In a battle of two of the three teams tied for fifth place in the Southland Conference volleyball race, Houston Baptist handed Sam Houston a 25-17 25-21 25-23 loss Thursday night on the Huskies' home floor.

Brooke White and Taylor Cunningham led the Bearkats with nine and eight kills, respectively. Shelby Genung added six kills and Jordyn Vaughn posted five.

With the three set victory, Houston Baptist upped its record to 14-12 for the year and 6-5 in league play. Sam Houston falls to 11-14 for the season and 5-6 in conference action.

Michelle Griffith assisted on 19 of Sam Houston's 46 kills. Claire Kilpatrick led the defense with 14 digs and 15 successful service receptions.

Sam Houston took an early 3-1 lead in the opening set, but HBU took control with a 14-4 run to go up 15-7 and closed out the frame by winning 10 of the next 20 points.

A block by Sarah Sherman put the Kats up 5-2 early in the second set. The two teams traded leads back-and-forth until a Cunningham kill tied the set 15-15. HBU went up two sets to none by winning 10 of the next 16 points.

Houston Baptist appeared on the way to an easy third set victory, leading 23-14. But the Bearkats won eight straight points on Kilpatrick's serve to tie the frame at 23-all. HBU won the next two points to close out the match.

The Bearkats' road swing heads south as Sam Houston challenges Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday at 1 p.m. The Islanders are the league's only team that is unbeaten in Southland action.