Newark, Del. - Delaware handed Sam Houston State a 25-18 19-25 25-13 25-18 volleyball loss on the first day of the University of Delaware Classic Friday night.
Carli Kolbe led Sam Houston with 12 kills in 36 attempts. Kaylee Hawkins totaled seven kills and Kelli Stewart added six.
Delaware was led by Alissa Alker and Katie Dennehy who both were credited with 17 kills.
The two teams battled back-and-forth in a first set that saw five lead changes and nine ties before Delaware pulled away by winning 12 of the last 15 points.
Sam Houston never trailed in the second set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and holding off each Delaware rally.
But the host team found the range, making only four errors in the final two sets while posting hitting percentages of .453 and .357.
Kim Black had a strong defensive effort in the front line, having a hand in seven of Sam Houston's 10 blocks.
