Kats seek to extend winning streak Wednesday at Johnson
10/13/2009 2:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Sam Houston volleyball team seeks to extend its winning streak to six matches Wednesday night when the Bearkats play host to Southeastern Louisiana at a 7 p.m. Southland Conference contest at Johnson Coliseum.
The Bearkat volleyball team stands in first place in the Southland West Division with a record that includes a victory over every other team in the West. The 5-1 Southland start is Sam Houston's best since 2005.
Sam Houston has won its last five matches in a row, the longest winning streak for the volleyball team since 2004. For the year, the Bearkats stand 13-10.
And all this early success has come to a young squad that lost two starters to season-ending injuries early in the year.
"The big thing this team did when we lost our setter Kym Loving and a top front line player Kelli Stewart is that they didn't panic," Sam Houston head coach Brenda Gray said. "The team just kept working together and has found a way to get it done."
Gray can point out what each individual is doing to help the Bearkats keep winning but says the most important factor is their efforts as a group.
"This is a really fun group to coach and they are working together as a team to get it done," Gray said. "The players complement each other well. There's always more than one player who seems to step forward when we need it. Most importantly, they're coachable. Whatever we tell them in the huddle about adapting to what the opponent is doing, they step on to the floor and do."
A sign of the team effort by the Bearkats is the fact that three Sam Houston players have been recognized for their achievements as Southland Conference "Players of the Week" the past two weeks.
Sophomore Carli Kolbe and senior Anna Ferguson, who lead the team in kills, each has earned a Southland volleyball "Offensive Player of the Week" honor. Freshman libero Kaylee Hawkins was named league "Defensive Player of the Week" after home victories over Texas State and UT-Arlington.
"Kayee's play at libero has been huge. She does a great job getting the ball to the target quickly," Gray said. "Karli and Anna are doing a super job up front. Michelle Miller has done a great job as a freshman distributing the ball at setter. Kim Black, Becky Swann, Camille Alfaro, Jamie Kaleh, Courtney Laskowsky, Jamie Haas ... the list goes on. These girls are committing to giving all they've got as a team."
Gray knows there is a lot of volleyball left. The Bearkats have 10 matches remaining with the final three matches of Southland regular season play on the road.
"All the girls realize this is not a sprint. We have to take everything match by match," Gray said. "It's certainly fun to be off to a 5-1 start but there are a number of areas where we need to keep working to get better."
Southeastern Louisiana brings a 2-3 record into Wednesday's contest. The Lions went four sets with Stephen F. Austin last week and have conference wins over Nicholls and Northwestern State.
Tickets for Sam Houston volleyball are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Wednesday night is "Think Pink" night at Johnson Coliseum in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
Tickets for all Bearkat athletic events may be ordered on the web at www.gobearkats.com or by contacting the Sam Houston Athletic Ticket Office located in Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
