Southland Tournament Begins Friday In Conway
11/17/2015 1:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
With a young team with no seniors, Sam Houston has earned its ninth consecutive berth in the Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament this fall.
As the No. 7 seed, the Bearkats will take on tournament host University of Central Arkansas on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The winner of the tournament will represent the Southland as the league's automatic qualifier in the NCAA tournament.
The last two times the tournament has been held in Conway, the Bearkats have reached the semifinals with first round wins over UTA in 2011 and Nicholls in 2012.
The Bearkats are making their 21st appearance overall in the event in Sam Houston's 29 years in the league.
A victory over Houston Baptist in the final match of the 2015 regular season put Sam Houston into a four-way tie for sixth place in the final Southland Conference standings.
The Bearkats have won the Southland Conference tournament championship twice (in 1993 in Huntsville and in 1996 in Nacogdoches). Sam Houston reached the finals to finish as runner-up in 1987 and 1994.
Sam Houston's offensive attack this year has been led by a pair of home town Huntsville High School products.
Sophomore Jordyn Vaughn owns a 3.44 kills per set average while freshman Taylor Cunningham is averaging 2.10. Vaughn has posted 12 double-figure kill performances this season while Cunningham has nine to her credit.
Another sophomore, Brooke White from Fort Worth, adds 3.17 kills per set. White owns 16 double figure kill performances. The trio has combined to post 827 of Sam Houston's 1,387 total kills this season.
Juniors Breanna Homer from LaGrange and Shelby Genung from Sugar Land contribute both offensively and defensively. Genung has knocked down 163 kills this season while leading the team in blocks with 71. Homer ranks second on the squad with 338 digs (3.16 per set).
Setter Michelle Griffith from The Woodlands is the 2015 team captain as junior. She consistently has ranked among the top three setters in the league, assisting on 1,086 of Sam Houston's kills and posting 266 digs.
Libero Claire Kilpatrick from Arlington has been a mainstay on defense. One of the league's leaders in digs, Kilpatrick has totaled 494 successful service receptions and 462 digs this year.
Another freshman, Madison Wallace from Pasadena / Deer Park, has made timely contributions to the Kat attack. Wallace has 136 kills including a season best of 19 versus McNeese.
Sophomores Sarah Sherman from El Paso and Sarah Cranek of San Antonio, freshmen Amanda Gooch from Iola and Jaclyn Ward from Spring and junior Sarah Guzman of Corpus Christi have been reliable off the bench for the Kats.
The first two rounds of the tournament will be streamed live on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including Southland.org/watch and the league's mobile and tablet apps.
The championship final will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3 available via WatchESPN.com.
The complete tournament schedule in Conway:
Friday, November 20
11 a.m. – Match 1 - A&M-Corpus Christi (#1) vs. Southeastern Louisiana (#8)
1:30 p.m. – Match 2 - McNeese State (#4) vs. New Orleans (#5)
4 p.m. – Match 3 - Stephen F. Austin (#3) vs. Houston Baptist (#6)
6:30 p.m. – Match 4 - Central Arkansas (#2) vs. Sam Houston (#7)
Saturday, November 21
12 noon – Semifinal #1 – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
2:30 p.m. – Semifinal #2 – Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner
Sunday, November 22
3 p.m. – Championship Finals
