Cougars Force Fifth but Fall to #17 Baylor

Saturday, November 23

Waco, Texas

2 p.m.

University of Houston

11-15,6-10Big 12

Baylor

20-7,12-4Big 12

Houston

Baylor

11/23/2024 7:06:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Match Book

Houston takes its second consecutive ranked opponent to a fifth set but ultimately fall to #17 Baylor

WACO, Texas – In its fourth consecutive match against a ranked opponent, the University of Houston Volleyball team took its second straight contest to a fifth set but ultimately fell to #17 Baylor, 3-2, on Saturday inside Ferrell Center.

Senior Katie Corelli continued a stellar senior season, posting a 19-6-41 line for a .317 hitting percentage to lead Cougar attackers. Behind her, both junior Avery Shimaitis and graduate Angela Grieve also tallied double-digit kills as each posted 11. Grieve earned her 95^th match with 10-or-more in the category while Shimaitis clinched her sixth of the season.

Grieve and graduate Annie Cooke tallied double doubles in the match. Grieve added 15 digs to her kill total for her third straight double-double while Cooke posted a team-leading 27 assists and 11 digs.

Shining on the defensive side of the ball, graduate Kate Georgiades notched her 30^th consecutive match with double-digit digs as she recorded 19 while redshirt junior Barakat Rahmon tallied a match-best five blocks.

While Houston (11-15, 6-10 Big 12) took the first point of the match, Baylor (20-7, 12-4 Big 12) immediately answered with three straight points to take the lead for good in the first set. Leading 15-11 at the media timeout, the Bears continued to control play, ultimately winning the set, 25-19.

Houston seized the momentum back early in the second set. Winning the first three points, the Cougars forced Baylor to take both of its timeouts before extending its lead to eight on the back of a 3-0 run at 15-7. Another 3-0 run later in the set clinched the frame for Houston, giving the Cougars a 25-18 win.

After splitting the first eight points evenly in the third set, Baylor used a 3-0 stretch to take the lead and extended its advantage to 15-9 by the media timeout. The Bears continued to hold a six-point edge at 21-15 then used a 4-1 run to seal a 25-16 set victory.

Baylor seemed to continue with the momentum from the third into the fourth, winning the first five points, but Houston responded with a run of its own to close the gap to 11-9 and evened the score after Baylor took its first timeout at 14-13. Facing ties at 14-14, 15-15, 16-16, 17-17 and 19-19, Houston finally used a 3-0 run to take the lead late, winning the set, 25-21, and forcing a fifth set for the seventh time this season.

The Bears started the fifth hot, winning the first three points and then forcing a Houston timeout at 6-2. Baylor extended its advantage to 10-3, but Houston used a 5-1 stretch to force the Bears to use one of their timeouts at 11-8. The Cougars' comeback came up short, however, as Baylor won the race to 15, taking the set, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.

NOTABLES
·       Houston out-blocked Baylor, 11.0-10.0.
·       Georgiades, a libero, now has at least one kill in each of her five collegiate seasons.
·       Cooke tied Sami Sawyer's mark of 140 career service aces for second all-time at Houston while Georgiades clinched sole possession of seventh on Houston's top 10 list with her 110^th ace.
·       Cooke has played in 138 career matches, moving her into sole possession of third on Houston's all-time list.
·       With another 19 digs today, Georgiades brings her career total to 2,540, the 23^rd most by a player in NCAA Division I history.

UP NEXT
Houston wraps up a three-match road swing with a trip to Lubbock, Texas, for a battle against Texas Tech. First serve on Wednesday is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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– UHCougars.com –