Published: November 20, 2009 10:23 pm      

Kats ousted in first round of Southland volleyball tourney

Manieka Golden totaled 21 kills to lead Nicholls to a 21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22 upset of second-seeded Sam Houston State in the first round of the Southland Conference volleyball tournament Friday at Texas-San Antonio’s Convocation Center.

The victory was the first Southland tournament win for the seventh-seeded Colonels since 2003 and put a disappointing period on an outstanding 2009 season for the Bearkat volleyball team.

“This is one of the best teams I’ve coached in my years at Sam Houston,” Sam Houston head coach Brenda Gray said. “They’re quality young ladies and they’ve had a great work ethic all season. I’m just sick that it had to end this way.”

After winning the first set, Sam Houston held leads in both the second and third games only to see Nicholls come back in both to go up two sets to one.

“We let it go in the third set,” Gray said. “We just let them hang around too long. We looked like we were in control but we just never got the offense to click. Defensively, we weren’t blocking. Nicholls totaled 14 blocks and we had three.”

The Bearkats appeared to be headed to another of their nail-biting comebacks in the fourth set. Down 18-11, Sam Houston fought back to tie the set at 21 apiece. But the Colonels closed out the match by winning four of the next five points.

Sam Houston was led by Anna Ferguson with 22 kills and Carli Kolbe with 17. Kaylee Hawkins led the defense with 26 digs. Michelle Phillips totaled 50 assists. Sam Houston ended the season with 20 wins and 14 losses.

In the contest’s opening set, the two teams were tied 10 times before Nicholls jumped out in front 14-11. The Bearkats bounced back, winning five consecutive points on Hawkins’ serve to spark a 9-2 run giving SHSU a 19-16 margin. The Bearkats totaled 13 kills to take the first set 25-21.

Sam Houston let a 16-10 lead slip away in the second set as Nicholls tied the contest at 20-20 with a 10-4 run. After four straight side outs, Nicholls won three of the next four points to even the match at one set apiece. The Colonels totaled 17 winners in the second set, 15 on kills.

The Kats started fast in the third set, going up 10-4. But Nicholls fought back again, taking the lead at 19-18 and winning five of the last eight points to go up two sets to one.

Nicholls ended the match with 71 winners, including 57 kills and 14 blocks. Sam Houston totaled 59 winners with 52 kills, four aces and three blocks.

Sam Houston will lose three seniors from the 2009 team – Ferguson, Katie Phillips and Shamira Washington. But the Bearkats will return three All-Southland players in Hawkins, Miller and Kolbe.