Volleyball In College of Charleston Tournament
9/17/2015 9:21:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The young Sam Houston volleyball team completes its 2015 non-conference schedule this weekend with a trip to The Courtyard By Marriott North Charleston Classic in Charleston, South Carolina.
Hosted by College of Charleston, the tournament field also includes the University of Minnesota and Bryant. The Bearkats stand 5-6 this season. The team was the runner-up to UTSA in the Sam Houston Invitational to open the year and has finished third in tough fields at both the Baylor Bear Classic and the Rice Adidas Invitational the past two weeks.
Sam Houston opens play Friday at 6 p.m. (Huntsville time) against College of Charleston. The Bearkats will play twice on Saturday, meeting Minnesota at 9:30 a.m. and Bryant at 3:30 p.m. (both Huntsville time).
Each tournament, the team has lost in a close five-setter against the eventual tournament champion. The scores in the final set have been tight, with the Kats falling in long, hard-fought five setters to UTSA, Baylor and Rice.
Brooke White and Jordyn Vaughn lead Sam Houston with 132 kills apiece. Shelby Genung has been a force in the middle with 58 kills and a team-leading 24 blocks. Michelle Griffith has assisted on 394 of Sam Houston's 507 kills (9.85 assists per set). Griffth, Claire Kilpatrick and Breanna Homer have led the defense.
Vaughn and White rank fourth and fifth in the Southland Conference in kills this season. Griffith is third in the league in assists. Kilpatrick stands third in the Southland in digs.
Minnesota brings a 5-2 record into the tournament. The team's only losses have come to Texas A&M in five sets and No. 2 ranked Stanford. Daly Santana leads Minnesota with 122 kills (4.88 per set).
Bryant owns a 7-5 season mark and brings a three-match winning streak to Charleston. Kristin Kingi and Sophie Hoekstra lead the squad with kills totals of 128 and 102, respectively.
Host College of Charleston stands 6-5 after Tennessee ended their five-match winning streak with a four-set loss this week. Melissa Morello is Charleston's top offensive threat with 151 kills.
Following this weekend's tournament, Sam Houston will open Southland Conference play on Friday Sept. 25 with a 6:30 p.m. match with Lamar at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
