Bearkat Wins First Game In Five Set Thriller
by Cheval John
After months of training, the Bearkat volleyball team were looking forward to their season opener against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in the Bearkat Invitational.
They were ready to show how much they learned in practice.
They knew that they had to earn every point in order to start the season off with a bang.
They did just that as they defeated the Ragin Cajun in five sets 14-25, 25-21, 25-27, 28-26, 15-11.
“We started out a little slow,” senior outside hitter Kendall Cleveland said.
“We needed to get the jitters out. …Once we did that, we went on a roll.”
The Raging Cajuns started off the game on a 5-1 in the first set.
Sophomore Devene Wells-Gibson led the charge for the Kats with 19 kills and 14 digs.
But the Bearkats scored three straight points on two kills by Cleveland and a kill by sophomore Devene Wells-Gibson.
That was as close as they would get as the Cajuns maintain control and took the first set by the score of 25-14.
The Bearkats woke up with a 5-1 run in the second set and went on to win it by the score of 25-21 to even the match at 1.
Both teams fought hard in the third set as they exchanged points between each other.
The Ragin’ Cajuns eventually take the third set by the score of 27-25.
The fourth set proved to be crucial for both teams as they intensified their play.
The Cajuns seemed to be in control of the set as they kept the Kats off balance.
But with grit and determination and great defense, the Kats came back and took the fourth set to even it at 2.
“They came out a little stronger than we did,” Wells-Gibson said.
“You have to start out strong and finish strong to win the game.
That is exactly what they did in the fifth set as they scored three out of the four points to lead it 3-1.
Though the Cajuns tried to make a run of their own, the Bearkats did not let up and put the match away to win the set and the match.
Cleveland finished the game with 14 kills and 16 digs while senior middle blocker Kim Black contributed with 12 kills and 5 digs.
The Bearkats next two matches are against Texas Southern and the University of Colorado at 1 p.m and 6 p.m.
58 Minutes To First Win Of The Season For Buffaloes
by Cheval John
It took only 58 minutes for the University of Colorado Buffaloes to dismantled Texas Southern University Tigers in straight sets 25-8, 25-14, 25-8.
The win was their first of the season.
The Buffaloes came out of the gate with an 11-0 run in the first set and went on to win the set by the score of 25-8.
Though they trailed in the second set 6-4, they were able to overcome the Tigers and win the set 25-14.
From there, they dominated throughout the third and won it 25-8.
Kelsey English led the Buffaloes with 10 kills while Alexis Austin contributed with nine kills.
Their next two matches are against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at 9 a.m and tournament host Sam Houston State at 6 p.m.
Sam Houston Volleyball Invitational Begins Today
by Cheval John
The 2012 Sam Houston Volleyball Invitational kicked off today with the matchup of the University of Colorado and Texas Southern University at the Bernard Johnson Colisium.
The tournament is a two-day affair that is hosted by Sam Houston State University.
Sam Houston went 4-0 last in the tournament and are looking to repeat this year.
This year’s participants are the University of Colorado, University of Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas Southern University.
We will be bring you the results after each match.
Bearkat Volleyball Team Set For 2012 Season
by Cheval John
The Sam Houston State Bearkat volleyball team is set to make a run towards post-season play starting tomorrow when they will host the Sam Houston Volleyball Invitational at Bernard Johnson Coliseum.
Along with the Bearkats, the teams that will participate in the tournament are the University of Colorado, Texas Southern University and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Head coach Brenda Gray returns for her 29th season at the helm.
She is among the 29 active head coaches with 500 or more wins (575) at the NCAA Division I.
The Bearkats were picked to finish No.4 in the Southland Conference in pre-season coaches polls.
They finished with a conference record of 11-5 record (17-12 overall) and made the SLC Post-Season tournament, where they were knocked out by UTSA in the semifinal round of the tournament.
The Bearkats are returning nine letterman including four starters.
Three of the starters, (Kim Black, Kendall Cleveland and Kaylee Hawkins), were named to the 2012 pre-season All-Southland Conference team.
Black, a senior from Huntsville, led the team with 139 blocks last season.
It was the highest in one season since SHSU moved up to the NCAA Division I in 1986.
She is two-time All-Southland Conference Selection and is currently No.2 in career blocks at SHSU.
Cleveland, a senior from Houston, was fifth on the team with 179 kills and contributed with 45 blocks last year.
Hawkins, a senior from Dickson, is ranked No.9 in SHSU history with 1,345 career digs.
She was fourth on the team with 186 kills and is a two-time All-Southland Conference selection.
The tournament is set to begin tomorrow at 4 p.m.
For more information, visit www.gobearkats.com.
Lance Armstrong Banned For Life
by Cheval John
Everyone believed that Lance Armstrong was an inspiration.
They saw how a man overcame cancer to win seven consecutive Tour De France titles.
Some would compare him to athletes who have dominated their respective sports from Michael Jordan to Pele.
Now he will be remembered as the guy who used banned substances to win the most prestigious race in cycle.
The USDA announced today that Armstrong is banned from the sport of cycling and stripped him of his seven Tour De France titles.
The decision came after Armstrong dropped the fight against the USDA on Thursday.
“There come a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “ ‘Enough is enough,’” Armstrong said on his website.
He went on to say that the charges that were brought against him by the USDA is “unconstitutional witch hunt.”
Because the USDA has not provided any reason why they charged Armstrong with doping, they will have to
Though he decided not to fight the charges anymore, he still believes that he is innocent and that the truth will come out one day.
In reality, if someone stops fighting to clear his name from any charges, then they admitted that the charges are true.
Armstrong really cannot say that he is innocent anymore because actions speaks louder than words and his action confirmed the accusations that was made against him by many people who were associated with him.
Instead of being a hero, he is now the biggest fraud in the history of sports.
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