ABILENE, Texas – Sam Houston State volleyball went back and forth with Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon highlighted by a team-leading 20 kills from Brooke White but the Bearkats fell 3-2 (25-16, 20-25, 21-25, 25-15, 12-15) from Moody Coliseum.

The Kats posted a .281 attack percentage, the third-highest mark this season and added 10 blocks in the loss to the Wildcats (7-17, 6-3 Southland). Five Bearkats finished with double-digit kills including 16 for Jordyn Vaughn and Taylor Cunningham as well as 10 each from Sarah Sherman and Amanda Gooch.

Sam Houston (9-11, 3-4 SLC) returns home on Thursday to host Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. from the Health & Kinesiology Center (HKC). Admission is free to all fans.

Set 1
Sam Houston came out hot in the first set. With the Kats holding a 9-8 lead, the squad rattled off five of the next six points capped by a Vaughn kill. The Bearkats continued their surge as back-to-back kills from Cunningham and White lifted the lead to 20-13. The squad finished the set in similar fashion as Gooch and Sherman recorded kills for the 25-16 victory.

Set 2
The Wildcats rebounded in the back-and-forth match, holding Sam Houston to a .140 attack percentage after the Kats posted a .340 mark in the opening frame. The set was dead even early as the squads exchanged kills including Vaughn, who evened the frame at 13-all. Sam Houston took a 19-17 lead on a Sherman block, forcing a Wildcat timeout. Following the break, Abilene Christian scored four straight, re-taking the lead in an eventual 25-20 win.

Set 3
In the third, Sam Houston led 10-7 on a kill by White, forcing a Wildcats timeout. Abilene Christian eventually took the lead at 12-11 on an attack error but Sam Houston kept the pressure on, claiming a 15-14 edge on an attack error. Five straight ACU points provided the Wildcats a 19-15 cushion. A White block would cut the Kat deficit to two at 20-18. The Bearkats posted a .333 attack percentage in the frame but could not slow down ACU who finished at .343 in its 25-21 win.

Set 4
Trying to stay alive in the fourth, the Bearkats posted arguably their most impressive frame, highlighted by a .372 attack percentage and tenacious defensive effort that held ACU to a .195 mark. A Claire Kilpatrick service ace provided the Kats an early 5-1 lead. When a Sam Houston attack error tied the match at 9-all, the Kats responded, stringing together five of the next points for a 15-9 edge. The Kats continued to surge, upping the lead to 20-11 behind a pair of White kills and an ACU error in eventual the 10-point victory.

Set 5
In the winner-take-all frame, Sam Houston posted the higher attack percentage at .240 compared to ACU's .217. The Kats took an 8-6 lead on consecutive kills from Cunningham and Vaughn but the Wildcats rebounded with three straight to take a 9-8 advantage and force a Sam Houston timeout. The Kats swung the momentum, cutting the deficit to 13-12 on a Sherman kill before consecutive ACU points ended the match.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Taylor Cunningham matched a season high with 16 kills and recorded the fifth-highest attack percentage by a Sam Houston player this season at .341. She added four digs and three total blocks.