The Cougars believed they had turned the corner. They believed their two solid wins at the Athletics/Alumni Center last weekend were a sign of better things to come. They believed winning on the road was now a possibility.’
After all, they were visiting UTEP and Tulane, two teams they had beaten a month ago at home.
The outcome was a little different this time, however, and the Cougars, beliefs in tow, are headed back to the drawing board.
Friday, UH lost to UTEP 3-0 (25-27, 15-25, 8-25), and Sunday, Tulane also swept the Cougars 3-0 (12-25, 22-25, 19-25). The two sweeps drop UH’s record to 9-21 overall and 6-9 in Conference USA. UH’s loss to Tulane also ensures the Cougars of a losing record for the conference season.
For a road trip that went so poorly, it’s hard to believe that it got off to such a good start.
In Friday’s match the Cougars grabbed control of the first set. With the exception of four ties, the Cougars maintained the lead and at one point the Cougars led 21-16, and were on the verge of a crucial 1-0 lead in the match.
Then the Miners (11-17, 4-11) turned up their offense en route to an 11-4 run and a 27-25 victory. UTEP scored eight kills, with the other three points coming via a UH attack error, a block and a service ace.
After the discouraging defeat, the Cougars appeared to come unraveled, setting the stage for a long weekend. UH mustered only 23 points in the next two sets, including a meager two kills in the third set. The two kills were a season-low for a single set.
The Cougars carried their frustration into Sunday’s match in New Orleans against Tulane (16-8, 11-4), continuing to struggle offensively.
The Cougars totaled only 27 kills for the entire match and had only 12 points on nine kills in the first set.
UH did score 22 points in the second set, but Tulane also struggled with only 12 kills and eight attack errors. The Cougars struggled even more, producing only seven kills compared to 10 attack errors.
The Cougars played a little better in the third set, but the mountain was too high to climb as Tulane converted 16 kills for the sweep.
The Cougars will play their final regular-season match against cross-town rival Rice at 7 p.m. Thursday at Autry Court.
The C-USA Championship will also be held at Autry Court beginning Nov. 20.
