Bearkat Volleyball Remains Undefeated In Southland Conference
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Led by Deveney Wells-Gibson and Haley Neisler, Sam Houston State remains unbeaten in Southland Conference play with a four-set victory over Lamar in
Wells-Gibson totaled 20 kills and Neisler added 13 in the Bearkats’ 19-25 25-21 27-25 25-22 victory over the Cardinals.
The win keeps defending Southland champion Sam Houston in first place in the 2013 league race with a perfect 6-0 record.
Winners of five consecutive matches and seven of their last nine contests, SHSU now stands 9-6 for the year.
Lamar became the first Southland team to take a set off the Bearkats, breaking a 10-10 tie with a 15-9 run.
The Cardinals held an early 12-9 lead in the second set.
Tied 15-15, Krista Koopman came up with two kills to start a 10-6 run to pick up the set.
Sam Houston saw a 17-10 lead in the third stanza erased as Lamar tied the match 23-23.
Four points later, back-to-back kills by Lauren Bohlen and Neisler earned a second set for the Kats.
The Bearkats earned the victory rallying from behind one last time to take the third set and the match 25-22.
Breanna Homer and Tayler Gray totaled 23 and 13 digs, respectively.
Gray assisted on 50 of Sam Houston’s 56 kills.
The Bearkat volleyball continues its Southland road swing next week, playing Thursday at Incarnate Word and Saturday at Abilene Christian.
Sam Houston’s next home match is Thursday, Oct. 17, against New Orleans.
Bearkat Volleyball Takes Aim At Southland Conference Title
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
The Sam Houston volleyball team is two victories away from hoisting a Southland Conference regular season championship trophy for the first time since 1994.
The Bearkats play host to McNeese State Thursday at 7 p.m. and Lamar Saturday at 3 p.m.
If the SHSU volleyball teams win both those matches they can do no worse than be tied for the championship with Central Arkansas.
Both Sam Houston and UCA enter this weekend’s action tied for first place with identical 13-3 records.
Both play their final two games on their home floor.
Sam Houston’s foes, McNeese State (7-23, SLC 1-15) and Lamar (10-20, SLC 2-14 already have been eliminated from competition for any of the eight berths in the Southland post season tournament.
Central Arkansas faces third place Northwestern State (20-8, SLC 12-4) Thursday night and fourth place Stephen F. Austin (20-10, SLC 10-6).
UCA, Northwestern State and SFA are the three teams that were responsible for the Bearkats’ Southland losses this year.
The Bearkats have won 13 of their last 14 matches with an attack led by Deveney Wells-Gibson, Kendall Cleveland and Kaylee Hawkins.
Wells-Gibson was totaled 462 points this year with 406 kills 29 service aces and 49 total blocks.
Cleveland and Hawkins have added 368 and 263 points, respectively.
Sam Houston setter Tayler Gray was Southland Conference “Defensive Player of the Week” last week.
She has assisted on 1,088 or SHSU’s 1,328 kills this year and is leading the team with 3.61 digs per set.
Haley Neisler, Kim Black and libero Camille Alfaro also have been key performers for what has turned into Sam Houston’s most successful season in more than a decade.
The Bearkats won Southland titles in both 1993 and 1994 but have finished no higher than second in the Southland race (1996 and 2005) since.
Sam Houston has posted an 18-10 overall record this year.
Bearkat Volleyball On Fire With Eighth Straight Win
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Beaumont – A point away from being two sets to none down, the Sam Houston volleyball team rallied to chalk up its eighth consecutive victory in four sets at Lamar Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore outside hitter Deveney Wells-Gibson posted a career best 27 kills to lead the Bearkats in a 22-25 28-26 25-13 25-21 win over the Cardinals.
Perhaps the biggest point of the match for Wells-Gibson was a kill with Lamar serving for the second set at 26-25.
Kim Black picked up the kill on the next point and Wells-Gibson served an ace to win the set 28-26 and even the match at a set apiece.
From that point on, Sam Houston won 50 of the next 84 points to up its season record to 13-9 and stand 8-2 in Southland Conference action.
Lamar dropped to 9-14 for the year and 1-8 in league play.
Kendall Cleveland and Kaylee Hawkins also produced double figure kills with totals of 11 and 10, respectively.
Wells-Gibson made only seven hitting errors in her 54 attempts Saturday.
Tayler Gray assisted of 46 kills and teamed with Cleveland to lead the Bearkat defense with 12 digs apiece.
Black added five blocks on the front row for Sam Houston.
Sam Houston returns to Johnson Coliseum to play host to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Islanders and the Bearkats enters Thursday’s action tied for second place in league standings while Central Arkansas is currently in first place.
Sam Houston’s Defense Remains Consistent In Win
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