A banner season for Sam Houston in 2012
12/4/2012 3:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The season was a banner year climaxed by having Deveney Wells-Gibson named as the 2012 Southland Conference volleyball "Player of the Year," Brenda Gray receiving league "Coach of the Year" honors and four Bearkats voted as All-Conference performers.
Wells-Gibson was the top-scorer for a Bearkat volleyball team that rolled to a 21-11 overall season mark and posted its highest Southland victory total ever with a 15-3 league mark. The Kats reached the semifinals of the Southland post-season tournament.
The team rolled up 13 consecutive victories at one point during the march to the conference title. The 13-match winning streak is the longest since SHSU moved up to the Division I level in 1986.
Gray, one of only 29 active head coaches in NCAA Division I women's volleyball to post more than 500 career victories, to a season of 20 or more victories for the 12th time in her coaching career. The 2012 Sam Houston team rolled up 13 consecutive victories at one point during the march to the conference title. The 13-match winning streak is the longest since SHSU moved up to the Division I level in 1986.
In her 29th year of coaching this year's honor marks her third "Coach of the Year" award in the Southland Conference. After starting the season 3-7, the Bearkats went 18-4 the rest of the season including 12 three-set sweeps. Her 595 career wins ranked third all-time among Southland Conference volleyball coaches.
Kendall Cleveland joined Wells-Gibson as a first team All-Southland Conference selection. The senior from Houston totaled 389 points with 350 kills (3.53 per set) eight aces and 56 total blocks.
Tayler Gray and Kim Black, both Huntsville High School products, were second team selections. As the Bearkats' setter, Gray assisted on 1,162 of Sam Houston's 1,413 kills this year and lead the squad with 383 digs. Black was a force in the middle for the Bearkats, leading the Southland Conference in total blocks (140). She stands No. 2 at Sam Houston in career blocks.
Kaylee Hawkins, a senior outside hitter from Dickinson, was named honorable mention All-Southland Conference. Hawkins has received All-Southland honors three of her four seasons as a Bearkat.
