Houston Volleyball Sweeps North Alabama, McNeese to Close Non-Conference Play

HOUSTON– The Houston Volleyball team posted its fifth and sixth sweeps of the year to defeat North Alabama and McNeese in the Cougars' final day of non-conference play inside Fertitta Center on Saturday.

MATCH ONE - HOUSTON 3, NORTH ALABAMA 0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-23)
Houston and North Alabama traded blows throughout much of the first set. While Houston jumped out to an 8-4 lead, the Lions fought back to tie the set at 10-10, one of nine ties in the frame. Facing another stalemate at 23-all, a block from junior Halle Schroder and redshirt senior Kellen Morin gave Houston set point, but North Alabama fought it off to force extra points. After another missed set point at 25-24, the Cougars closed out the set with a block from Morin and senior Lottie Scully to seal a 27-25 win.

Houston and North Alabama evenly split the first 14 points of the second before a 5-0 run for the Cougars gave Houston the lead for good. Maintaining the five-point lead at 21-16, the Cougars kept the Lions at an arm's length to win the second set, 25-20.

Another close set early, North Alabama earned a three-point lead at 12-9 and maintained their edge until late in the frame. Down 23-18, Houston rattled off a 7-0 run to secure the sweep, 25-23.

NOTABLES
·       The win marked the 50^th non-conference victory for Houston under Head Coach David Rehr.
·       Scully recorded her 30^th career double-double behind 42 assists and 13 digs. Schroder also earned a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.
·       Senior Alana Torres-Rivera continued a hot-hand on defense with 24 digs, a new career high.

MATCH TWO – HOUSTON 3, McNEESE 0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-18)
Houston maintained its momentum after a four-hour break, allowing only one tie in the first set of the nightcap of the doubleheader. Splitting the first two points, Houston used three 3-0 runs to take a 15-6 lead at the media timeout. The Cougars continued to control play after, posting 4-0 and 3-0 stretches to win the first, 25-11.

McNeese fought back in the second. With 10 ties and five lead changes, the Cowgirls found themselves with a 17-15 edge late in the frame. A 6-0 run for the Cougars put Houston back in front, keeping McNeese from tying the set again to win, 25-22.

Houston sealed the sweep with a strong third set. A 7-0 run put Houston up 14-8, and the Cougars kept McNeese from mounting a comeback to take the set 25-18.

NOTABLES
·       Scully's seven kills were the most from a Houston setter since Annie Cooke posted eight against Temple on Oct. 29, 2021.
·       Torres-Rivera recorded 30 digs, Houston's third most in a three-set match in program history. It also marked her first time tallying 30-or-more.
·       Torres-Rivera recorded 20-or-more digs for the third consecutive match, posting a new career-high in each of the last three matches.
·       Fifth-year Aidan Conner made her Cougar debut in the match, posting two blocks, including the match-ending stop.
·       Freshman Aubrey Sears posted her first career kill in the third set.
·       Gonzales earned 11 kills in the final frame, Houston's most by an individual in a single set this season.

UP NEXT
Houston opens league play at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday as it heads to TCU for its first Big 12 Conference tilt of the season.

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