#24 Volleyball Advances to NCAA Tournament Second Round

Friday, December 1

Stanford, Calif.

6:30 p.m. CT

University of Houston

19-9,11-7Big 12

UC Santa Barbara

27-5,17-1Big West

UC Santa Barbara

Houston

#24 Volleyball Advances to NCAA Tournament Second Round

12/1/2023 10:29:00 PM | Volleyball

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Cougars down UC Santa Barbara in four sets to open NCAA Tournament

STANFORD, Calif. – The #24 (8) University of Houston Volleyball team defeated UC Santa Barbara, 3-1, to advance to the team's second consecutive NCAA Tournament Second Round at Maples Pavilion on Friday night.

Houston (19-9, 11-7 Big 12) had three players register double-digit kills, as graduates Kenna Sauer (18), Abbie Jackson (16) and Nena Mbonu (12) all met the threshold. Mbonu also tallied a .545 hitting percentage with a 12-0-22 line. Jackson also had an impressive line, hitting .353 with just four errors on 34 attempts.

Junior Kellen Morin posted a career-high nine blocks in the match while adding four kills and a dig. Graduate Morgan Janda and senior Kate Georgiades tied for the team lead with 13 digs each. Senior Annie Cooke tallied 24 assists while Sauer also added five assists.

SET ONE
While UC Santa Barbara jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Houston quickly closed the gap and took the lead with a 4-0 run of its own. The teams traded points throughout the remainder of the set, facing 11 tied scores before Houston took an 18-17 lead. The Gauchos surged with a 4-0 run to take the lead, holding off the Cougars for the remainder of the set to win, 25-21.

SET TWO
Houston seized the momentum early in the second, winning 10 of the first 15 points. UC Santa Barbara chipped away at Houston's lead, getting within two at 14-12, but the Cougars extended their lead back to five with a 3-0 run. The Gauchos came soaring back with a 4-0 run, eventually tying the set at 20-20 and while the set would again be tied three more times, Houston earned back-to-back points at 23-23 to win the set.

Sauer tallied nine kills in the second frame, hitting .438, while Mbonu went 3-0-4 for a .750 efficiency.

SET THREE
The score remained even early as the teams sat tied at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3, before Houston earned a small lead at 7-5. UC Santa Barbara kept Houston close and evened the score at both 7-7 and 9-9, but Houston used a 7-0 run to claim the lead, and while the Gauchos used a 5-0 stretch to shrink their deficit to two, the Cougars closed the set on an 8-1 stretch to claim the frame, 25-16.

Jackson tallied five kills in the set while Morin earned three blocks.

SET FOUR
UC Santa Barbara earned a quick 5-1 lead after a 4-0 run early. Houston responded with a 7-0 run to take a 10-6 edge and further extended their advantage to six at 15-9. The Cougars kept the Gauchos at arm's length, but a 4-0 run for UC Santa Barbara cut the lead to three. A 3-0 stretch for Houston reestablished a firm lead and the Cougars punched their ticket the second round with a 25-18 set win, taking the match, 3-1.

NOTABLES

Houston advances to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the fourth time in program history (1993, 1994, 2022). Houston is 2-2 in second round matches historically.
Janda (19 assists, 13 digs) and Jackson (16 kills, 11 digs) each tallied double-doubles in the match. It marked Janda's 41^stcareer and Jackson's 42^nd career double-double.
Jackson has posted double-digit kills in 103 career matches.
Georgiades has tallied double-digit digs in 99 career matches.
Sauer's five service aces were the most for a Cougar since Jackson tallied six against ECU on Sept. 30, 2022.

UP NEXT
Houston continues NCAA Tournament play in the second round, facing #2 (1) Stanford at 8 p.m. CT, Saturday in Maples Pavilion. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

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