Freshman Taylor Cunningham totaled 22 kills and had a hand in five blocks to lead the Kats as the Sam Houston volleyball team picked up its second consecutive Southland Conference victory in five sets at Northwestern State Tuesday night.

The Bearkats, now 8-8 for the season and 2-0 in league action, fought from two sets to one down to win 24-26 25-10 24-26 28-26 15-10. The victory marked Sam Houston's first five-set win of the season.

Madison Wallace, another freshman, added 14 kills and sophomore Brooke White totaled 10. Cunningham's 22 kills equals a team season high set earlier in the season by Jordyn Vaughn. Cunningham posted an impressive .457 hitting percentage with only six errors in her 35 attempts.

Setter Michelle Griffith assisted on 53 of Sam Houston's 58 kills. Northwestern State totaled 49 kills. White led the defense with a career best 21 digs. Libero Claire Kilpatrick added 12 digs and Breanna Homer had 11. Sara Sherman and Shelby Genung posted block assist totals of six and five, respectively.

Sam Houston never trailed in the fifth set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead. Northwestern State cut the margin to 5-4, but the Kats pulled away again. Kills by Genung, Cunningham and White picked up the final three points to earn Sam Houston the victory.

Three of the first four sets featured nail-biting finishes. In the first frame, the two teams were tied 24-24 but a pair of Bearkat errors gave the Demons a 26-24 opening set win.

Sam Houston jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the second set and kept the foot on the pedal for a 25-10 win to even the match at one-all. Again the third, late errors cost the Kats. A kill by Cunningham gave the Kats a set point at 24-22, but Northwestern State rallied for four straight points, the last two on errors, to earn another 26-24 set win.

In the fourth set, the Kats bounced back with a late rally and heroics down the stretch. The Demons led 15-7, but three consecutive kills by Cunningham pulled Sam Houston to within two, 21-19. The Kats tied the set four times before Genung's ace and a two more Cunningham kills forced a fifth and deciding set with a 28-26 win.

Sam Houston returns to Huntsville for a pair of weekend matches. The Bearkats play host to Nicholls at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and to McNeese State at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.