Cougars Sweep Their Way to Victory Over Mavericks

Saturday, August 25

New Orleans, La.

2 p.m. CT

University of Houston

3-0

Nebraska-Omaha

0-3

OMAHA

HOUSTON

8/25/2018 4:41:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Houston goes undefeated on the weekend and improves to 3-0 on the year

By: Ryan Levine

NEW ORLEANS – On an afternoon that turned into a seesaw battle in all three sets, the University of Houston Volleyball team took down the Omaha Mavericks (0-3) in straight sets (33-31, 25-19, 25-23). With the win, the Cougars improve to 3-0 on the young season, having now swept two of their first three opponents in the process.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 –
Coming out of the locker room with tons of energy, the Cougars took an early three-point advantage as their 8-5 lead came off seven kills. However, the Mavericks fought back and threatened to claim the set late in the frame with their 23-20 lead, but Houston never backed down. Having fought off three set points, the Cougars showed their grit, ultimately taking the match-opening set by a score of 33-31. In the opening set, four different cougars posted four or more kills, which was led by junior outside hitter Megan Duncan, who led all players with eight kills.

Set 2 –
After carrying its momentum into the second set, which helped Houston jump out to an 6-2 lead, the Mavericks continued to apply pressure to the Cougar squad, having never let their deficit reach further than four points for much of the period. They eventually tied the score at 16 apiece, but Houston never lost its cool, as the Cougars finished out the set on an 9-3 run and won the second frame 25-19 to head into intermission ahead, 2-0.

Set 3 –
Houston's high-octane offense came to brief halt to start the third frame, but one of Duncan's 16 kills on the day tied the game back up at seven. From that point forward, Omaha controlled the middle portion of the set, taking a three-point advantage near the end but a kill from sophomore outside hitter Silvia Pertens kept the Cougars within striking distance, trailing 19-17. After finding itself down by as many as four points late in the set, Houston found one final wave of energy as the Cougars ended the set on a 7-1 run to win the set 25-23 and complete the sweep over Omaha.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

For the third game in a row, junior outside hitter Megan Duncan recorded a match-high in kills. Against the Mavericks, Duncan posted 16 kills to go along with her five digs.
Freshman middle blocker Kendall Haywood slammed home a career-high 10 kills in the match, posting a .471 clip in the process.
Senior setter Katie Krebs and sophomore setter Abby Irvine were automatic when it came to creating opportunities for their teammates as they dished out 22 and 19 assists, respectively. As a team, the Cougars handed out 44 assists, which is the most in a three-set match this season.
In the back row, junior libero Katie Karbo led all players with 13 digs on the afternoon, marking back-to-back matches that she has recorded match-high dig totals.

UP NEXT
The Cougars return to Houston on Aug. 28 as the University of Houston Volleyball team is scheduled to play their home opener against Prairie View A&M. First serve for that match is slated for 7 p.m.

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 –