University of Houston
Toledo
Houston Drops Season Opener, 3-2, to Toledo
8/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 24, 2012
 Toledo(1-0) | 3 |  Houston(0-1) | 2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Toledo | 23 | 25 | 15 | 25 | 15 | |||||
| Houston | 25 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 11 |
OFFENSE
| Houston | K | A | SA | ||||||||||||||
| Katie Norris | 17 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Stephanie Nwachukwu | 15 | 0 | 0 | Chandace Tryon | 14 | 0 | 0 | Abby Simmons | 3 | 49 | 2 | ||||||
| Toledo | K | A | SA | ||||||||||||||
| Dakota Harkins | 13 | 0 | 0 |
DEFENSE
| Houston | Dig | BS | BA | ||
| Natalie Keck | 15 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Katie Norris | 12 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Toledo | Dig | BS | BA | ||
| McCall Paynter | 20 | 0 | 0 |
NUMBERS OF NOTE
500 Sophomore Natalie Keck notched her 500th career dig with her first dig of the game. She finished her freshman season with 499 and tallied 15 against Toledo to total 514.
3 Three seniors in Katie Norris, Stephanie Nwachukwu, and Chandace Tryon all had double-digit kills, led by Norris' 17.
1 The Cougars played their first game under new head coach Kaddie Platt.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Houston volleyball team dropped its 2012 season opener, 3-2, to Toledo in the Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic hosted by Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Friday.
The Cougars fall to 0-1 on the season. It was the first meeting between Houston and Toledo in school history.
Seniors Katie Norris, Stephanie Nwachukwu, and Chandace Tryon combined for 46 of Houston's 63 kills. Leading the way offensively was Norris with 17 kills, followed by Nwachukwu with 15 and Tryon with 14. Sophomore transfer Kaiti Waters added nine in her first game as a Cougar. Controlling the offensive tempo was senior setter Abby Simmons with 49 assists.
Defensively, sophomore libero Natalie Keck made 40 receives, while freshman Olivia O'Dell added 22. Four Houston players tallied double-digit digs, led by Keck's 15, Simmons' 12 and Norris and O'Dell with 11 and 10, respectively.
As a team, Houston tallied a .168 attack percentage, but was forced into 33 errors to Toledo's 24. The Rockets had 49 kills.
TOLEDO 3, HOUSTON 2
SET 1 - Houston 25, Toledo 23
Houston jumped out to an early match lead with a 25-23 Set 1 win led by a dominant offensive force on the outside. After trailing 11-5, the Cougars used two kills by Norris and a kill and block solo by Waters to bounce back with an 8-1 run to take over the lead. Toledo made its own run, trailing by just one at 21-20, but a solid finish by Houston allowed the Cougars to gain the early match advantage. Norris and Tryon tallied five and four kills respectively as Houston posted 16 successful attacks to Toledo's 11.
SET 2 - Toledo 25, Houston 21
Toledo took a 25-21 Set 2 win over Houston after posting just three errors to the Cougars' eight. Houston used two kills by Simmons, four by Nwachukwu and two by Howard to remain as close as 21-17 late in the set. The Cougars out hit the Rockets with 14 kills to 12, but Toledo's ball control sealed a second-set win.
SET 3 - Houston 25, Toledo 15
Houston used impressive ball control and solidified the attack around the net to garner a Set 3 win. Down early, the Cougars used back-to-back kills Norris and Tryon and an offensive-leading effort by Simmons to narrow the early deficit to 9-7. Nwachukwu came on strong mid-way through the set, tallying three kills during four Houston points to help take the lead over at 17-12. The Cougars minimized the errors at just four compared to Toledo's nine. A block assist by Tryon and Norris, service ace by O'Dell, a Toledo attack error and a final kill by Tryon sealed a Set 3 victory.
SET 4 - Toledo 25, Houston 23
Norris pounded out five kills in the early going of Set 4 including three straight to help Houston to a 12-9 lead. Nwachukwu, Waters and Norris then teamed up for three consecutive kills to build its lead to 14-10. However, Toledo would take advantage of several Cougar miscues and take the lead at 21-18 following a 5-0 run. Houston then used two Rockets errors to make it a one-point set, 22-21. The Cougars committed nine errors, but managed to tally 13 kills. Toledo found a way to finish the set following a tied score at 23-23 to force a fifth and final set.
SET 5 - Toledo 15, Houston 11
A service ace by Simmons put Houston on top 4-3, but a 4-0 run by Toledo gave them the advantage at 7-4. Back-to-back points by the Cougars kept them within reach. The Rockets held on to a lead, while Tryon's offensive effort helped Houston's stay within two at 13-11. Toledo finished with a kill and a Houston error to earn the win.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow all the action on Twitter @UHCougarVB or on Facebook at /HoustonCougarVolleyball. Also take in the action via GameTracker at http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/sportsimportsclassic-2012.html.
UP NEXT
Houston will meet No. 24 and tournament host Ohio State at 4 p.m. CT today. The Buckeyes will play their first game of 2012, while Houston enters the contest with a 0-1 record. Houston will wrap up the tournament at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday against No. 20 Oregon.
