Sports Volleyball

UH volleyball splits series with Wichita State to end regular season

UH junior outside hitter Kortlyn Henderson skies up to spike the volleyball on Friday night in a match against Wichita State. | Sean Marty/The Sunflower

UH junior outside hitter Kortlyn Henderson skies up to spike the volleyball on Friday night in a match against Wichita State. | Sean Marty/The Sunflower

Following a two-game losing streak, the Houston volleyball team finished its regular season with a couple of matches against the Wichita State Shockers on Friday and Saturday.

The Cougars aimed to wrap up their regular season on a high note at the Charles Koch Arena.

Here is how the finale doubleheader unfolded:

Friday

In the first game of a back-to-back, the Cougars came up short against Wichita State with a final score of 3-1.

Although the UH volleyball team tied the set 1-1 in the second match, the Shockers managed to outpoint the Cougars in the third (25-20) and fourth set (25-20).

As the Cougars’ primary playmaker, freshman setter Annie Cooke dished out a game-high 35 assists for the night. On the defensive side, junior libero Torie Frederick tallied a team-high 25 digs.

Moreover, senior defensive specialist Abby Irvine and sophomore outside hitter Abbie Jackson both scored a pair of 14 digs.

In all, the Cougars (12-5, 8-1 American Athletic Conference) aimed to bounce back after witnessing its unblemished run in the conference come to a conclusion.

Saturday

Nonetheless, UH regained momentum as they closed out their regular-season finale by defeating Wichita State in a 3-0 set clinical display.

Junior outside hitter Kortlyn Henderson led the team with 14 kills, while junior middle blocker Isabel Theut recorded 10 kills.

UH’s Cooke racked up a brilliant 37 assists for the stats sheet. On the other end, Frederick nodded 19 digs alongside Jackson with 13.

To cap off, this marks UH’s victory over Wichita State since Nov. 3, 2019. Not to mention, the Cougars (13-5, 9-1 AAC) ended the season strong.

Now the UH volleyball team is poised for another trip to the AAC Championship as it encounters Temple in the opening round next Friday at the Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati.

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