Cleveland Named SLC’s “Offensive Player of the Week”
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Sam Houston senior outside hitter Kendall Cleveland has been named as Southland Conference volleyball “Offensive Player of the Week” after leading the Bearkats to a pair of road victories that landed SHSU in first place in the 2012 Southland race.
Cleveland led the team offensively as the Bearkats knocked off both Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas on the road. Central Arkansas was a perfect 11-0 at home prior to the loss.
Sam Houston extends its winning streak to 11, the longest current streak in the league this year and longest for the Bearkats as an NCAA Division I team.
The Houston, Texas (Cy Creek), native was nearly perfect in the front line with only nine hitting errors in 89 attempts.
The senior produced a career best 22 kills in the Oral Roberts victory and knocked down 14 kills in the UCA win.
Cleveland sits fifth in the Southland with 3.23 kills per set.
Sam Houston setter Tayler Gray took honorable mention honors for Southland “Defensive Player of the Week”.
The Bearkats have five matches remaining in the regular season with two this week at home at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Sam Houston plays host to Southeastern Louisiana Thursday night at 7 p.m. and Nicholls State Saturday at 10 a.m.
Bearkat Volleyball Rolled Through UCA In Four Sets
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Conway, Ark – Kaylee Hawkins totaled 18 kills as Sam Houston State came from a set down to defeat Central Arkansas 27-29, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19 in a battle for first place in the Southland Conference volleyball race.
The victory extended Sam Houston’s winning streak to 11 matches, the Bearkats’ longest since the program moved up to the NCAA Division I level.
With an 11-2 record, the Kats take a half game lead over Central Arkansas in the 2012 title race.
The Bears dropped to 11-3 in league play.
Sam Houston owns a 16-9 season record while UCA is 23-4 for the year.
Two other Bearkats totaled double figure kills as Kendall Cleveland posted 14 and Deveney Wells-Gibson had 10.
UCA overcame a 14-0 Bearkat lead to take the first set.
But, even after a demanding five-set victory over Oral Roberts Thursday night, the Bearkats charged back to win the next three sets.
“Friday morning, I don’t think we had anything left in the tank after the five-setter at ORU,” head coach Brenda Gray said. “But the girls are hitting on all cylinders now. This was a great team effort and a big win.”
Tayler Gray assisted of 45 of SHSU’s 55 kills.
Haley Neisler totaled seven blocks and Hawkins and Kim Black each had five apiece.
Bearkats Volleyball Extends Win Streak To Ten Games
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Tulsa, Oklahoma- Kendall Cleveland posted a career high 22 kills to power Sam Houston from a two sets to one deficit for a five-set win over Oral Roberts in a two-and-half hour marathon volleyball match Thursday night.
The victory set the stage for a showdown battle with Southland leader Central Arkansas Saturday afternoon in Conway.
UCA leads the league with an 11-2 conference record.
Sam Houston’s 10-match winning streak give the Kats a 10-2 league mark.
SHSU is now 15-9 for the season.
Deveney Wells-Gibson and Hailey Neisler added 19 and nine kills, respectively for the Kats.
Setter Tayler Gray assisted on 49 kills and led the Kat defense with 26 digs.
In a pattern that became the norm throughout the match, Oral Roberts jumped out to an early lead in the first set.
Down 11-6, the Kats fought back to take a 17-15 lead on a kill by Cleveland.
The Golden Eagles took control, winning 10 of the next 13 points for a one set lead.
With Sam Houston down 9-4 in the second set, Cleveland rallied the Kats again with two kills to put SHSU up 14-13.
The Bearkats led the rest of the way to even that match at a set apiece.
ORU built another 9-4 lead in the third frame but again Sam Houston caught up, taking a 16-14 lead on a kill by Kaylee Hawkins.
The Golden Eagles won 11 of the next 15 points to go up two sets to one.
Sam Houston never trailed in the fourth set as the Kats evened the match at two sets all.
Another Cleveland kill gave SHSU a 6-1 start in the frame.
Again in the final set, ORU led early, going up 9-6.
But the Kats roared back.
Each team had three match points before Cleveland tied the set 19-19 then set up SHSU’s fourth match point with a service ace.
Kaylee Hawkins put away the final kill to clinch the victory.
Bearkat Bowlers Wins Tulane Invitational
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Knocking off No. 2 ranked Arkansas State twice in three meetings, the Sam Houston women’s bowling team swept to an 11-1 record and the team championship at the Tulane Invitational in Kenner, La., this weekend.
The title marks the first time in the program’s three-year history the Bearkats have started the season by bringing home the championship trophy in an intercollegiate tournament.
With a perfect 9-0 mark during the first two days of the event in team baker and team individual matches Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Kats drew one of the top two seeds in best-of-seven bracket play Sunday.
Arkansas State defeated SHSU 4-3 in the opening match of bracket action Sunday. The Kats bounced back for a 4-3 win over Jackson State then topped Arkansas State in the bracket play rematch 4-3 in the finals to hoist the championship trophy.
Stephen F. Austin and Jackson State finished third and fourth in the 11-team event behind runner-up Arkansas State.
“Sunday was about continuing to maintain our composure, fill frames, and focus on finishing what we started,” SHSU head coach Brad Hagen said. “We wanted to come to Tulane and make a statement and we did. This team is acting as they’ve been together for years and it’s paying off major dividends.”
Senior Michelle Secours and juniors Neishka Cardona and Kimi Davidson are the only returning players from last year’s squad that finished No. 9 in the final national rankings. Transfers Rebecca Pittser and Kelsey Smith and freshmen Erin Brown, Anna Groce and Hannah Harrison are newcomers for the Kats this year.
“I can’t be more proud or commend the girls enough on how well they acomposed themselves through out this event as well as staying in the moment,” Hagen added.
Saturday the team rolled up victories in total pins team play over Jackson State (978-823), No. 10-ranked Stephen F. Austin (865-852), Louisiana Tech (949-894), No. 2 Arkansas State (1002-965) and No. 17 Prairie View A&M 908-821.
Friday the Bearkats were 4-0 in team baker matches, knocking down 3761 pins. Sam Houston defeated Bethune-Cookman 766-638, North Carolina A&T 665-655, Grambling 836-542 and Southern 698-582. The Bearkats also rolled a score of 784 in their bye round due to the odd number of teams in the field.
Following the top four finishers in the tournament were North Carolina A&T in fifth, Prairie View A&M in sixth, Bethune Cookman seventh, Louisiana Tech eighth, Tulane ninth, Southern 10th and Grambling 11th.
