Haywood Helps Lead Houston to Fourth-Straight Win

Friday, September 14

Moon Township, Pa.

9 a.m. CT

University of Houston

12-1, 0-0

Eastern Michigan

8-4, 0-0

Houston

Eastern Michigan

Photo by: Wilf Thorne/Wilf Thorne Photography

9/14/2018 12:26:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Emotional first frame sets tone for match

By: Ryan Levine

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The University of Houston Volleyball program continued its stellar start to 2018 campaign and improved to 12-1 on the season, after taking down Eastern Michigan in four sets (27-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21) on Friday morning.

In the victory over the Eagles (8-4), freshman middle blocker Kendal Haywood slammed home a career-high 17 kills and was responsible for 20.5 points. Sophomore outside hitter Silvia Pertens tallied a season-high 12 kills in the match.

HOUSTON 3, EASTERN MICHIGAN 1

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 –
Despite trailing the Eagles by as many as six late in the set, the Cougars managed to fight off six-consecutive set points to tie the score at 24. With sophomore Kylie Napoleon at the service line, Houston went on a monstrous 7-0 run to take a 25-24 lead over EMU, which ultimately set the tone for the rest of the frame, as the Cougars went on to win the opening set 27-25.

Set 2 –
The Cougars opened up the second set in an early hole, falling behind to the Eagles by as many as 10 points midway through the frame. Much like the first frame though, Houston never caved and gave EMU a run for its money. Having trailed 24-18 for the second-consecutive set, the Cougars rallied off five-straight set points to bring themselves back within one, but this comeback effort was not enough, as the Eagles won the frame 25-23 and tied the match 1-1 at intermission.

Set 3
After trailing 6-2 to open things up in the third, Houston strung together a 6-1 run and took an 8-7 lead over EMU in a set that saw 10 ties and three lead changes. During that seven-point run, senior middle blocker Chenelle Walker collected a pair of her five kills in the match. The back-and-forth action continued through the middle part of the set, but once the Cougars took a three-point advantage at 20-17, the Eagles were forced to call their first timeout of the frame. Houston continued to apply pressure, as couple of kills and a service ace helped lead the Cougars to the 25-19 set victory.

Set 4
Neither team was able to gain an edge on the other, as the score was tied four times through the first 20 points of play in the final set. Once EMU took a three-point advantage at 18-15, Houston finished out the set on a 10-3 run, that saw seven kills from three different Cougars, including three from Haywood. That run carried Houston to a 25-21 set victory and a 3-1 match win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Houston won the opening-set 27-25, marking the ninth time this season the Cougars have won the first set of the match. Houston is now 5-0 in four-set matches.
The Cougars were held to under a .200 hitting percentage for the fourth time this season. Houston is 3-1 in such matches.
Freshman middle blocker Kendall Haywood tallied a career-high 17 kills and 20.5 points. She also tied her career-best with two service aces.
Sophomore outside hitter Silvia Pertens recorded a season-high 12 kills, falling one short of tying her career mark.
Junior outside hitter Megan Duncan put together her fourth double-double of the season, finishing the match with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Junior libero Katie Karbo finished the match with 23 digs, her sixth time this season with more than 20 digs in a contest.

UP NEXT
Houston plays in its second match of the day against Duquesne, as the Cougars will square up with the Dukes at 6 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 –