NEW ORLEANS – The Sam Houston Bearkat volleyball team picked up its second straight win of the young season with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-18) sweep of New Orleans on Thursday night at the Human Performance Center.
 
The Kats (2-1, 2-1 SLC) started slow in the opening set, trailing by as much as six, but quickly erased that lead and kept the match in hand for the remainder of the evening in a win that was the 300^th in Southland Conference play since the Kats joined the league for the 1987 season.
 
The win also leaves Sam Houston just one victory shy of 600 total victories at the Division I level, a milestone the program can reach with a win on February 18 at Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Sam Houston was led by Ashley Lewis' 13 kills, continuing her torrid start to the Spring 2021 season. Breanne Chausse also had 10 kills on 17 swings, while Samantha Rodgers, De'Janae Gilmore and Catherine Krieger all had four apiece on a night that saw the Kats swing at a .263 clip.
 
Morgan Janda picked up a double-double with 18 assists and 11 digs, while Hannah Baker continued to impress with with 15 digs in the 3-set affair. Lewis and McKenzie Morvant also picked up three blocks.
 
UNO (2-2, 2-1 SLC) was coming off consecutive wins over Lamar and Nicholls last week, but were held to just a .149 attack percentage by the Bearkat defense despite nine kills from Kai Williams.
 
The Kats were originally scheduled to follow up Thursday's match with a Saturday meeting with Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, but that match was postponed earlier this week. The Kats will now have to wait until February 18 to take on the Lady Lions, followed by a trip to Beaumont to take on Lamar on Febuary 20.