Houston Cougars volleyball players celebrate a point during the second set of the volleyball game against Texas Tech on Saturday, November 10th, 2024 in Houston, Texas. | Joshua Braggs/ The Cougar.
UH volleyball went 1-1 during their week of Big 12 in which they faced Iowa State and Texas Tech. The team is now 11-11 on the season and 6-6 in conference play.
Houston Blues
Houston volleyball debuted their new Houston Blue uniforms in front of an energized crowd Saturday afternoon but was swept by Texas Tech in straight sets.
The Cougars never led in the first set but stayed competitive, tying the game multiple times.
The tide turned when Texas Tech put together a five-point run to reach set point. Houston stayed alive thanks to a service error from the Red Raiders, but Texas Tech closed out the set with a 25-16 victory.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair, featuring 12 ties, but Houston could not manage to take the lead.
A kill from junior outside hitter Avery Shimaitis tied the set at 19, but Texas Tech quickly answered with three straight kills.
Houston fought back, with senior outside hitter Katie Corelli contributing two crucial kills to bring the Cougars to 21 and 22 points.
Corelli then teamed up with freshman middle blocker Addisyn Pohl for a block assist that tied the set at 23.
A service error from freshman outside hitter Lily Barron put Texas Tech one point away from the win, but the Raiders followed with an error of their own to extend the set.
However, Texas Tech capitalized on two consecutive blocks to win the set 26-24, leaving Houston trailing 0-2.
Despite their efforts, the Cougars struggled to maintain momentum in the third set.
They tied the game at 12, but Texas Tech pulled away, a three-point run brought on match point.
Graduate outside hitter Angela Grieve, Houston’s leader in kills, kept the Cougars alive with a critical kill.
Still, just one sequence later, Texas Tech’s sophomore middle blocker Regan Engler delivered the match-ending kill, securing the 25-19 victory.
Graduate libero Kate Georgiades continued her strong defensive play, recording 16 digs, for her 26th consecutive match with double-digit digs.
Brooms in Iowa
Their trip to Iowa to start the week had a much different ending.
The team dominated the Cyclones in Aimes, Iowa on Wednesday night winning all three sets.
UH jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the third set before Iowa St closed the gap. Houston extended the lead to 16-7. While the Cyclones fought hard for the last few points, the Cougars ended the match and final set 25-16 on a kill from Grieve.
The first set went entirely point for point between the Cougars and Cyclones as both teams landed on a tie at 21. UH went on a 4-1 run to win the first set on a kill from senior outside hitter Katie Corelli.
Houston faced a bit of adversity down 16-10 and 21-15 vs Iowa State in the second set. However, the Cougars fought hard and had an incredible 10-1 comeback to win the set. There were kills from multiple Cougars and ended the set on an ace from graduate setter Annie Cooke.
Grieve and Corelli led the Cougars with 12 kills each. After clinching her fourth Big 12 defensive player of the week honors, graduate libero Kate Georgiades continued to shine as she recorded 18 digs.
Next up, Houston will host Utah at home on Nov. 14.
