University of Houston
<b> Stephen F. Austin (Houston Tournament) </b>
Volleyball Knocks Off Stephen F. Austin
8/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2005
Stephen F. Austin - Houston Box Score
Download Free Acrobat Reader
HOUSTON - Three Cougars registered double-doubles leading the University of Houston volleyball team past Stephen F. Austin in four games (30-23, 24-30, 39-37, 31-29) on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
"I thought we were in a position to win last night, and then we fell apart in the middle of the match," head coach Bill Walton said. "We looked a little lethargic out there today at first, but we got it together."
Justine Farmer tallied her first double-double of her young career picking up 18 kills, and 24 digs, while Kariny Ritter fueled the offense with a team-high 19 kills on a .366 attack percentage. Ritter also added 11 digs, and 7 blocks.
The Cougars (1-1) also got a double-double from Kelly McAnelly who smacked 15 kills and 11 digs. Becca Sartori added 12 kills and 7 blocks, while Jaci Gonzalez anchored the back row with 28 digs for the victors.
Houston took game one 30-23 behind four kills from McAnelly, but SFA (0-1)responded to tie the match with a 30-24 victory in game two.
Game three was a back and forth affair featuring 14 ties and six lead changes. The two teams traded points well into the 30's. With Houston down 37-36, Jennifer Hohl alertly send the ball over on the second touch to even the game at 37. The Cougars used that momentum getting a block from the duo of Ritter and Sartori to grab a 38-37 advantage. UH closed the game out on the next point via a Ritter kill.
"Those games are special," Ritter said. "One play, one ball can win that type of game for you."
Houston fell behind 29-26 in game four, but closed the match out scoring the final five points for the victory.
"It could have gone either way," Gonzalez said. "But we took that momentum into the fourth game, and used that to our advantage."
The Cougars close out the Houston Tournament tonight at 8pm against Texas Tech. Individual tickets can be purchased for $5. UH students get in free showing their Cougar 1Card.
Cougar Bytes
Houston improves to 15-2 all-time against Stephen F. Austin ... Freshmen Justine Farmer and Kelli Adams made their second appearance in the starting line-up ... The double-double for Farmer (18 kills and 24 digs) was the first in her career ... Only three times last season did a Cougar other than Gonzalez total 20 digs in a match ... The double-double for Kariny Ritter was the ninth in her career ... Ritter has now posted a double-double in four consecutive matches dating back to last season ... Jaci Gonzalez has now totaled over 20 digs in her past five matches, while Kelly McAnelly extended her double-digit kill streak to five matches.
