SAN ANTONIO – After beginning the conference schedule with three road matches, the University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team is gearing up for its SLC home opener against Sam Houston State on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. (CT). The Cardinals look to defend their home court in what will be their fourth contest in seven days.

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LAST TIME OUT
·         UIW fell in four sets, on the road, to Lamar.
·         Freshman outside hitter Bethany Clapp led the team with 14 kills.
·         Senior outside hitter Maddie Slaughter delivered eight kills on a team-best .389 hitting in just two sets of action.
·         Freshman defensive specialist Chloe Patton matched her season high with 12 digs, previously set against EWU (9/15).
·         Sophomore libero Madelynn Miller also had 12 digs, marking her eighth double-digit dig performance of 2018.
·         Freshman middle blocker Carissa McGarity matched her season high with three aces, including an ace to clinch the third set.
·         Freshman setter Pilar Gonzaba led the team with 17 assists. 
·         On the defensive side, Gonzaba added a block and nine digs, matching a season high set vs. UTSA (8/31).
 
CERTIFIED FRESH

• The Cardinal freshmen have asserted themselves as one of the top all-around freshman classes in the conference.
• McGarity sits among the top freshmen in the SLC with .87 blocks per set played. She also leads the team with 39.0 blocks this year.
• Gonzaba and Kilchrist have each eclipsed the 200 assist mark this season. Gonzabacurrently leads the team at 217 assists to Kilchrist's 205.
• Kilchrist averages 7.59 assists per set, ranking sixth best in the SLC and second best among freshman.
• Gonzaba sits third best among freshmen in the conference, and ninth best overall,with 6.38 assists per set.
• Clapp has established herself as a premier offensive weapon on the outside. She leads the team with 133 kills, including 40 in three SLC matches. Her 3.09 kills per set is second best among freshman in the conference, and eighth best overall.
• She posted an .824 hitting percentage in UIW's victory over Alcorn State (9/15), the best attacking percentage for a single match in the conference (minimum of 12 kills)
• Clapp has now posted double-digit kills in each of her last five matches, marking the longest such streak since senior outside hitter Autumn Lockley posted 12 consecutive double-digit kill performances in 2016.

 
Southland Hospitality

• UIW has a 1-2 SLC record.
• All three matches have gone to four sets.
• The offense has been a three-pronged attack, with Clapp (3.33), Monday (3.00) and Slaughter (2.71) each averaging over 2.5 kills per set.
• Gonzaba leads the team with 58 assists; Kilchrist leads the SLC, among freshman, with 7.83 assists per set (47 assists in six sets).
• Miller has been on top of her game on the back line. She has played in all 12 sets in conference play, amassing 53 digs along the way.

 
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE

• The Bearkats enter Thursday's match with a 10-4 record and are 2-0 in SLC matches. They enter on a six-match win streak dating back to Sept. 8.
• They are led by all-around star Taylor Cunningham. She leads the team in kills (163), hitting percentage (.324) and blocks (50). She is also second on the team in digs with 146.
• Sam Houston leads the all-time series, 4-2, but the last meeting went to UIW by a score of 3-1 (Nov. 11, 2017).

 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals complete a stretch of five matches in nine days on Saturday against Abilene Christian (2 p.m.). From there, UIW will enjoy a few days of rest before going back out onto the road to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Oct. 4 (6:30 p.m.).
 
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