Houston volleyball celebrates in a match with Texas Tech on Sept. 27 in Houston. | Karolina Navarro/The Cougar
Houston volleyball held its Big 12 Conference home opener at the Fertitta Center against the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday afternoon. While the Cougars fell short in the third set, they clutched the fourth, 29-27, and secured a 3-1 win. (25-21, 25-13, 25,16, 29,27)
Redshirt senior Kellen Morin was the star for Houston, finishing with four kills on eight swings for an impressive .500 hitting percentage. She also added two block assists, helping shut down key scoring opportunities for the Red Raiders. In a back-and-forth set, the Cougars sealed the win for the first set, 25-21.
Sophomore Avery Shimaitis led the way for Houston in the second set with a .800 hitting percentage, finishing with four kills and two block assists for a team-high five points.
Redshirt senior Barakat Rahmon added three kills and two block assists to give the Cougars an additional spark at the net.
The Red Raiders came back strong and hit over .250 while holding the Cougars down to a hitting percentage of .029. The ending score of the third was 25-16.
In the fourth set, the Red Raiders caught up and took the lead. Houston ended up coming back to tie, and the Red Raiders fought off a set point to force extras. Even after that, the Cougars secured their Big 12 Conference home opener with a 3-1 win.
They are now 8-5 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12.
The Houston Cougars return to action on Oct. 1 as the team takes on Baylor at the Ferrell Center.
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