Kats vs. Jacks Volleyball Showdown Wednesday
10/4/2011 1:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Both teams enter the fray needing a win. Sam Houston stands fourth in the Southland West with a 3-2 league mark while Stephen F. Austin is in fifth place at 2-3. The Bearkats are 9-9 for the season while SFA stands 9-10.
Since 1996 when Sam Houston defeated the Lumberjacks in the finals of the Southland Conference tournament in Nacogdoches to earn its second NCAA Division I tournament berth, SFA has dominated the series winning 22 of the 28 meetings.
However, the Bearkats have turned things around in recent years, winning four of the last five meetings. Each of Sam Houston's six victories over the Jacks since 1996 has come in five sets.
"It's always a battle when we face Stephen F. Austin," head coach Brenda Gray said.
Sam Houston is led by a talented group of three seniors each of whom are climbing in the all-time career statistics rankings.
Bearkat leading scorer Kim Black has totaled 201 points this year including 143 kills and 17 aces. She ranks fourth in Southland with 77 totals blocks. For her career, Black stands No. 8 all-time at Sam Houston with 309 blocks.
Carli Koble ranks second in the Southland this season in total kills with 143 and has moved up to No. 10 in the Bearkat record book in career kills with 1,312.
Kym Loving stands No. 6 in assists (661) and No. 10 in service aces (22) in the league this season. Loving has moved to No. 5 in Sam Houston career assists with 3,307.
Three other Bearkats have totaled triple figure kills this season. Haley Neisler has totaled 126 while Kelli Stewart and Kendall Cleveland have racked up 103 and 101, respectively.
Wednesday is Sam Houston Student Organizations Night at Johnson Coliseum.
Tickets for all Bearkat home athletic events are available online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets and at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
