University of Houston
Israeli National Team
Volleyball Falls, 3-2, To Israeli National Team
8/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 31, 2011
| Israeli National Team 3, Houston 2 |
|---|
 |
| Stats |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Israeli National Team | 25 | 25 | 10 | 13 | 15 |
| Houston | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 10 |
| Quick Stats | UH | Israeli National Team |
| Digs | 56 | 60 |
| Assists | 50 | 56 |
| Kills | 57 | 58 |
| Blocks | 15 | 11 |
| Statistical Leaders | ||||
| Kills | Digs | Assists | BS/BA | |
| Lucy Charuk | 17 | 2 | 0 | 3/8 |
| Ingrida Zauere | 14 | 17 | 1 | 0/0 |
| Katie Norris | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0/3 |
 Schedule Roster |
Photo Gallery Houston - In front of a record 1,379 fans Wednesday night at the Athletics/Alumni Center, the University of Houston volleyball team overcame a 2-0 deficit and battled in the fifth set before falling 3-2 to the Israeli National Team.
"The crowd was awesome tonight," head coach Molly Alvey said. "They're one of our best assets and we have such a great venue because it's close and it's loud. The band was great, Coog Crew was here and we packed the house. It was fun night."
Senior Lucy Charuk led the Cougars with 17 kills on 31 attempts to post a .414 hitting percentage. Senior Ingrida Zauere posted a double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs, while junior Katie Norris had 13 kills.
Freshman Caitlin Ogletree added a game-high 44 assists and freshman Natalie Keck tallied 17 digs.
After falling behind 10-5 to open the match, Alvey was forced to call a timeout and regroup her team. Out of the break, the Cougars shook off the nerves and went on a 6-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back blocks from Charuk and Ogletree, to tie the score 11-11. After Israel pulled away again, Houston got within two of the lead, 22-20 but unable to overcome the deficit, dropping the first set 25-22.
In the opening set, Charuk and Zauere led the Cougars with a combined 10 kills on 15 attempts.
The Cougars jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set and looked poised to even the match. They traded points with Israel before taking a late lead, 21-20, on a block by Charuk and junior Stephanie Nwachukwu. A service error by Israel's Peham Shany would tie the score 22-22, but back-to-back kills by Israel put the Cougars one point away from falling in the second set. Charuk's kill extended the set, 24-23, but Israel took a 2-0 match lead on the next point.
Charuk continued her strong performance with five kills in the second set. She tallied 10 kills on 16 attempts through the first two sets.
After struggling through the first two sets, Houston stormed out to an 8-3 lead in the third set and never looked back. The Cougars' lead reach 20-6 after a 12-3 run midway through the set. Israel ended the run on two-straight points but the UH lead would be too much. Junior Chandace Tryon and Zauere notched back-to-back kills to give Houston a 25-10 win.
Houston carried the momentum from the third set to the fourth, opening to an 8-0 lead. The Cougars' lead reached 16-3 before Israel mounted a comeback. They would get within seven of the Cougars at 20-13 before UH sealed the deal with a 5-0 run and a 25-13 win.
In the final set, Houston fell behind early but was able to battle back and tie the score 9-9 on a block by Ogletree and Tryon. Israel answered with three unmatched points to force a Houston timeout. Trailing 12-9 out of the break, Houston pulled within two with a Tryon kill but was shutout in the match's final points.
UP NEXT
Houston will travel to Champaign, Ill., for the State Farm Classic Sept. 3-4. The Cougars will face No. 7 Illinois, No. 21 Dayton and Tennessee, who is receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
