Strong Effort Not Enough Against No. 5 Baylor

WACO, Texas – The University of Houston Volleyball team had its five-match winning streak snapped on Thursday night, as the Cougars fell to No. 5 Baylor by a score of 3-1 (16-25, 23-25, 25-23, 18-25).

The Cougars (5-5) showed their fight and grit all night long, having forced a fourth set after taking down the Lady Bears (6-0) in the third. Houston overcame 14 ties and seven lead changes in the third frame, with their resiliency guided them to the set victory.

Houston also matched Baylor at the net, as each team blocked 9.0 balls on the night, marking the second time this season the Lady Bears did not out blocked their opponent. The Cougars' front line was guided by sophomore middle blocker Isabel Theut and freshman middle blocker Rachel Tullos, who each had four blocks.

On the night, Houston was led by freshman Abbie Jackson, who posted a team-best 18 kills. Junior Abby Irvine tallied her fourth double-double of the season after handing out 31 assists and recording 12 digs. Senior libero Katie Karbo tallied 18 digs on the night, moving her into third on the program's all-time digs list with 1,916.

Houston 1, Baylor 3
Set 1
After the Lady Bears began the match with a five-point lead, Tullos put up a block at the net to trim the deficit to 7-3. Once the Cougars fell behind and were forced to call a timeout, they came out of the break and scored four unanswered points to bring the score back to four at 12-8. Baylor responded with a 7-2 run of its own, which proved to be the difference, as the Lady Bears took the first set 25-16.

Set 2
With the two teams in a seesaw battle to start out the second, redshirt junior defensive specialist Kylie Napoleon tallied her a service ace to tie the score at six. Once the Lady Bears built themselves a five-point lead, Theut helped keep the Cougars within striking distance with a couple of kills to trim the deficit to two late in the set, forcing a Baylor timeout. The Cougars managed to tie the score at 23, but they couldn't maintain their momentum, as the Lady Bears went on to score the final two points and win the set 25-23.

Set 3
Jackson continued to pace the Cougar offense, giving Houston the 8-7 lead with her 11^th kill of the night at that point. Houston stretched its lead to three, but a 4-1 run from Baylor tied the score at 13, resulting in the Cougars taking a timeout. After another kill from Jackson gave Houston a two-point advantage at 18-16, Baylor climbed its way back into it and tied it all up at 22. Houston recovered from the Baylor rebuttal though, as a monster block from both Theut and Irvine cemented the 25-23 set victory for the Cougars and force a fourth frame.

Set 4
Baylor opened things with a slight, two-point edge, but a kill from Jackson brought the score to 9-8 in favor of the Lady Bears. Once the Cougars found themselves trailing by four midway through the set, Jackson continued to try to keep Houston in it with another kill, bringing the score to 18-15. The deficit proved to be too much to overcome for the Cougars, as the Lady Bears went on to win the set 25-18 and claim the 3-1 match victory.

UP NEXT
Houston wraps up its time at the Baylor Invitational on Friday when the Cougars go up against RV Tennessee. First serve against the Lady Vols is slated for 3 p.m.

NEW GAMEDAY PROCEDURES
Those looking to watch the Cougars in action in 2019 are now advised to park in the Stadium Garage on Holman Street as well as Lot 16B on the southeast corner of Elgin and Cullen in front of Moore's School of Music.

Fans can park in both areas for $5, which will be open two hours before first serve. On days where other events are occurring on campus, $5 parking lots will still be available at locations to be determined later.

To enter the Fertitta Center, doors will only be open at the Holman Street entrances, where fans can purchase single-game tickets for as low as $5. Fans can buy tickets in advance now by either clicking here or calling (713) GO-COOGS.

Along with the list of prohibited items, also new to Houston Volleyball fans in 2019 is a Clear Bag Policy, which is being incorporated to help provide a safer environment for the public and to expedite fan entry into the Fertitta Center. The UH Clear Bag Policy strictly limits the size and types of bags that are permitted into the Fertitta Center.

Items such as backpacks, large bags and diaper bags are not permitted. Fans are strongly encouraged to not bring any bags. However, the following will be permitted:

Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12" x 6" x 12"
One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar)
A small clutch purse no larger than 4.5" x 6.5" with or without a handle or strap. These small clutches are subject to search.
An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at the entrance by arena personnel.

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 –

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Abbie Jackson

Isabel Theut

Megan Duncan

Kendall Haywood

Players Mentioned

Abby Irvine

Abbie Jackson

Katie Karbo

Kylie Napoleon

Isabel Theut

Rachel Tullos

Players Mentioned

Abby Irvine

Abbie Jackson

Katie Karbo

Kylie Napoleon

Isabel Theut

Rachel Tullos

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