#20 Volleyball Drops Five-Set Thriller to #19 Kansas

Friday, September 29

Lawrence, Kansas

6:30 p.m.

University of Houston

7-4,0-2Big 12

Kansas

11-2,2-1Big 12

Houston

Kansas

#20 Volleyball Drops Five-Set Thriller to #19 Kansas

9/29/2023 10:51:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Match Book

Cougars fall in their first five-setter of the season

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The #20 University of Houston Volleyball team lost a five-set heartbreaker to #19 Kansas in its fourth match of the season against a ranked opponent, on Friday night at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

Junior Katie Corelli paced the Cougars (7-4, 0-2 Big 12) with a season-high 14 kills, hitting .393 in the match. Overall, four Cougars recorded double-digit kill totals with graduate Abbie Jackson (12), junior Kellen Morin (11) and graduate Nena Mbonu (10) joining Corelli.

Senior Annie Cooke posted her second double-double of the season, tallying a team-leading 29 assists and 13 digs, while senior Kate Georgiades posted a match-best 27 digs.

Houston's blocking effort found success in the match as the team tied their season-high of 13 blocks. Both Morin and graduate Rachel Tullos earned six blocks, while Mbonu tied her career-high with four stops and Jackson also tallied four blocks.

SET ONE
The teams traded the first six points of the match, but Houston used a 5-1 run to jump out to an 8-4 lead. The Cougars never lost the lead for the rest of the frame, at one point leading 20-12, and held off a late comeback attempt by the Jayhawks (11-2, 2-1 Big 12), to earn a 25-20 set win.

Jackson led Houston with five kills, while Cooke tallied seven assists and Georgiades posted eight digs.

SET TWO
Houston jumped out to an early 6-4 lead, but Kansas rallied back, claiming the lead at 7-6 and held the Cougars at arm's length for the remainder of the set. Houston nearly tied the frame late, coming within a point at 21-20 and 22-21, but the Jayhawks shut the door, 25-22.

SET THREE
Once again, the Cougars claimed the early edge, taking six of the first 10 points. Ultimately, the frame was a contentious affair, with 12 ties and five lead changes before Houston used a 3-1 run at 22-22 to claim the 25-23 set win.

SET FOUR
The Cougars offense surged in the fourth set, hitting .350 (16-2-40), but Kansas matched Houston's energy, posting a 20-3-42 mark for a .405 efficiency. Houston maintained a lead midway through the set, 14-11, but Kansas rallied back, tying the set at 19-19, and took the lead, 20-19. The Jayhawks held off the Cougars attempts to finish the match in four, winning the frame, 25-21.

SET FIVE
Each team took six of the first 12 serves, but Kansas used a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 lead, and the Cougars couldn't recover before the Jayhawks clinched the set, 15-11.

NOTABLES

Today's match marked the first time Houston had four hitters tally double-digit kills in the same match.
Georgiades tied her previous season-best of 27 digs set against SMU on Sept. 9.
The Cougars out-blocked their opponent for the eighth time this season.
Cooke moved up to seventh on Houston's career assists list, with her total sitting at 2,841. She passed Donna Sellen, who tallied 2,822 from 1999-2002.
With 465, Jackson moved into a tie for seventh with Kristin Guidish (1995-99) on Houston's career sets played list.
Morin has led the team in blocks in every match this season.

UP NEXT
Houston continues its series against Kansas and caps an over month-long road trip with the weekend finale against the Jayhawks tomorrow at 3 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

BUY TICKETS
Fans can purchase Houston Volleyball tickets by calling 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or by clicking here.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win in the Big 12. Click here to rise and be counted.

JOIN POINT HOUSTON CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Volleyball program by joining the Point HOUSTON Club. For more information about the Point HOUSTON Club, fans can click here or call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4684).

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarVB on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarVB. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarVB.