Houston had a successful trip to Lake Charles, LA going 2-1 and placing second in the Big Daddy’s Invitational, improving their season record to 4-2.
The weekend started with a stumble as UH was swept by UT Arlington (26-24, 25-21, 28-26). Redshirt junior Kadi Kullerkann led all scorers with 17 kills and senior libero Natalie Keck had 24 digs. However, the Mavericks outshot the Cougars .161-.154.
Things got better Friday afternoon as the Cougars swept Jackson State (25-21, 25-17, 25-22). Kullerkann added 13 more kills, giving her 30 for the day. Freshman Bryanna Lawrence added 11 kills and 9 digs, furthering her early-season success.
In the Cougars’ final match of the tournament, host McNeese State played proved a tough challenge. Houston won the first set 25-16 but McNeese quickly tied up the match with a 25-20 victory in set two. The Cougars took the next two sets 25-13 and 25-20, holding the Cowgirls to .026 hitting in the third set to close the match out 3-1.
Senior right side Courtney Warren led the way against McNeese with18 kills and hitting .324, while Kullerkann added 16 kills to total 46 for the tournament and 116 for the season.
The Cougars look to continue their hot streak at home this weekend at the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup with the first match against Oral Roberts at 6 p.m. on Friday Sept. 12.