Nacogdoches – Sam Houston became the first Southland volleyball team this fall to take two sets from Stephen F. Austin in a league match Thursday night at Shelton Gym.
But the Lumberjacks extended their league record to a perfect 10-0 by bouncing back and winning in five sets 21-25 22-25 25-16 25-11 15-12. SFA owns a 17-7 season mark.
The contest marks the seventh time this season the Bearkats have gone five sets with an opponent. Last Saturday Sam Houston went five sets with Central Arkansas, also 10-0 in Southland action this year and tied with SFA for first place.
Deveney Wells-Gibson led the Bearkats with 19 kills. Jordyn Vaughn added 18 and Carling Urben posted eight. Sam Houston drops to 12-9 for the year and stands in third place in the league standings with a 5-3 Southland mark.
The Kats held three leads in the fifth set, going up 3-2 on a kill by Urben, 7-6 after an ace by Claire Kilpatrick and 9-7 on back-to-back kills by Wells-Gibson.
SFA put together six consecutive points to go up 13-9. The SHSU women survived two match points before Jacque Allen put away a kill to ice the victory. Allen led SFA with 18 kills.
Sam Houston started strong, jumping out to an 11-3 lead in the opening set and holding off a late SFA charge to win the first by four points. A Wells-Gibson kill gave the Kats set point.
The second set was closer, with five early ties before the Jacks took a 9-6 lead. Sam Houston rallied to even things at 15-15. Kills by Homer and Vaughn gave SHSU the lead. Ahead by one point, 23-22, Wells-Gibson picked up a big kill and, on set point, the Kats went up two sets to none on an SFA error.
The Lumberjacks came roaring back. Holding a narrow 14-13 lead, SFA won 11 of the next 14 points to win the third. With another one-point lead in the fourth, 11-10, Stephen F. Austin again pulled away with a 14-1 run to force a fifth and deciding set.
Michelle Griffith led Sam Houston with 49 assists. Kilpatrick led the SHSU defense with 18 digs.
Sam Houston completes its three-game road swing Saturday facing Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La.
