Deveney Wells-Gibson totaled 17 kills in 34 attempts and Jordyn Vaughn added 10 more as Sam Houston defeated Southeastern Louisiana 25-20 25-21 25-21 in a Southland Conference volleyball match at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Thursday night.

The Bearkats hold third place in the Southland race with a 17-9 season record and 10-3 mark in league action. The win also upped the SHSU women's perfect home record to 11-0 for the season.

The Lions were led by Sarah Friedman with 12 kills. Southeastern Louisiana now stands 9-16 for the year and 6-7 in Southland play.

Sam Houston never trailed in the first set but had to battle to take the second and third. The final two sets were tied 20 times with eight lead changes.

“Southeastern Louisiana is different that a lot of the teams we see and we knew we would have to adjust,” head coach Brenda Gray said. “They're a strong serving team. We didn't adjust quite as quickly as we wanted to, but, in the end, we picked up our 11th victory at home. With one match left here, we have the opportunity to have a clean slate at home this year. Not many teams can say that.”

Setter Michelle Griffith assisted on 37 of Sam Houston's 42 kills. Libero Claire Kilpatrick again led the Kat defense with 13 digs. Kilpatrick also had three aces.

Breanna Homer served the Bearkats to a 6-0 lead to start the match and Sam Houston never trailed in the opening stanza. The Lions fought back to cut the margin to three, 18-15, but the SHSU women won seven of the next 12 points with Wells-Gibson getting the kill on set point.

The second set was a different story with eight ties and three early lead changes. Sam Houston went on a 9-2 run to build a five point lead, 15-10. The Lions pulled within two several times, but Wells-Gibson slammed down a kill for her second set point.

The two teams traded leads five times in the third stanza. Sam Houston took the lead to stay 11-10 on ace by Kilpatrick and powered on for the victory. Again, it was Wells-Gibson getting the kill at match point.

Sam Houston State will wrap up its home schedule with a 2 p.m. match Saturday against New Orleans. The Kats close the regular season with road matches at A&M-Corpus Christi and Houston Baptist next weekend.