University of Houston Athletics
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CINCINNATI, OH (Nov. 12) -- The University of Houston women's volleyball team suffered a set-back in its quest for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament, falling to American Division rival Cincinnati Friday night in Ohio by the score of three games to none. Even after a 15-4, 15-9, 17-15 defeat however, Cougars can still clinch the tournament's No. 1 seed with a win in the final C-USA match of the year Sunday afternoon at Louisville.
Cincinnati quickly broke the first game wide open and used the momentum to complete the sweep. For the match the Bearcats out-hit Houston .264 to .175 and although the Cougars entered the match as the top blocking team in the league, UH was out-blocked 15 to 5 and had only one block in the first two games. In game three, Houston rallied from a 13-7 deficit to take a 15-14 lead but couldn't finish off UC for a win. It was only the second defeat for UH in its last 18 matches and the first time to be swept three-games-to-none since September 14.
Junior outside hitter Stephanie Heiskell's 17 posted kills to lead players, including four Cougars in double-figure kills. Cincinnati's Stephanie Meinig had 14 kills and a .429 hitting percentage.
Cincinnati improved to 23-5 overall and an American Division leading 12-3 in league play. Houston, which has already clinched C-USA's National Division, fell to 19-7 on the year and 13-2 in conference. The Cougars play at Louisville's Cardinal Arena in the final match of the year on Sunday. First serve will be at 1:06 p.m. Eastern Time.
Conference USA Volleyball Linescore Houston 4 9 15 Cincinnati 15 15 17
Kill Leaders
Stephanie Heiskell (UH) 17
Stephanie Meining (UC) 14
Records
Houston (19-6, 13-1)
Cincinnati (23-5, 12-3)