UH volleyball graduate middle blocker Isabel Theut goes for the kill in the first set of the Cougars’ match against Texas on Thursday night in Austin. | James Mueller/The Cougar
AUSTIN — Despite taking the first set, No. 1 Texas proved to be too much for UH volleyball as the Cougars fell to the Longhorns in four sets on Thursday night at Gregory Gymnasium.
The electric crowd that packed Gregory Gymnasium didn’t seem to bother the Cougars, as they came out of the gates on fire, opening with an 11-3 run to begin the first set.
UH never open the door for Texas to get back in the set, hitting .600 percent as a team and tallying 16 kills to comfortably take the first set 25-17.
This marked the second time in program history that UH has won a set against the country’s No. 1 team. The only other time the Cougars took a set from the No. 1 team in the nation was in 1992 against UCLA.
The Longhorns reminded everybody why they are the country’s top-ranked team in set two.
Texas began the set on a 15-4 run. Down 23-9, the Cougars strung together six straight points to try to climb back into things, but that is as close as they would get as the Longhorns took the set 25-16.
Texas continued to flex its muscle in the third set, cruising to a 25-12 victory to go up 2-1 in the match.
UH hit just .067 in set two and -.043 in the third set.
The Cougars made things interesting in set four, going back-and-forth with the Longhorns to try to force a fifth, winner take all set.
Tied at 21, Texas got hot, taking four of the next five points to win the set and take the match 3-1.
With the loss, UH’s eight-game winning streak came to an end. The Cougars now sit at 8-2 on the season.
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