Tag Archive | Huntsville
November 11, 2026  

Sam Houston hosts conference-unbeaten WKU in regular-season finale

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.

Brenda Gray and Travis Hudson have each reached 800 career wins at the programs they still lead.

Their teams meet in Huntsville this week with different stakes.

Western Kentucky can finish unbeaten in Conference USA play, while Sam Houston has two home matches left to improve its tournament seed.

The Bearkats host the Hilltoppers at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in the final week of Conference USA regular-season play.

First serve is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, and 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, both Central time.

The conference tournament follows Nov. 20–22 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Hudson earned his 800th win when WKU swept Middle Tennessee in November 2025.

Gray reached the milestone on Oct. 16 with Sam Houston’s five-set win over Delaware.

Both coaches are alumni of the universities they lead.

Gray, a 1982 Sam Houston graduate, has coached the Bearkats since 1984.

Hudson graduated from Western Kentucky in 1994 and took over the Hilltoppers in 1995 at age 24.

WKU (20–6, 14–0 CUSA) has won 15 straight matches.

Its Nov. 7 sweep of Liberty secured an eighth consecutive CUSA regular-season title and the No. 1 tournament seed.

The win also gave the Hilltoppers their 27th straight season with at least 20 wins, the longest active streak of its kind in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball, according to WKU Athletics.

Sam Houston (17–10, 8–6 CUSA) returns to Huntsville, where it’s 8–2 this season, after splitting two matches at Middle Tennessee.

The Bearkats won the opener by taking the final five points of the deciding set, then lost the rematch in four sets.

One matchup to watch is Chloe Monson against WKU’s block.

Monson led Sam Houston with 17 kills in the win over Middle Tennessee, while Izzy Van De Wiele recorded seven blocks in WKU’s sweep of Liberty.

If the Bearkats can give Monson clean swings against that front line, they’ll have a better chance of handing the Hilltoppers their first conference loss.

November 7, 2026  

Bearkats split MTSU series as Gray’s recognition highlights a memorable season

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 left Middle Tennessee with a reminder of both its resilience and the challenges ahead.

The Bearkats closed Thursday’s deciding set with five consecutive points to secure a five-set victory.

On Friday, the Blue Raiders answered with a four-set win, earning a split of the Conference USA series at Alumni Memorial Gym in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Sam Houston finished the series at 17–10 overall, while Middle Tennessee moved to 17–9.

Both teams stood at 8–6 in conference play.

The split came during a week that also brought recognition beyond the court.

Huntsville honored longtime head coach Brenda Gray with a proclamation, connecting the program’s accomplishments with the community she has called home for decades.

Two comebacks in one deciding set

Thursday’s 25–18, 25–22, 13–25, 15–25, 15–13 victory required Sam Houston to respond after Middle Tennessee erased a two-set deficit.

The Blue Raiders carried that momentum into the fifth set, building a 6–1 lead.

Sam Houston answered with six consecutive points to move ahead 7–6.

Chelsea Butler began the response with a kill.

Chloe Monson contributed two kills during the run, Rachelle Reed and Annika Brooks combined for a block, and Brooks supplied the kill that put the Bearkats in front.

Middle Tennessee responded again.

After trailing 9–7, the Blue Raiders scored five straight points and eventually took a 13–10 lead, moving within two points of completing the comeback.

Sam Houston then produced its decisive finish.

Bella Wood recorded consecutive kills, Butler added another to tie the set, and a Middle Tennessee attack error gave the Bearkats match point.

Butler finished the match with a kill.

Lauren Pyle assisted all four kills in the closing 5–0 run.

Avery Pruitt served the final four rallies.

Monson led Sam Houston with 17 kills, while Butler finished with 16 and a .481 hitting percentage.

Brenlin Garlitz contributed 30 assists and 12 digs, and Shaelin White recorded 20 digs.

The finish belonged to Sam Houston, but Middle Tennessee’s recovery from two sets down made the Bearkats earn it.

Middle Tennessee answers

Friday brought a different outcome.

The Blue Raiders won 25–15, 19–25, 25–13, 25–17, taking control of the final two sets after Sam Houston leveled the match.

The Bearkats’ strongest stretch came in the second set.

They recorded 21 kills against three attack errors, hitting .409.

Faith Roulston delivered the closing kill to secure the 25–19 win.

Sam Houston could not sustain that efficiency.

Its hitting percentage fell to .080 in the third set and .091 in the fourth.

Middle Tennessee hit .423 in the third before closing out the match in the fourth.

Sophia Henry led the Blue Raiders with 22 kills.

Middle Tennessee also held an 11–0 advantage in service aces and finished with 58 kills to Sam Houston’s 47.

Butler and Wood led the Bearkats with nine kills apiece.

Brooks and Roulston each added eight.

Garlitz finished with 24 assists, while White recorded 15 digs and Pyle added 14.

Sam Houston had found a way through Thursday’s pressure.

On Friday, Middle Tennessee earned the response.

Recognition at home

Earlier in the week, Huntsville recognized Gray with a proclamation honoring her leadership and dedication to Bearkat athletics.

Gray reached 800 career coaching victories with Sam Houston’s five-set win over Delaware on Oct. 16.

At the city council recognition, she also expressed her regard for the current team.

“I’ve already told them they’re going down as top five teams I’ve ever had, ever coached,” Gray said. “They’re amazing young women student athletes.”

Her comments gave the recognition a connection to the present season.

Alongside a career milestone, Gray was celebrating the players currently representing the university.

“I love this community.

I love Sam Houston State University and I love volleyball,” she said.

A final regular-season test

Sam Houston returns to Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum for its closing conference series against Western Kentucky on Nov. 12–13.

First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Friday, both Central time.

Thursday showed Sam Houston’s ability to finish a match with little room for error.

Friday exposed difficulties sustaining its attack and handling Middle Tennessee’s serving.

The Western Kentucky series gives the Bearkats another opportunity to address those challenges before tournament play begins.

October 13, 2013  

Sam Houston’s Defense Remains Consistent In Win

March 28, 2013  

Mike Epps Presents “Message” To SHSU Students

December 9, 2012  

Playoff Fever Spreading In Huntsville, TX

by Cheval John

NCAA FCS playoff fever has spread throughout the nation.

It’s not more evident than in the city of Huntsville, TX.

Huntsville, home of Sam Houston State University with a population of about 39,000, have been in a frenzy since the Bearkat football team have made the FCS playoffs for the second consecutive year after finishing the season at 8-3 overall and claimed a share of the Southland Conference title.

Now, they are one game away from returning to the FCS national championship game after they slaughtered Montana State Bobcats 34-15 in Bozeman, Montana last Friday.

Bearkat fans gathered either in Huntsville area bars or across the country (in the case of SHSU’s alumni base) to watch the matchup between the Bearkats and Bobcats that was televised nationally on ESPN2.

Many people who have lived in Huntsville and have been around to see the Bearkat athletic teams have said that they have not seen anything like this.

They have good reason to say that because before, the Bearkat football team have made the playoffs a total of four times since becoming a member of the NCAA Division I in 1986.

Those four playoff appearances happened in 1986, 1991, 2001, and 2004 under Ron Randleman.

After Randleman’s retirement in 2004, Todd Whitten served as head coach from 2005-2009 without much success and was fired.

When SHSU’s athletic director, Bobby Williams hired Willie Fritz, many were hoping for a renaissance of the football program.

After a 6-5 campaign in 2010, people started to believe that great things was going to happen in his second year.

Before the 2011 season began, the SLC’s pre-season polls expected the Bearkats to finished fourth in the conference because they only had 12 seniors on the team.

The Bearkats did the opposite: finished the regular season at 11-0, won their fourth SLC title (first undisputed), were the No.1 seed in the FCS playoffs and brought the Bearkat nation together.

From there, they defeated No. 7 Stony Brook, Montana State and Montana to reach the title game in Frisco, TX where they fell short against North Dakota State.

With the playoff fever amidst in Huntsville, the Bearkats know that they have to play extremely well against No.2 seeded Eastern Washington on Saturday at 3 p.m. if they want to make it back to Frisco.

What they also know is that playoff fever is amdst in Huntsville with a loyal fan base with who will be watching them on ESPNU and cheering them on to victory.

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