Bearkats Clawed Their Way Over Bears 2-1
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Informatio
Katie Ferrara and Kirby Zak each scored, then Sam Houston held off a determined charge by the top scoring offense in the Southland Conference as they defeated Central Arkansas 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Pritchett Field.
UCA had scored 38 goals in their first 10 games this season, but the Bears were held scoreless for 84 minutes by SHSU goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton and her Bearkat backline.
Ferrara scored at the 12:53 mark, the earliest goal by Sam Houston this season, for a quick 1-0 lead.
She intercepted an attempt by UCA goalkeeper Kelsey Gouchnauer to roll a ball out to one of her defenders and promptly put a shot from 19 yards out in the back of the net.
Zak fired in what turned out to be the match winning goal on a cornerkick from the left side to the far post.
Shelby McDaniel’s corner found Lindsey Posner who made a short pass to Zak.
The senior forward fired in her second goal of the weekend at the 58:33 mark.
UCA’s goal also came on a cornerkick as Elizabeth Bradley’s ball found Kristin Pollard at the far post and scored with six minutes to play.
Central Arkansas took 14 shots with Hambleton saving four.
Sam Houston now stands 2-0 in Southland Conference play and is 5-7 for the year. Central Arkansas drops to 8-2-1 for the season and 0-1-1 in league action.
“It’s huge to start conference play 2-0,” SHSU head coach Tom Brown said. “Our goal is to win all our home games and then try and pick up as many as we can on the road. Our tough non-conference schedule has really helped us. We played No. 16 Rutgers and tough opponents on the road like Air Force and UTEP. It really has made us play better and harder and it paid off this weekend.”
Sam Houston faces a long road swing next weekend, playing at Southeastern Louisiana, then heading to Oral Roberts.
Bearkat Football Team Are No.3 In FCS Rankings
The Sam Houston State Bearkats are No. 3 in the Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) polls after the 48-23 loss to the Baylor Bears.
It’s their 15 straight week at being in the top 25 in FCS polls and the longest streak in the history of the program.
The streak began when they defeating No.18 University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Bears 31-10 in the third week of the 2011 season and slowly risen to No.1 in the nation after going 11-0.
They went on to defeat three nationally ranked teams in the playoffs as the No.1 seed before losing to North Dakota State Bison in the national championship game in Frisco and finished the year at No.2.
The Bearkats next opponent is against UCA in Conway, Arkansas at 3 p.m.
The game is their Southland Conference opener and will be televised on the Southland Conference Television Network.
University of Central Arkansas Defeats Bearkats In Straight Sets
Sam Houston State Bearkat volleyball team lost to the University of Central Arkansas Bears in straight sets 25-23, 25-22, 25-12.
The Bears are now 1-1 in the Southland Conference (12-1 overall).
Though the Bearkats (1-1 SLC, 5-8 overall) fought tooth and nail with a total of 10 ties and three lead changes, the Bears maintained their composure and won the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead.
They scored three straight points to open up the third set and did not look back as they easily took the third set to win the match.
Devene Wells-Gibson led the Bearkats with 11 kills, 7 digs and two blocks while Kaylee Hawkins contributed with 6 kills and 4 digs.
Jessica Hays led the Bears with 19 kills, 7 digs and an ace.
The Bearkats next opponent will be against their archrival Stephen F. Austin in Nacagdoches on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Bearkats Welcomes Oral Roberts With A Win
by Cheval John
Oral Roberts Eagles volleyball team didn’t know what to expect when they played Sam Houston State Bearkats on Thursday night.
During their 15 year history in the Summit League, the Eagles posted a 155-31 record, winning seven regular season titles, seven post-season tournament title, and made seven NCAA tournament appearances.
ORU joined the Southland Conference on July 1 and were looking to make a statement in their first game as a member.
Though they got off to a great start in the first set by scoring the first five out of eight points, the Bearkats settled down and dismantled the Eagles in straight sets 25-17, 25-21, 25-18.
Senior outside hitter Kendall Cleveland led the Kats with 16 kills, 5 blocks and three digs.
She produced 11 out of the teams 25 points in the third set alone with her dominant play and overwhelmed ORU.
“I just said to her (Cleveland), ‘My wish for us this weekend is for you to have a great match tonight’ and she did,” head coach Brenda Gray said.
“We wanted to show them that just because you are new. … Doesn’t mean that you will walk all over us,” Cleveland said.
“I think we got out there and proved that tonight.”
After being down 8-6, theBearkats scored the next six out of eleven points to take a 14-11 on a pair of kills by sophomore Devene Wells-Gibson, Kaylee Hawkins, and blocks by Cleveland and fifth-year senior Kim Black.
They went on to win the first set 25-17.
The Bearkats started the second set by scoring the first six out of nine points to make it 6-3.
The Eagles fought back as they went on a 11-8 run to tie the set at 14.
The Bearkats scored the next three points to take a 17-14 lead on a error by ORU, a kill by Cleveland and a block by Hawkins.
They finished them off in the second set 25-21 and went on to win the game to secure a 1-0 record in league play.
Wells-Gibson concluded the match with 11 kills and 10 digs while Black had 7 kills, 7 blocks, 6 digs and an ace.
Tatum Fredeen led the Eagles with 9 kills and Joana Gruber contributed with six.
They are now 0-1 in league play (4-8) overall.
The Bearkats host Central Arkansas on Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum at 2 p.m.
Bearkats Opens 2012 Season With Win Over Cardinals
by Cheval John
In front of a crowd of 11,061 at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium, the Sam Houston State Bearkat football team dismantled the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals 54-7.
The win gives them a 1-0 record for the season and increase their win streak to 10 games at Bowers stadium.
Running back Tim Flanders carried the ball 15 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
In the process, he became SHSU’s All-Time leader in career rushing yards (2,709), breaking the career mark held by Charles Harris (2,688).
The Bearkats started the route in the first quarter when Flanders broke a few tackles and went 41 yards for the touchdown that made it 6-0.
The Cardinals made things interesting early on when corner back Chavis Barron intercepted a pass from ‘utility’ player Richard Sincere and returned it 20 yards to the Bearkat 36.
Three plays later, quarterback Zach Rhodes connected with running back Trent Rios for an 18 yard score that tied it at 6.
The extra point gave them a 7-6 lead.
The Bearkats regrouped as Flanders rushed 8 yards for the score to regain the lead 13-7.
They added another score when wide reciever Trey Diller took a shovel pass from quarterback Brian Bell and went 21 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 20-7 by halftime.
The Bearkats picked up from where they left off when running back Keshawn Hill rushed 11 yards for the score that made it 27-7.
Their defense played their part as they held the Cardinals offense to 88 total yards for the night.
One of their playmakers, Robert Shaw intercepted a pass from Rhodes on the Bearkat 47 and took it 19 yards all the way to the Cardinal 19.
Several plays later, Bell threw a 3 yard strike to tight end J.D. Stanley to increase the lead and put the game out of reach for the Bearkats.
Linebacker Darius Taylor led the Bearkat defense with 9 tackles while defensive lineman J.T. Cleveland and line backer Jesse Beauchamp each had five tackles.
The Bearkats face their first test of the season when they play Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member, Baylor Bears on Saturday in Waco, Texas at 6 p.m.
The game will be televised on Fox College Sports.