Sam Houston secures CUSA tournament berth with consecutive sweeps of Jacksonville State
By Cheval John | Vallano Media
This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
The final version was reviewed, edited and fact-checked by the author
Graphics created with AI-assisted design tools.
Visual concepts, editorial direction, composition, and final creative decisions were developed by Vallano Media.
Sam Houston began the volleyball season picked to finish last in Conference USA.
On Saturday, the Bearkats secured a place in the conference tournament, with their goal of a top-three finish still within reach.
The Bearkats completed consecutive home sweeps of Jacksonville State at Johnson Coliseum, winning Friday’s match 25–17, 25–16, 25–23 before taking Saturday’s match 25–23, 25–12, 25–16.
Saturday’s victory improved Sam Houston to 16–9 overall and 7–5 in conference play.
The ESPN+ broadcast reported that the Bearkats had clinched their tournament berth, with New Mexico State’s victory over Delaware also contributing to qualification.
The weekend also brought a milestone for the program.
Friday’s victory marked the first time Sam Houston had reached 15 wins since finishing 18–10 in 2021, and its first 15-win season since joining CUSA in 2023.
Coach Brenda Gray made clear that the Bearkats’ ambitions extend beyond qualifying.
“Our goal is to get to the tournament, but our goal this year is to be top three,” Gray said in her ESPN+ postmatch interview Saturday.
Sam Houston, Middle Tennessee and Liberty each stood at 7–5 in conference play after Saturday’s matches.
The Bearkats travel to Middle Tennessee on November 5–6, giving them an opportunity to gain ground against a team sharing their conference record.
Serving and shared production
Sam Houston’s two victories came with contributions throughout the lineup.
No Bearkat reached double figures in kills in either match, but the team produced 33 kills Friday and 34 Saturday.
Chloe Monson led Sam Houston with nine kills in each match and added 10 digs Saturday.
Bella Wood contributed five kills in both victories while collecting seven service aces across the series.
The Bearkats finished with 18 aces over the two matches, compared with Jacksonville State’s eight.
Brenlin Garlitz supplied 16 assists and four aces Friday.
Lauren Pyle added nine assists, while libero Shaelin White led the defense with 11 digs.
On Saturday, Garlitz and Pyle recorded 12 and 11 assists, respectively, and White finished with a team-high 14 digs.
Chelsea Butler contributed four kills on a .500 hitting percentage and five blocks.
Annika Brooks added five block assists.
Monson said having teammates contribute eased the pressure to carry the offense herself.
“It definitely takes the pressure off me trying to have a perfect game every single time,” she said in her ESPN+ interview.
Gray also praised the execution from the service line.
“I think our serving was on point today, wherever I was asking them to go, they were delivering the ball,” she said.
Jacksonville State tests Friday’s finish
Sam Houston won Friday’s opening two sets by eight and nine points, respectively.
The third required the Bearkats to respond to a closer finish and a late reversal.
A successful Jacksonville State challenge changed an apparent 22–19 Sam Houston lead to 21–20.
Monson and Wood answered with kills to extend the advantage.
The Gamecocks stayed within reach, however, saving two match points before Butler delivered the deciding kill for a 25–23 finish.
A final challenge did not change the outcome.
Sam Houston finished the match hitting .238, compared with Jacksonville State’s .140.
In her postmatch interview with Sam Houston SportsTalk, Gray emphasized keeping the team’s attention on its own play and approaching the remaining schedule one match at a time.
With conference positioning still unsettled, the Bearkats returned Saturday needing another victory.
An opening-set escape
Saturday’s first set became the pivotal stretch of the second match.
Sam Houston started with five consecutive points and later led 17–9.
The Bearkats still held a six-point advantage at 22–16 before Jacksonville State scored seven straight points to move ahead 23–22.
Sam Houston answered by winning the final three rallies.
Monson’s kill, assisted by Wood, tied the score.
A bad set by Jacksonville State’s Delaney Moon put the Bearkats ahead, and a Claire Evans attack error completed the 25–23 win.
The Bearkats took the set despite recording eight attack errors against 10 kills, finishing with a .051 hitting percentage.
Their offense became considerably more efficient in the second set.
Jacksonville State scored the opening two points, but Sam Houston responded with a seven-point run.
The Bearkats produced 14 kills against two errors, hitting .444 in a 25–12 victory while holding the Gamecocks to five kills.
In her postmatch interview, Gray discussed communication and adjustments during the opening set, along with serving targets intended to disrupt Jacksonville State’s offense.
Monson also pointed to passing and blocking discipline as areas of emphasis.
Five straight points seal the sweep
Jacksonville State opened the third set with a 5–1 lead, but Sam Houston recovered to move ahead 15–9.
The Gamecocks later narrowed an 18–12 deficit to 18–15.
Kills by Monson and Wood restored a five-point advantage before Jacksonville State scored again to make it 20–16.
Sam Houston then won the final five points.
Rachelle Reed began the closing run with a kill assisted by White.
Faith Roulston followed with a kill from Pyle, and Butler added another.
Attack errors by Evans and D’Yanna Spicer supplied the final two points.
Audrey Terry served the last four rallies as the Bearkats completed the 25–16 finish.
Sam Houston hit .241 for the match and held Jacksonville State to .032.
Both teams finished with nine team blocks.
Evans led the Gamecocks with 12 kills Saturday, while Azavia Thomas added seven.
Jacksonville State finished the series 3–21 overall and 0–12 in conference play.
A higher finish remains within reach
The preseason coaches poll placed Sam Houston 10th with 17 points.
Middle Tennessee was tied for eighth with 18.
Both have moved beyond those predictions and enter their upcoming series with seven conference wins.
For Sam Houston, the trip to Murfreesboro offers a direct test against another team pursuing position near the top of the standings.
“We got to be better today than we were yesterday. And I thought we were,” Gray said after Saturday’s victory.
The Bearkats have secured their tournament place.
With Middle Tennessee next and WKU following at home, their remaining matches will determine how close they come to the top-three finish Gray set as a goal.
Sam Houston Completes Delaware Sweep as Butler, Monson Lead Efficient Offensive Performance
By Cheval John | Vallano Media
This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
The final version was reviewed, edited and fact-checked by the author
Graphics created with AI-assisted design tools.
Visual concepts, editorial direction, composition, and final creative decisions were developed by Vallano Media.
One day after celebrating Brenda Gray‘s 800th career coaching victory, Sam Houston’s women’s volleyball team returned to Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas, on Saturday and delivered another victory over Delaware.
The Bearkats defeated the Blue Hens 3-1 (25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 25-17), completing a two-match Conference USA series sweep.
Unlike Friday’s five-set contest, Saturday’s match featured a more efficient Sam Houston offense that produced 57 kills and a .294 hitting percentage.
Chloe Monson led the Bearkats with 15 kills, while Chelsea Butler contributed 11 kills and seven blocks.
Faith Roulston added 10 kills without an attack error.
The victory improved Sam Houston’s record to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in Conference USA, providing another encouraging result for a program seeking greater consistency in its fourth season in the league.
A Strong Start and a Critical Second Set
Sam Houston opened the match with a 25-18 first-set victory, establishing an early advantage against a Delaware team that had pushed the Bearkats to five sets the previous evening.
The second set proved more competitive.
Delaware stayed within striking distance, and the teams were tied at 22 before Sam Houston scored three consecutive points to secure a 25-22 victory.
That late scoring run gave the Bearkats a 2-0 advantage and placed them one set away from completing the match.
However, Delaware demonstrated the same persistence that had extended Friday’s contest into a deciding fifth set.
The Blue Hens responded with a 25-20 victory in the third, using effective serving to create problems for Sam Houston.
Rather than allowing Delaware to force another deciding set, Sam Houston responded in the fourth.
The Bearkats established a 15-9 advantage midway through the set, with their blocking contributing to the momentum.
Sam Houston maintained control and finished with a 25-17 victory, producing 19 kills and hitting .333 in the final set.
Offensive Efficiency Makes the Difference
Perhaps the most significant development in Saturday’s match was the improvement in Sam Houston’s attacking efficiency.
The Bearkats finished with 57 kills and 17 attack errors on 136 attempts, producing a .294 hitting percentage.
Delaware recorded 45 kills and 26 attack errors on 139 attempts, finishing at .137.
Those numbers represented a notable improvement from Friday, when Sam Houston hit .154 and needed five sets to secure Gray’s milestone victory.
The Bearkats also maintained an advantage at the net, recording 10 team blocks compared with Delaware’s 8.5.
Monson provided the leading offensive contribution with 15 kills, while Roulston delivered one of the team’s most efficient individual performances.
Roulston recorded 10 kills without an attack error on 16 attempts, finishing with a .625 hitting percentage.
Rachelle Reed added eight kills while hitting .500.
The performances reflected a balanced Sam Houston offense capable of generating production from multiple attackers.
Huntsville Native Delivers
Chelsea Butler, a former Huntsville High School standout, played an important role in both victories over Delaware.
During Friday’s five-set match that gave Gray her 800th career win, Butler delivered the go-ahead kill with the deciding set tied 14-14.
On the following rally, she combined with Annika Brooks on a block that forced a Delaware attacking error, securing the historic victory.
Butler followed that performance Saturday with 11 kills and seven blocks, including two solo blocks and five assisted blocks.
She also delivered the match-winning kill in the fourth set, with Brenlin Garlitz providing the assist.
Across the two matches, Butler finished with 20 kills and 14 individually credited blocks.
Her contributions helped Sam Houston complete a weekend in which the Bearkats prevailed in two competitive Conference USA matches.
Another Milestone for Sam Houston
Saturday’s victory also featured a significant individual achievement for Shaelin White.
White entered the match with 985 career digs and reached the 1,000-dig milestone during the contest.
She finished with a team-high 22 digs and five assists, bringing her career total to 1,007.
The milestone highlighted another contributor to Sam Houston’s defensive performance during its two-match sweep.
While Gray’s 800th coaching victory received much of the attention Friday, White’s achievement provided another significant moment for the program Saturday.
Overcoming Delaware’s Serving Advantage
Although Sam Houston won both matches, Delaware maintained a substantial advantage from the service line throughout the series.
The Blue Hens recorded 12 service aces Friday and seven Saturday, finishing the weekend with 19.
Sam Houston managed three aces in each match, totaling six.
That 19-6 difference illustrates the serving pressure Delaware placed on the Bearkats.
The Blue Hens were particularly effective at disrupting Sam Houston’s serve reception during portions of Saturday’s match.
However, the Bearkats compensated through more productive attacking and blocking.
Across the two matches, Sam Houston recorded 26 team blocks compared with Delaware’s 17.5.
The Bearkats also improved their attacking efficiency dramatically in Saturday’s rematch.
The results provide both encouragement and an area for continued improvement.
Sam Houston’s offense and blocking helped deliver two victories, but handling opponents’ serving pressure remains an important consideration as Conference USA play continues.
Signs of Progress in Conference USA
Beyond the immediate results, the Delaware series offers another opportunity to evaluate Sam Houston’s development since joining Conference USA in 2023.
The transition has not been easy.
In its inaugural CUSA season, Sam Houston finished 1-15 in conference play.
The Bearkats improved to 8-10 in 2024 before experiencing another difficult campaign in 2025, finishing 3-13.
Saturday’s victory moved Sam Houston to 5-3 in conference play in 2026, surpassing its conference victory total from the entire previous season.
Although the remaining schedule will determine how much progress the program ultimately makes, the improved record offers evidence of a more competitive team.
The Bearkats have also demonstrated the ability to recover from difficult results.
After losing two matches at Missouri State the previous weekend, including a 17-15 defeat in a deciding fifth set, Sam Houston returned home and won both contests against Delaware.
Those results represent an important response for a program attempting to establish greater consistency in Conference USA.
Gray has experienced similar challenges throughout her coaching career, including Sam Houston’s earlier transitions between conferences and NCAA divisions.
The current rebuilding effort is another chapter in that history.
Building Beyond the Milestone
Friday’s victory was significant because it gave Gray her 800th career win in her 43rd season leading Sam Houston.
Saturday’s result, however, provided a reminder that the program’s immediate competitive goals extend beyond an individual coaching milestone.
The Bearkats demonstrated better attacking efficiency, maintained their blocking advantage and completed a Conference USA series sweep.
For players such as Monson, Butler, Roulston and White, the weekend also provided an opportunity to contribute to both a historic coaching achievement and the team’s continued development.
Sam Houston returns to the road next weekend for a two-match Conference USA series against Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia, with both contests scheduled to stream on ESPN+.
The Bearkats still have work to do as the conference season progresses.
But the Delaware series gave them two victories, an improved conference record and evidence that the program is capable of responding after difficult losses.
Friday celebrated Brenda Gray’s coaching history.
Saturday offered a glimpse of what her current team is building.