UH volleyball is NCAA Tournament bound for the first time since 2000. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar
For the first time since 2000, UH volleyball is headed to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the 22nd-ranked Cougars’ 20-match win streak coming to an end at the hands of No. 23 UCF in the regular-season finale on Friday night in Orlando, Florida, UH earned the American Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by taking the tiebreaker, which came down to sets won in the two head-to-head matchups, 5-4.
With a 19-1 conference record, UH finished the season as co-champions of the AAC with UCF.
In the program’s biggest match in over 20 years, the Cougars were unfazed and jumped out to a 5-0 first-set lead. UH never relinquished the lead, winning the set 25-20.
The Knights gave the Cougars a taste of their own medicine in set two, using a 6-1 run to take the set 25-20.
A late 7-0 run was not enough for UH to overcome a 10-point deficit in the third set, as UCF won 25-21 to gain a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The Cougars bounced back in the fourth set with a 25-19 victory, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set. UH clinched the AAC’s auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the fourth set due to the season tiebreaker which was determined by sets won in the two head-to-head matchups between the Cougars and Knights.
The fifth set was tight throughout but the Knights used a 3-0 run to secure a 15-12 victory.
UH finished the regular season at 28-3.
