HUNTSVILLE ? Sarah Hazlewood posted 12 kills to lead Sam Houston State as the Bearkats fell in four games to the Rice Owls 25-16 13-25 23-25 25-20 in a non-conference volleyball match at Johnson Coliseum Tuesday night.

Rice (3-1) was held by Karyn Morgan and Jessica Holderness who each had 12 kills. Natalie Bogan added nine kills.

Jennifer McClean helped Rice to break open the first set as the Owls won six straight points on her serve to jump out to a 17-9 lead.

Sam Houston held leads three times in the second set, the last at 8-7 before Tracey Lam helped the Owls run off four straight points on her serve to take an 11-9 lead.

The third set was tied 14 times before Haley Thomas's kill gave Sam Houston a 24-23 lead. SHSU won the set after a ball handling error by Meredith Schamun.

Rice produced 13 kills in 35 attempts, never trailing in the fourth set.

Sam Houston (2-3) also got six kills from Carli Kolbe and Thomas.

"We made some adjustments and went with a different option in the middle after the first two games," SHSU head coach Brenda Gray said. "I think that helped us. They were just smashing it on us. But that is why we have a team, so we can mix things up if somebody doesn't have it that night. I was pleased with them coming in and winning game three. If we hadn't had some errors there right at the end of game four, things might have been different."

The Bearkats now head on a month long road trip which begins at the Loyola of Chicago tournament this weekend.