University of Houston
6-2,0-0Big 12
Texas A&M
7-2,0-0SEC
#22 Cougars Corral rv Aggies in College Station
9/13/2023 11:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Houston takes down Texas A&M for the first time since 1994
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The #22 University of Houston Volleyball team dominated the first two sets in a four-set win against in-state rival rv Texas A&M on Wednesday at Reed Arena. The win snapped an 11-match losing streak for the Cougars against the Aggies, marking the team's first win against Texas A&M since 1994 and the first win in College Station since 1992.
Junior Kellen Morin shined once again for Houston (6-2), posting 11 kills with a .600 hitting efficiency and a team-leading six blocks. Fellow junior Katie Corelli tallied a match-best 13 kills and a .455 hitting percentage.
Houston recorded a season-high 13.0 blocks with six Cougars tallying multiple in the match. Graduate Rachel Tullos earned five, including two solo efforts, while Corelli tallied four and graduate Abbie Jackson posted three. In addition to her five blocks, Tullos also added six kills with no errors on 10 attempts.
The Cougars move to 69-6 under Head Coach David Rehr when holding an opponent to a sub-.200 hitting percentage, limiting the Aggies (7-2) to a .105 mark in the match. The team also improved to 69-15 under Rehr when winning the first set, including a 6-0 mark this season.
SET ONE
Houston's offense was clicking from the start, forcing a Texas A&M timeout after winning the first five points and clinching a point on the other side of the break to cap a 6-0 run. While the Aggies fought back to a 10-4 mark, Houston rattled off a pair of 5-0 runs to ultimately put the set out of reach, winning 25-12.
The Cougars hit .370 in the opening frame behind four kills from Jackson and a trio of kills from both Corelli and Morin. Houston also limited Texas A&M to a .032 efficiency in the set, tallying three blocks and posting 17 digs.
SET TWO
While the Aggies took the first two points of the second, Houston wasn't phased, posting a 4-0 run to give the Cougars a lead they would never relinquish. While the teams would trade points in the remainder of the frame, the Aggies only scored back-to-back points twice in the set, allowing the Cougars to cruise to a 25-14 win.
Morin finished the second with a perfect 4-0-4 mark, while junior Annie Cooke posted seven assists and five digs. Houston refused to budge in the frame, tallying a sideout mark of 80 percent, successfully reclaiming the serve on 12 of 15 attempts.
SET THREE
Coming out of the extended set break, Texas A&M jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, although the Cougars would come back to tie the frame at 9-9. Houston answered a 3-0 Aggie run with a 4-0 run of its own to take a 13-12 lead, but Texas A&M jumped back out to a 20-16 lead late in the set. While the Cougars would get within two at 23-21, the Aggies were able to clinch the set to avoid a sweep, 25-21.
SET FOUR
The Cougars didn't let the setback of the third linger, earning a quick 5-2 advantage in the final set. While Texas A&M took the lead at 6-5, Houston tied the match three points later and then used a 5-1 run to take an 11-8 lead. Another 6-1 stretch for the Cougars pushed their lead to 17-11, from which the teams battled until Houston clinched the set, and the match, 25-18.
UP NEXT
Houston continues in College Station on Thursday with a 5 p.m. match in the team's non conference finale against Liberty.
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