SHSU looking to nail down No. 3 seed
11/12/2014 9:26:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
After polishing off its first undefeated home schedule since 1984, the Sam Houston volleyball team heads on the road looking to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Southland Conference post-season tournament.
The Kats travel to A&M-Corpus Christi Thursday then end the regular season Saturday at Houston Baptist.
A victory in either match nails down third place in the 2014 league standings.
Wins in both contests would give the Kats no worse than a tie for second place in the standings. Sam Houston stands 11-3 while Central Arkansas is 12-3. The Bears lost to Houston Baptist in their last match. UCA ends league action Thursday hosting sixth place Southeastern Louisiana.
Unbeaten Stephen F. Austin (14-0) has clinched the regular season crown and the No. 1 seed at the Southland Conference tournament in Natchitoches, La., Friday Nov. 21 through Sunday Nov. 23.
Sam Houston brings an 18-9 overall record into Thursday's encounter in Corpus Christi. The Islanders are 16-15 for the year and 9-5 in league action.
A&M-Corpus Christi will be looking to avenge a loss to the Bearkats in Huntsville on Nov. 1 when the SHSU women defeated the Islanders 25-17 25-21 25-20.
Southland Conference offensive leader Deveney Wells-Gibson totaled 24 kills in the victory while the Kats held the Islanders' top scorer Brianna Brink to nine. Wells-Gibson has totaled 491 kills in 27 matches this year for a 4.81 average. Brink ranks sixth in the league with 417 kills.
Sam Houston's Michelle Griffith leads the league in assists with a 10.96 average. The Islanders' Kristyn Nicholson is fifth with a 9.38 average.
Bearkat libero Claire Kilpatrick is sixth in digs with 4.22 per game. AMCC's Kate Klepetka is 10th in the Southland with a 3.77 average.
The top eight finishers in the final regular season standings all earn berths in the tournament at Northwestern State. SFA, Central Arkansas, Sam Houston, A&M-Corpus Christi and Northwestern State all have already clinched berths in the event.
