Friday, September 27
Houston
7 p.m.
University of Houston
7-9, 1-0American
3
vs
2
SMU
7-4, 0-1American
1
2
3
4
5
F
SMU
25
23
23
20
14
2
Houston
15
15
26
25
16
3
Houston Completes Comeback in Five-Set Thriller
9/27/2019 11:42:00 PM | Volleyball
Cougars win first conference-opener since 2015
HOUSTON – After falling in the first two sets, the University of Houston Volleyball team stormed back to win its conference opener 3-2 (15-25, 14-25, 27-25, 25-20, 16-14) over SMU inside the Fertitta Center on Friday night.
The victory marks the first time the Cougars (7-9, 1-0 American) have opened conference play with a win since 2015 when Houston took down SMU in straight sets. Friday night's win over the Mustangs (7-4, 0-1 American) is also the second time this season Houston has won a match after trailing 2-0.
With her 18 kills and 12 digs, senior outside hitter Megan Duncan recorded her 18th double-double of her career. She was joined by freshman outside hitter Abbie Jackson as those with double-digit kills on the night for the Cougars.
While sophomore setter Kelsey Childers handed out a team-best 22 assists, junior setter Abby Irvine dished 16 helpers and tallied 11 digs, marking her eighth double-double of the season. Senior libero Katie Karbo recorded a team-high 19 digs and is now 40 digs away from passing Natalie Keck (2011-14) on Houston's career digs list.
Houston 3, SMU 2
Set 1
Freshman outside hitter Rachel Tullos got the Cougars on the board with Houston's first kill of night, but the Mustangs started to put together a run midway through the set, which forced Houston to call a timeout, trailing 19-13. The timeout wasn't enough to stop the momentum as SMU went on to close the set on a 6-2 run and win 25-15.
Set 2
Tullos continued to put her defense on display, posting one of her four solo blocks on the night to keep the Cougars within arms distance at the 14-9 mark. After the Cougars closed the gap to four, the Mustangs strung together an 8-2 run and never looked back from that point to win the second frame 25-14 and claim a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3
Houston came out of the intermission looking to make a statement, as a kill from Jackson tied the score at seven. Once Houston took the lead, sophomore outside hitter Alexis Cheatum and sophomore middle blocker Isabel Theut put a wall up at the net to stretch the advantage to 11-8. The Cougars continued to apply pressure, as another run extended the lead to five and forced SMU to call a timeout. After the Mustangs came back to tie the score at 24, the Cougars quickly bounced back and scored three of the final four points to win 27-25 and force a fourth set.
Set 4
The Cougars carried their momentum into the fourth, having outhit the Mustangs .344-.256. Of the 14 kills Houston recorded in the frame, Duncan posted seven of them, with Jackson finding four of her own. Behind them two and 14 digs as a team, the Cougars claimed the fourth 25-20.
Set 5
After a slow start resulted in them trailing by three at the 10-7 mark, the Cougars later found themselves in a hole, as they trailed 14-11 in the match. Once Houston fought of three-straight match points, an attacking error from SMU was capitalized on by a solo block from Tullos to seal the 16-14 comeback victory for Houston.
UP NEXT
Houston hosts Memphis on Sunday for a 1 p.m. first serve, where the Cougars will look to go 2-0 for the first time since 2013. Tickets for the match are on sale now and can be purchased here.
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:
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 –
The victory marks the first time the Cougars (7-9, 1-0 American) have opened conference play with a win since 2015 when Houston took down SMU in straight sets. Friday night's win over the Mustangs (7-4, 0-1 American) is also the second time this season Houston has won a match after trailing 2-0.
With her 18 kills and 12 digs, senior outside hitter Megan Duncan recorded her 18th double-double of her career. She was joined by freshman outside hitter Abbie Jackson as those with double-digit kills on the night for the Cougars.
While sophomore setter Kelsey Childers handed out a team-best 22 assists, junior setter Abby Irvine dished 16 helpers and tallied 11 digs, marking her eighth double-double of the season. Senior libero Katie Karbo recorded a team-high 19 digs and is now 40 digs away from passing Natalie Keck (2011-14) on Houston's career digs list.
Set 1
Freshman outside hitter Rachel Tullos got the Cougars on the board with Houston's first kill of night, but the Mustangs started to put together a run midway through the set, which forced Houston to call a timeout, trailing 19-13. The timeout wasn't enough to stop the momentum as SMU went on to close the set on a 6-2 run and win 25-15.
Set 2
Tullos continued to put her defense on display, posting one of her four solo blocks on the night to keep the Cougars within arms distance at the 14-9 mark. After the Cougars closed the gap to four, the Mustangs strung together an 8-2 run and never looked back from that point to win the second frame 25-14 and claim a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3
Houston came out of the intermission looking to make a statement, as a kill from Jackson tied the score at seven. Once Houston took the lead, sophomore outside hitter Alexis Cheatum and sophomore middle blocker Isabel Theut put a wall up at the net to stretch the advantage to 11-8. The Cougars continued to apply pressure, as another run extended the lead to five and forced SMU to call a timeout. After the Mustangs came back to tie the score at 24, the Cougars quickly bounced back and scored three of the final four points to win 27-25 and force a fourth set.
Set 4
The Cougars carried their momentum into the fourth, having outhit the Mustangs .344-.256. Of the 14 kills Houston recorded in the frame, Duncan posted seven of them, with Jackson finding four of her own. Behind them two and 14 digs as a team, the Cougars claimed the fourth 25-20.
Set 5
After a slow start resulted in them trailing by three at the 10-7 mark, the Cougars later found themselves in a hole, as they trailed 14-11 in the match. Once Houston fought of three-straight match points, an attacking error from SMU was capitalized on by a solo block from Tullos to seal the 16-14 comeback victory for Houston.
Houston hosts Memphis on Sunday for a 1 p.m. first serve, where the Cougars will look to go 2-0 for the first time since 2013. Tickets for the match are on sale now and can be purchased here.
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.
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarVB, and "Like" UHCougarVB on Facebook.
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 –
Team Stats
SMU
UH
Kills
61
44
Errors
36
26
Attempts
183
173
Hitting %
.137
.104
Points
75.0
70.0
Assists
59
42
Aces
6
6
Blocks
8.0
20.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
2
Aces
0
Blocks
9
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
S/DS
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballMB
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