Huntsville - Texas State fought off late rallies by Sam Houston in both the second and third sets to hang on to a 25-20 25-23 25-22 three-set Southland Conference volleyball win over the Bearkats at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Saturday night.
Sam Houston outside hitter Carli Kolbe led both teams with 16 kills. Kim Black added 11 for Sam Houston.
Amari Deardorff and Amber Calhoun paced the Bobcats with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
With the victory, Texas State upped its season record to 16-6 and 7-1 in Southland Conference action. The match marked the seventh straight victory for the Bobcats.
Sam Houston fell to 12-10 for the year and 6-3 in league play.
Kym Loving assisted on 36 of Sam Houston's 38 kills. Tayler Gray, Kim Black and Camille Alfaro each totaled eight digs.
Sam Houston had two opportunities to extend the match past three sets. After trailing most of the second set, the Kats cut Texas State's margin to one point, 24-23, by Calhoun picked up the kill to end the set.
The Bearkats held a 20-17 lead in the third set, but after a service error, the Bobcats went on a 6-0 run on Lindy DeGeare's serve and held on for the victory.
