By Brandon Scott 

The Sam Houston State volleyball team ended its season with a four-set loss to Texas-Arlington on Friday, falling 25-19, 27-25, 20-25 and 25-18.

Junior Carli Kolbe had a dominating performance, leading the Bearkats with 23 kills and 22 digs in a heartbreaking first-round defeat in the Southland Conference tournament at Johnson Coliseum.

"I just think we never got a rhythm," Kolbe said after the game. "We didn't have very many people putting the ball away. We won the third set, but it was still close. They just came to play."

Though the game was close throughout, the Kats never led in the first set and didn't see their first lead until a UTA attack error put SHSU up 23-22 in the second set.

After the Mavs rallied, Kolbe's kills tied the match at 24 and 25 before UTA responded yet again to take a two-set lead into the break.

"In the locker room, our coach (Brenda Gray) pretty much told us we really needed to step it up," said SHSU sophomore Kaylee Hawkins, who finished with 11 kills and 11 digs. "This is our house, we're at home and it's the conference tournament. It gets real right now. Once we got that momentum, I knew we could change it then. We really needed that fourth set and kind of let it slip through our hands."

The Kats opened the third set on fire. SHSU led 16-8 before UTA went on a 9-3 run to bridge the gap. But the Kats held on for their only set victory of the match.

UTA outside hitter Amanda Aguilera led her team with 17 kills and 19 digs. Emily Shearin had 10 kills while Bianca Sauls added nine spikes and 18 digs.

Setter Kym Loving had an outstanding match, totaling a season best 18 digs and assisting on 46 kills.

"From the last two times we played Sam Houston, I knew this would be a big battle and it was," said UTA head coach Diane Seymour. "They rise to the occasion every time, we just happened to come up with a few more digs at the right time."

The Mavericks had three players with at least 15 digs. The Kats admit they beat themselves, recording 40 total errors in the game. The Mavs had only 29.

"Credit them, they were better than us tonight," Gray said. "We have a couple of kids that just didn't show up tonight. That's how it goes. I think we fell short of our expectations. We don't have a senior, but Carli plays like a senior. You've got to follow that lead."

SHSU trailed the entire fourth and deciding set. Despite 4-0 and 4-1 runs in critical moments, the Mavs showed they were marginally better than the Kats, as the conference standings indicated.

UTA faces regular-season champion Central Arkansas tonight at 7:30 p.m. in a semifinal matchup.

As for the Kats, they're wishing more players stepped up in clutch situations, according to Kolbe.

"It's tough, there are a lot of girls crying," Kolbe said. "I think it's because the ones who were on the court, there were a few who played their butts off. I think that's the hardest part about losing in a game like this because you can't make other people want to play as bad as you do."



UTSA 3, McNeese State 2

Second-seeded UTSA escaped seventh-seeded McNeese State in five sets Friday to advance to the semifinal round of the Southland Conference volleyball tournament.

In a tug-of-war match, McNeese took an early commanding lead in game one (25-13). UTSA responded with wins in the second (25-21) and third (27-25) games. McNeese took game four (25-19), forcing a decisive game five. UTSA took the final game (19-17) after sophomore outside hitter Whitney Walls drove home the winning kill after nine match points.

The Roadrunners had three players with double-doubles led by first-team all-conference selection senior Kendra Rowland with a team-leading 18 kills and 22 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Andee Josserand had 12 kills and 13 digs and first-team all-conference selection Kelsey Schwirtlich had a match-high 54 assists with 16 digs.

McNeese was led by sophomore outside hitter Priscilla Massengale with a career-high 21 kills. Sophomore setter Becky Bekelja recorded her third career game of 50-plus assists (53) and 13th career double-double with 19 digs.



Lamar 3, Texas State 2

Sixth-seeded Lamar upset the defending tournament champions, third-seeded Texas State, in five sets (26-24, 27-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14) at the Southland Conference volleyball tournament Friday.

Lamar, who lost to Texas State in the semifinals of the 2009 tournament, will advance to its fourth consecutive semifinals appearance. The Cardinals are the first No. 6 seed to win in the opening round since Northwestern State in the 2007 tournament.

Sophomore middle blocker Jayme Bazile led Lamar with 16 kills. A first-team all-conference selection, Bazile led the league in blocks per set (1.21) and added to her total with six blocks including one solo Friday.

Sophomore Tina Hobbs, the Southland newcomer of the year, had 15 digs and five block assists in the win. Sophomore Alex Morford had a match-high 56 assists.

Texas State, who has won four of the last six tournament championships, had not been knocked out of the first round of the tournament since 1997.

The Bobcats were led by first-team all-conference selection, senior outside hitter A.J. Watlington with a match-high 21 kills. Freshman outside hitter Amari Deardorff, also a first-team selection, had 19 kills and senior outside hitter Mo Middleton had 15 kills.

The Cardinals will play second-seeded UTSA in the semifinals today at 5 p.m.



Central Arkansas 3, Nicholls 1

Top-seeded Central Arkansas made quick work of the eighth-seeded Nicholls (25-22, 25-23, 25-12) at the SLC tournament Friday.

Central Arkansas lived up to its No. 1 ranking in the Southland tournament. The regular-season champions rolled through its first match led by first-team all-conference junior outside hitter Jessica Hays and league player of the year, senior outside hitter Chloe Smith.

Hays posted a double-double driving home a match-high 17 kills and 10 digs. Smith had 12 kills and eight digs. Marissa Collins, the Southland freshman and newcomer of the year recipient, led with a match-high 37 assists. Junior libero Cristin Curl, a second-team all-conference pick, recorded a match-high 26 digs.

Nicholls played UCA close in the first two games but were not able to hang on for a fourth game. The Colonels were led by senior outside hitter Rachel Yezak with eight kills.

The Sugar Bears will play Texas-Arlington today at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals.