University of Houston
Florida State
Volleyball Loses Tough Match Against No. 13 Florida State
9/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston volleyball team lost a tough match to No. 13 Florida State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-13), Friday night in the opening day of the Houston Invitational at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
"We played well at times," head coach Molly Alvey said. "We have to bear down and compete the entire match, especially when you are playing some of the top teams in the country. We need to be sharp and clear the whole time and we only were at spurts tonight."
"Chandace Tryon and Ashley Applequist came in and gave us energy tonight and the middle blockers continued to put the ball away."
Lucy Charuk led all Cougars with 12 kills and added two blocks. Amber Brooks paced the team with 30 assists and Amanda Carson tallied 11 digs.
Houston turned in a strong performance in the first set of the night. The Cougars struggled early but they would come back and knot the score at 12-12 and battle the rest of the way. They would force six tie scores and three lead changes before falling 25-19. Through the first set, Houston tallied 13 kills for a .321 hitting percentage.
Off the bench in the second set it looked as though Florida State would sail to a second set win, taking the early lead, 9-1. But as the Cougars had done in the first set, they battled hard and came back to within three, 14-11. UH would keep FSU on their toes the rest of the way before eventually dropping the set, 25-19.
In the third and deciding set, UH need a win to extend the match. Charuk led the effort with six kills but the Seminoles wouldn't be denied and they capped the first day of the tournament with the 25-13 win.
Houston will be back on the court Saturday at noon when they take on Oklahoma and then Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday when Florida State faces Tennessee. FSU will then play Oklahoma at 5 p.m.
Fans should note that with both the volleyball tournament and the football game being played on campus, volleyball fans should park in lot 16B for $10.
