Kats visit SFA for second Southland match
9/23/2016 8:15:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston State volleyball team hits the road Saturday to take on Stephen F. Austin from Nacogdoches in the squads' second Southland Conference match. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Shelton Gym.
The Bearkats (6-8, 0-1 SLC) are looking to rebound after falling 3-0 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference opener on Tuesday night. The home-opening match came after Sam Houston spent the first 13 games away from home to begin the season.
Trailing 2-0, Sam Houston took a 16-12 lead in the third set but could not shut the door as the Islanders took seven of the next nine points and re-gained the lead. Sam Houston was led by Jordyn Vaughn's nine kills and Michelle Griffith's 24 assists. Amanda Gooch added two block assists.
“The great thing about volleyball is that you get to play a number of games in a week,” volunteer assistant coach Tayler Gray said. “We get to drop it and start over again. We always want to go 1-0. We're going to put out a group that will play efficiently and effectively on Saturday.”
The Kats are also looking to snap a four-game losing streak which including three major tests at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational. Prior to that, Sam Houston had won six of eight including three straight to claim Tulane's Sugar Bowl Tournament title.
Stephen F. Austin enters the weekend with a record of 8-6 overall and 1-0 in the Southland action. The Lady Jacks swept Incarnate Word to open the league slate, bouncing back after the Cardinals upset SFA in its previous visit.
“Motivation is there because we might have lost on Tuesday, but our sights are still set on winning a ring,” Gray said. “That's how we approach it. We're going to figure it out and come together. SFA always has a strong middle game and backcourt defense. They are very well coached. We expect them to play aggressive and for it to be a great environment.”
Following the match, Sam Houston returns home for two straight beginning next Thursday against Nicholls at 6:30 p.m. from the Health & Kinesiology Center (HKC) on campus. The squad will then face off against McNeese on Saturday at 2 o'clock. Admission is free to all attendees.
