University of Houston
SMU
Volleyball Ends Regular Season at SMU with 3-1 Win
11/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 21, 2001
DALLAS, Texas - If Wednesday night's volleyball match against SMU was the last of her collegiate career, University of Houston outside hitter Jennifer Wittenburg certainly made the most of it.
Wittenburg, the 2001 Conference USA Player of the Year, blasted 35 kills with 31 digs for her seventh consecutive double-double and her fourth straight match with at least 30 kills.
In the fifth and final game, the Houston native almost single-handedly propelled the Cougars to the win. With the Cougars trailing 8-5, Wittenburg led the Cougars on a 10-4 run by recording seven of the team's next nine points with kills.
Wittenburg and her Cougar teammates must now wait to learn if they will make their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their 12th straight postseason berth overall. The field of 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament will be announced Monday afternoon.
UH (16-11) can present a solid case to the NCAA Selection Committee with a winning streak toward the end of the year. The Cougars ended the 2001 regular season as winners of 11 of their last 14 matches and will record their 20th straight winning season.
Jane Anne Karasek and Jenny Tanneberger also registered double-doubles of their own for the Cougars. Karasek, playing against her younger sister Beth who leads SMU in kills this season, registered 17 kills with 16 digs, while Tanneberger added 16 kills and 14 digs.
Senior Gabi Carbone posted 24 digs on the defensive side, while Donna Sellen recorded 13 digs to go with a match-best 65 assists. Nicole Meusborn also added 11 digs in the winning effort, making her one of six Cougars in double figures in digs.
After dropping the first game 30-23, the Cougars rallied to win game two by a 30-26 margin and tie the match at one-all heading into the locker room at the intermission. Leading only 15-14 midway through the game, UH went on a 6-1 run for a more comfortable 21-15 lead. The Cougars then held off a furious SMU rally late to tie the match.
In game three, UH erupted out of the gates, scoring the game's first eight points and 16 of the first 19 points for a commanding lead. However, SMU staged another comeback, going on an 11-1 run late, before the Cougars settled down to score five of the game's last seven points in a 30-25 win.
SMU tied the match with a 30-26 win in game four and jumped out to an 8-5 lead before Wittenburg led the late Cougar rally.
LINESCORE
Houston 23 30 30 27 15
SMU 30 26 25 30 12
