Sam Houston State volleyball seemed primed for another comeback midway through the third set but was unable do so, falling behind Stephen F. Austin in an eventual 3-0 (21-25, 21-25, 19-25) loss Saturday afternoon in Nacogdoches.

The Bearkats (6-9, 0-2 Southland) went ahead 12-8 in the third frame but the Ladyjacks (9-6, 2-0 SLC) rallied. After tying the match at 13 apiece, Stephen F. Austin went on a 12-6 run the rest of the way.

Brooke White and Jordyn Vaughn each finished with double-digit kills at 11 and 10, respectively while Amanda Gooch and Taylor Cunningham each logged six. Breanna Homer and Claire Kilpatrick each logged 15 digs and Jaclyn Ward notched a team-leading 11 assists and two service aces.

Sam Houston jumped out of the gate in a strong fashion, hitting .382 in the opening set as the squads went back and forth down the stretch. Vaughn cut the deficit to one with kills to make it 19-18 then 20-19. The junior tied the match with another at 21-21 but SFA scored the final four points.

The results were not as favorable offensively in the second and third sets as the Bearkats managed to hit just .077 and .025. Sam Houston was out-blocked 10-4 in the match with Cunningham, White and Gooch each contributing a pair of block assists.

The Kats return to action with a pair of Southland Conference home matches beginning Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Nicholls. Sam Houston will also welcome McNeese on Saturday at 2 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Health & Kinesiology Center (HKC) with free admission to all fans.