Aug. 27, 2010
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS - The Marist volleyball team fell to the Sam Houston State University Bearkats 3-0 (18-25, 14-25, 16-25) on Friday evening in the team's second match of the Comfort Suites Sam Houston State University Invitational.
Marist (0-2) trailed for most of the first set, but managed to climb to within three points of the Bearkats, 17-14, on a kill from freshman Grace Hill (Portage, Mich.) followed by a service error from Sam Houston State's Kaylee Hawkins. From there, Sam Houston State (2-0) went on a run and extended its lead to 24-16 after stringing together four consecutive points before closing out the set on a service error by Hill.
Junior Kayla Burton (Kissimmee, Fla.) got the Red Foxes off to an early 1-0 lead with a kill to begin the second set, which featured four ties in the early stages. With the score tied 5-5, the Bearkats responded by ringing off five straight points to pull ahead 10-5. Marist would remain within striking distance, however, as sophomore Leeann Harridsleff (Simi Valley, Calif.) contributed a kill while freshman Audra Brady (Allentown, Pa.) notched a service ace to keep the Red Foxes within three points, 10-7. Sam Houston State then went on to build an 18-10 lead before closing out the set 25-14.
The third set was a closely contested battle, as Marist remained within striking distance of the Bearkats. The Red Foxes tied up the set at 14-14 following a kill and service ace by Burton coupled with two Bearkat errors. But Marist could not pull ahead, as Sam Houston State took an 18-14 lead behind kills from Hawkins, Kelli Stewart, and Jamie Kaleh. The Bearkats would not look back, as they went on to close out the set with a 25-16 victory to seal their second win of the tournament.
Sophomore Hanna Stoiberg (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) led the Red Foxes with 11 digs while Hill added 10 kills. Sam Houston was led by Carli Kolbi who racked up 11 kills while teammates Stewart and Hawkins each recorded nine kills. As a team, the Bearkats outhit the Red Foxes .337 to .043 while holding a slim 37-34 advantage in digs.
The Red Foxes will next face Prairie View A&M on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET before taking on Eastern Michigan at 5:30 p.m. ET.
