In the record book, Sam Houston's homecoming volleyball match with Abilene Christian goes down as a straight set victory but the contest didn't feel like one.

The Bearkats fought hard to earn a 30-28 29-27 25-20 victory over the Wildcats. Sam Houston now stands 11-7 for the year and 4-1 in league play. ACU dropped to 2-16 and 0-5 in the Southland.

Abilene Christian made the Kats earn it. The Wildcats held set points twice in the first stanza and three times in the second. Down 22-10 in the third, ACU went on an 8-1 run to make it close again.

“We didn't execute very well today,” SHSU head coach Brenda Gray said. “Offensively, we weren't connecting. The best part of it is, however, we came out on top. We've had matches like this where the other team was able to take advantage.”

Deveney Wells-Gibson led Sam Houston with 19 kills. Jordyn Vaughn and Carling Urben each totaled nine kills. Jennifer Loerch was the top offensive player for the Wildcats with 11 kills.

The first set was tied 19 times with nine lead changes. The Bearkats fought off set points at 27-26 and 28-27 before winning the opening stanza on a Wildcat error.

Since NCAA volleyball went to the 25-point rally scoring set, Sam Houston has played a longer set only once, going 32-30 with Texas State 2009.

In the second set, ACU had three set points before back-to-back kills by Wells-Gibson and Michelle Griffith put SHSU up 2-0.

“We told the girls 'protect the house.' No matter what, you have to dig deep and win at home even if you're not playing that well,” Gray said. “We were able to do that.”

Griffith assisted on 45 of Sam Houston's 55 kills. Libero Claire Kilpatrick totaled 17 digs.

The Bearkats remain unbeaten at home this season, 6-0. The Kats own a six-game winning streak at Johnson Coliseum that goes back to the final two matches of the 2013 season. Sam Houston completes its three-game home series Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when the Kats play host to Lamar.