Volleyball Looking Solid In Early Workouts
8/12/2015 3:36:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The 2015 Sam Houston volleyball team looks to be a mixture of experience and youth as Brenda Gray puts a team without seniors on the floor this year for the Bearkats.
The volleyball squad consists of four juniors, four sophomores and seven freshmen this fall. Four of the returnees were starters for last year's 18-12 unit that finished third in the Southland Conference.
Sam Houston has been a model of consistency in the league, finishing among the Southland's top three teams five of the last six years with a conference championship in 2012. The Bearkats have earned Southland Conference post-season tournament berths each of the last eight seasons.
“I really like this group,” Sam Houston head coach Brenda Gray said. “We've got sophomores and juniors back who played a lot of ball for us last year and the new freshmen are solid.”
The Bearkats are three days into their 2015 preseason training at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. Returning starters include sophomore outside hitter Jordyn Vaughn, junior middle blocker Shelby Genung, junior right side hitter Breanna Homer and junior setter Michelle Griffith.
Claire Kilpatrick, a junior who played in every match last year as the Kats' libero, also returns to help defensively in the back.
Vaughn and Genung ranked second and fourth in scoring for the team in 2014 with kill totals of 192 and 171, respectively. Kilpatrick ranked as one of the top liberos in the league with 4.31 digs per set. Homer added 3.33 digs per set and accounted for 21 blocks and 101 kills.
Griffith is a preseason All-Southland Conference selection. She ranked among the top players in the league with 10.8 assists per set as a sophomore.
Outside hitter Brooke White, junior right side hitter Sarah Guzman, sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Cranek and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Sherman also return after seeing extensive action as reserves last year.
“We had a very good spring. I like how we look in the middle,” Gray said. “We have some outstanding young athletes joining us as freshmen.”
Local product outside hitter Taylor Cunningham is the latest in a long line of top players from Huntsville High School to join the volleyball program. Meagan Elkins from McKinney, Amanda Gooch from Iola and Madison Wallace from Deer Park will see action as outside hitters.
Middle blocker Margaret Revell from Clear Creek, setter Jaclyn Ward from Oak Ridge and defensive specialist Natalie Nevlud from Saint Pius X in Houston also bring talent to the club.
Sam Houston opens the season by hosting the annual Bearkat Volleyball Classic at Johnson Coliseum on Friday and Saturday August 28-29. Tickets for all home volleyball matches are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located on the west side of Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
