CORPUS CHRISTI – Sam Houston picked up a pair of wins on the final day of the Islander Classic on Saturday, taking down Prairie View before rallying back to take down Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in five sets in the day's finale at the Dugan Wellness Center. 
 
Following the event, freshman Chloe Monson and sophomore Chelsea Butler were each named to the all-tournament team.  
 
The Kats will bring their 6-4 overall record back to Huntsville where they will host the Bearkat Classic on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Johnson Coliseum. They will be joined by HCU, ULM and Georgia State in the event. 
 
Sam Houston 3, Prairie View 1 
The Bearkats started off the morning slowly against the Panthers, dropping the opening set, 25-23, before squaring the match with a dominant 25-12 win in Set 2. The Kats then battled out a 33-31 marathon win in Set 3, a set which is the longest single set played for the Kats since 2020. The third set also ties for the second-longest single-set in program history since rally scoring was changed to 25. The Panthers were then finished off in the fourth with the Kats winning it 3-1. 

Monson led the team in kills against the Panthers with 24 and followed behind by Lauren Malone with 15. Avery Fowler led the team with 19 digs and picked up a double-double with a team-best 30 assists. Shaelin White also added 18 digs, while Rachell Reed had a team-best four blocks.  

Sam Houston 3, A&M-Corpus Christi 2 
The Bearkats had to play comeback in the nightcap against the tournament host, erasing a 2-0 deficit with three straight set wins to secure a winning mark for the weekend.  

Down 2-0, the Kats rallied to stay alive with a 25-22 win in Set 3 and edged out a 26-24 win Set 4 to force a decisive fifth set. Sam Houston jumped out to an 8-1 lead in Set 5, but the Islanders nearly drew even, getting as close as 11-10 before Sam Houston finished it off with four of the final five points of the match.  

Monson once again led the team in kills with 20, while Butler reached double figures with 11 to go with three blocks. Fowler also picked up a 27-assist, 15-dig double-double.