VB to open 2019 with Bearkat Invite
8/29/2019 12:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Matches 1-3 • 42nd Annual Bearkat Invitational
Friday, August 30 • 6:30 p.m. • Huntsville • Johnson Coliseum
Sam Houston State (0-0, 0-0 SLC) vs Prairie View (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)
Live Stats • Live Stream • @BearkatsVB on Twitter
Saturday, August 31 • 12:30 p.m. • Huntsville • Johnson Coliseum
Sam Houston State (0-0, 0-0 SLC) vs Louisiana Tech (0-0, 0-0 Conference USA)
Live Stats • Live Stream • @BearkatsVB on Twitter
Saturday, August 31 • 6:30 p.m. • Huntsville • Johnson Coliseum
Sam Houston State (0-0, 0-0 SLC) vs Oral Roberts (0-0, 0-0 Summit)
Live Stats • Live Stream • @BearkatsVB on Twitter
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston State Bearkats will kick off the 2019 season this weekend when they host the 42nd Annual Bearkat Invitational, beginning Friday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The Kats will open up the weekend on Friday evening against Prairie View before taking on both Louisiana Tech and Oral Roberts on Saturday in the round-robin event. Play is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday with ORU taking on Louisiana Tech, while play will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday with ORU vs Prairie View.
Fans can follow along all weekend by following @BearkatsVB on Twitter and Instagram, via live stats or by watching on the Bearkat Sports Network account on YouTube.
The weekend will be the final chance for fans to catch the Kats on their home court as they will be on the road for the entirety of September, completing non-conference play and moving into their Southland Conference slate. They will next be on the Johnson Coliseum floor on Oct. 3 take on New Orleans.
The tournament has head coach Brenda Gray on the cusp of history as she enters the 2019 season with 699 career victories and with one more win would hit the 700-win mark.
Currently there are only nine active head coaches in the nation with at least 700 victories. She is entering her 36th season at the helm of the Bearkat program and currently stands as the Southland Conference's all-time leader in coaching victories.
This year Gray is excited about her new-look squad, one which features nine overall newcomers and seven freshmen. Still the Kats were picked to finish third in the league's annual preseason poll, just a year after going 22-8 overall and finishing third in the league in 2018.
Sophomore outside hitter Breanne Chausse is a preseason all-conference choice after earning an honorable mention all-SLC nod as a true freshman a year ago, while junior outside hitter Ashley Lewis could be poised for a breakout 2019.
The Kats sport just two seniors on this year's roster, Addison Miller and Ashleigh Traylor, who could each see time at libero and should provide strong play on the back line. Meanwhile, junior setter Madilyn Miles is back for her third year with the program and will be joined freshman Morgan Janda and Blinn College transfer Samantha Boatman in directing the offense.
Gray and her staff will also be looking for an immediate contribution in the middle from South Alabama transfer Kaira Hunnicutt who redshirted last year in Mobile, along with 6-3 Courtney Littlefield who is back after being hampered by injuries throughout 2018, and sophomore Elise Smith.
Along with Janda, the Kats could lean heavily on its slew of freshmen. Several of those freshmen showed well in the team's exhibition opener vs St. Thomas last week, including outside hitters Catherine Krieger and Samantha Rodgers, along with middle blocker De'Janae Gilmore.
