HUNTSVILLE - The Sam Houston volleyball team dropped the opener of a weekend series to UTEP on Friday night, 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-18) at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. 

The Miners (11-2) hit .308 for the match and had advantages at the net and service line, outblocking Sam Houston (8-6) by a 11-7 margin and delivering six aces on their way to becoming the first opponent to sweep the Kats this season. 

Chloe Monson led SHSU with eight kills, while Rachelle Reed and Lauren Malone had six each. Chelsea Butler had a team-high five blocks and Lillian Hamilton added four, while Avery Fowler picked up 19 assists. 

UTEP hit .429 in Set 1 and .286 in Set 2 to cruise to a 2-0 lead at the halftime break. Monson had four kills in the opening set, but the Kats hit just .097 as a team. They had things as close as 16-13 before the Miners found separation, scoring four of the set's final five points.  

One set later the Miners clamped down defensively, forcing a dozen Bearkat errors with five total blocks to their credit for a 25-14 win. The Kats turned it up at the net in Set 3 with five of their seven blocks, but managed just eight kills while the Miners scored 15 swings to close it out. 

The Bearkats and Miners will close out their weekend set on Saturday afternoon with first serve set for 1:00 p.m. The match can be viewed on ESPN+.