard strike to tight end J.D. Stanley to increase the lead and put the game out of reach for the Bearkats.
Linebacker Darius Taylor led the Bearkat defense with 9 tackles while defensive lineman J.T. Cleveland and line backer Jesse Beauchamp each had five tackles.
The Bearkats face their first test of the season when they play Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member, Baylor Bears on Saturday in Waco, Texas at 6 p.m.
The game will be televised on Fox College Sports.
Tailgating At Bearkat Alley
While the 2012 season began last week, the Bearkat football team were making final preparations for their season opener.
They are ready to show the results today when they host future Southland Conference member, the University of the Incarnate Word at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium today at 6 p.m.
Fans have been looking forward to the season opener since the team went 14-1 last season and lost in the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas.
It was evident at Bearkat Alley, the official spot that holds the tailgating events before the start of each game since Bowers stadium opened in 1986.
Since this game is one of three home games for the season, the fans are taking advantage of every opportunity to enjoy the experience of college football.