Lamar handed Sam Houston its sixth five-set volleyball loss of the season Tuesday night in Beaumont with a grueling 25-22 21-25 25-17 22-25 16-14 Southland Conference victory.

Down two sets to one and trailing 6-1 early in the fourth, Sam Houston came back to force a fifth set. The Kats held an 11-9 led in the final frame.

But a block and a kill by Lamar's Taylor Autumn sparked a 5-1 run to give the Cards' match point. Freshman Madison Wallace made consecutive kills to tie the set 14-14. But a Chelsea Grant kill and a Bearkat error ended the contest.

Three Bearkats totaled double figure kills. Jordyn Vaughn led both teams with 25 kills in 49 attempts. Wallace notched 13 kills in 34 attacks and Taylor Cunningham posted 11 kills in 28 attempts. Sam Houston totaled 71 kills as a team while Lamar produced just 59. But the Cardinals made on 13 attack errors compared to 32 for Sam Houston.

The Kats now stand 10-11 for the year and 4-3 in Southland Conference play. Lamar upped its record to 13-7. The Cardinals are 3-3 in league play.

Setter Michelle Griffith totaled 57 assists. Libero Claire Kilpatrick led the team with 14 digs. Breanna Homer added 10.

The match was tight from the beginning as the two teams traded first leads back-and-forth in the first set. Sam Houston's last lead was 18-17 on a kill by White. The Cardinals won eight of the next 12 points to go up by a set.

The Bearkats charged back to take a quick 11-4 lead in the second frame. Lamar cut the margin to 16-14 but Sam Houston finished with a 9-7 run to even the contest at a set apiece.

After the break, Lamar was firing on all cylinders, going up 13-5 to start the third. A kill by Cunningham pulled Sam Houston to within four, 18-14, but the Cardinals closed out the set with a 7-3 run.

Lamar looked ready to take the match in four, jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead. But Sam Houston rallied, tying the match four times, the last at 21-21. Three Cardinal errors and an ace by Kilpatrick forced a fifth and decisive set.

Again, the Cards got off to a quick start, leading 6-2. But two kills by Cunningham, an ace by White followed by a kill by White put Sam Houston back in charge 7-6. Breanna Homer and Cunningham added two more attack points as the Kats pulled ahead 11-9. But Lamar closed out the match by winning seven of the next 10 points.

Sam Houston returns home to play host to Central Arkansas Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.