Strong Defensive Effort Not Enough against Tulsa

Friday, October 19

Houston

7 p.m. CT

University of Houston

13-10, 0-8AAC

Tulsa

16-7, 6-2AAC

Tulsa

HOUSTON

Photo by: Stephen Pinchback

10/19/2018 10:08:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Cougars combine to record 57 digs in the match

By: Ryan Levine

HOUSTON – With its combined 57 digs, the University of Houston Volleyball team put together a sturdy defensive performance on Friday night inside the Athletics/Alumni Center but its efforts were not enough, as the Cougars fell to Tulsa 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 18-25).

The 57 balls the Cougars (13-10, 0-8 AAC) dug against the Golden Hurricane (16-7, 6-2 AAC) is the second highest mark that Houston has recorded in a three-set match this season.

HOUSTON 0, TULSA 3

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Both teams came out of the locker room with strong offensive showings, exchanging points left and right, as the opening-frame saw 15 ties and five lead changes. With seven different players on Houston's squad recording multiple digs in the set, the Cougars' defense did everything it could to find an edge, but it was the Golden Hurricane who narrowly outlasted Houston, winning the set 25-23.

Set 2
Houston's defense tightened up even more in the second frame, holding Tulsa to a .163 hitting percentage, compared to the .234 mark in the first set. After Tulsa found itself ahead by seven, Houston responded quickly with a 4-0 run to trim the deficit to three, forcing the Golden Hurricane to call a timeout. That momentum carried the Cougars all the way to a lead as late as 21-20, but the Golden Hurricane closed out the set having scored five of the next six points to win the frame 25-22 and go up 2-0 in match play at the intermission.

Set 3
After Houston fell into a four-point deficit, the Cougars managed to claw their way back into within striking distance, having found themselves trailing 16-14. From there, the Golden Hurricane strung together a 4-1 run, where they never looked back from that point, winning the set 25-18 to claim the 3-0 match victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Houston recorded 57 digs on the night, the second-highest mark in a three-set match this season.
Of the 15 players that checked into the match for the Cougars, 12 recorded a dig.
Houston recorded its 11^th match of the season with a hitting percentage of more than .200. The Cougars are 9-2 in such contests.
Junior libero Katie Karbo tallied a team-high 14 digs in the match.
Junior outside hitter Faith Squier tied a season-high three digs.
With her 26 helpers, sophomore Abby Irvine led the Cougars in assists for the 15^th time this season, including seven-straight matches and all but one conference contest.
Tonight marked the 13^th time this year junior outside hitter Megan Duncan has led or tied for the team lead in kills.
Freshman middle blocker Kendall Haywood reached the 10-kill mark for the fifth time in her young career.

UP NEXT
The Cougars conclude their weekend of action on Sunday, Oct. 21 when Houston hosts Wichita State at 1 p.m. CT. Sunday's contest with the Shockers will also be Houston's "Coogs for a Cure" match where the Cougars will wear special pink uniforms to raise cancer awareness.

STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarVB, and "Like" UHCougarVB on Facebook.

JOIN POINT HOUSTON CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Volleyball program by joining the Point HOUSTON Club. To find out more information about the Point HOUSTON Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.

– UHCougars.com –