Houston volleyball took down Cincinnati 3-1 to take sole possession of second place in the American Athletic Conference.
The win brought UH’s AAC record to 7-2.
Both teams started off by going on short runs caused by strong setting.
After the Bearcats seemed to be gaining momentum, senior middle blocker Isabel Theut added a big swing to bring the score within one at 8-7.
The Cougars posted two straight blocks to regain the lead 12-11.
Houston was able to create some breathing room after even more tough defense as a block from junior middle blocker Rachel Tullos gave UH a 17-13 advantage.
Tullos posted seven blocks on the night.
Tullos wouldn’t stop there. A huge kill down the middle forced a Cincinnati timeout.
The Bearcats came out of the huddle and went on a 4-0 run.
The set remained close, but a well-placed kill from junior outside hitter Abbie Jackson put the Cougars at game point.
A slam from Jackson ended the first set 25-20.
The second set saw more back-and-forth action.
Houston got ahead thanks to strong offense, leading 8-4 early on. But Cincinnati fought back to trail by just one.
After the Bearcats managed to regain the lead, UH called a timeout.
This time, Cincinnati was the first to hit 20, and from there the Bearkats never looked back. The Cougars dropped the second set 25-17.
The third set looked to be another close one, as the teams traded blows early.
A 3-0 run from UH gave the Cougars the momentum to lead 11-8. Another run sparked by senior outside hitter Kennedy Warren, who tallied 11 kills, would put UH ahead by five.
From there, the Cougars held on to the sizable lead to win the fourth set 25-20.
UH started things off with three straight points in the fourth set, but the Bearcats were able to match it.
The match was neck and neck until the Cougars dominated with a 10-0 run.
Down 21-13, there was not much Cincinnati could do to stop the onslaught brought on by UH.
Senior setter Kelsey Childers ended the game with an ace. The Cougars took the set 25-18.
Sophomore Setter Annie Cooke led on offense with 42 assists, while adding 13 digs. Sophomore libero Kate Georgiades finished with 15 digs.