Offense Erupts in Wins Over SFA

HOUSTON – Behind a combined hitting percentage of .338, the University of Houston Volleyball team's offense guided the Cougars to a pair of victories over Stephen F. Austin on Thursday inside the Athletics/Alumni Center.

The Cougars (3-1) began the day taking down the Ladyjacks (10-4) by a score of 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 25-14, 25-21) and posting a clip of .327, before sweeping (25-16, 25-14, 25-14) SFA in the second matchup, behind a .357 hitting percentage.

Thursday's matchups were the second and third time that Houston has reached a .300 hitting percentage in the David Rehr era, having won all three occasions.

Houston's offense erupted for 64 kills in the first contest, marking the most kills in a four-set match since the Cougars recorded 67 in the 3-1 win over UCF on Oct. 20, 2017. The Cougars saw a balanced attack with five different players surpassing the double-digit kill mark.

In the second matchup of the day, everyone that recorded an attack for Houston also posted a kill, resulting in another steady balance in the Cougars' offense. The .357 hitting percentage is the highest in a single match since the Cougars posted a .369 mark in the 3-1 win over Lamar on Sept. 8, 2018.

MATCH 1: Houston 3, SFA 1
Set 1

Houston wasted no time making its presence felt and went up 8-2 after an ace from junior libero Torie Frederick cemented the hot start for the Cougars.
Sophomore outside hitter Abbie Jackson continued to pace the offense and notched her fourth kill to put Houston ahead 13-6.
Another kill from Jackson stretched the lead to 19-11, where the Cougars ran away with the 25-16 set win.

Set 2

After a slow start from the Cougars, Houston was forced to call a timeout, trailing 14-9.
Houston brought the score to within three at 17-14, but the deficit was too much to overcome, falling 25-19 in the set.

Set 3

A back row attack from Jackson set the tone for Houston, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
The seventh kill of the match from sophomore middle blocker Isabel Theut kept the Cougars without an error in the set, leading 9-3.
Junior outside hitter Kortlyn Henderson slammed home a thundering kill to put Houston out in front, 14-8.
Sophomore middle blocker Rachel Tullos showed why she's one of the best in the country, as her solo stop gave the Cougars a 10-point advantage, where they never looked back in route to the 25-13 win.

Set 4

Houston found itself in a six-point deficit early, trailing 12-6 before the Cougars called a break in action.
The Cougars came out of the timeout a strung together a 9-3 run to tie the score at 15.
With the score knotted at 20, Houston closed out the set scoring five of the final six points to set seal the 25-21 win and match victory.

INSIDE THE BOX

Sophomore outside hitter Abbie Jackson posted a match-high 20 kills. She tallied a career-high 15 digs for her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
Jackson was joined by sophomore right-side hitter Celeste Darling (12), junior outside hitter Kortlyn Henderson (11), junior middle blocker Isabel Theut (10) and freshman middle Rachel Tullos (10) as those with 10 or more kills.
Freshman setter Annie Cooke dished out a career-high 57 assists in the match. Cooke's 57 helpers are the most in a four-set match since Caitlin Ogletree handed out 58 in the 3-1 win over ECU on Oct. 8, 2011.
Junior libero Torie Frederick logged a career-high 27 digs. Her previous high was 25.
Freshman defensive specialist Sarah Martinez collected 12 digs.

MATCH 2: Houston 3, SFA 0
Set 1

Houston's presence at the net was felt early on with a couple of overpasses from SFA that resulted in kills for the Cougars.
Holding a 15-10 advantage, the Cougars scored three unanswered points to stretch the lead eight, which proved to be the difference in the 25-16 set win.

Set 2

With a two-point edge, Houston began to pull away in the second set after a surprise dump-off from freshman setter Annie Cooke to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead.
The Cougars then stretched the advantage to 21-13, forcing a timeout from the Ladyjacks, but the deficit proved too overwhelming as Houston took a 2-0 match lead, courtesy of the 25-14 set two victory.

Set 3

Serving played a prevalent role early, as four the first eight points from the Cougars came from service aces.
Houston managed to build itself a seven-point lead at 16-9, resulting in a SFA timeout.
The Cougars came out of the break and closed out the set on a 9-5 run to win 25-14 and cement the 3-0 sweep.

INSIDE THE BOX

Freshman defensive specialist Sarah Martinez posted a career-high 16 digs, her third 10-dig performance of the season.
With 10 digs, junior libero Torie Frederick has logged double-digit digs in all four matches this season.
Sophomore defensive specialist Karly Berkland recorded a career-high three service aces.

UP NEXT
Houston concludes its four-match homestand when the Cougars host Prairie View A&M on Thursday, Feb. 4. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

With no fans in attendance, those wishing to watch Houston's home matches can do so by viewing Houston's contests on its Facebook page here.

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.

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Team Stats

Abbie Jackson

Celeste Darling

Kortlyn Henderson

Isabel Theut

Players Mentioned

Karly Berkland

Annie Cooke

Celeste Darling

Torie Frederick

Kortlyn Henderson

Abbie Jackson

Sarah Martinez

Isabel Theut

Rachel Tullos

Players Mentioned

Karly Berkland

Annie Cooke

Celeste Darling

Torie Frederick

Kortlyn Henderson

Abbie Jackson

Sarah Martinez

Isabel Theut

Rachel Tullos

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