University of Houston
East Carolina
Cougars Topple ECU on Senior Night
11/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
HOUSTON â€" Houston Volleyball said farewell to an incredible senior class and sent their departing veterans off with a victory as the Cougars trounced East Carolina, 3-1, Friday night at the Athletics/Alumni Center. Brookah Palmer paced the Cougars with 17 kills on the evening.
With the victory, the Cougars improve to 19-11 overall and 9-9 in American Athletic Conference play. East Carolina is now 11-17, 4-13 in the league.
The final tally in Houston's favor was 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-20.
Following the match, the Cougars honored seniors Olivia O'Dell, Sophie Paine, Destiny Patterson and Courtney Smith. Together, the quartet has accounted for eight selections on the American Athletic Conference and Conference USA Academic Honor Rolls, and they have the Cougars within striking distance of their first 20-win season since 2008.
O'Dell was Houston's defensive stalwart in her final home appearance, leading the back line with 24 digs. Paine led the Coogs with 23 assists in her last Cougar Den match, while Patterson tallied nine digs and Smith collected four kills to go with two service aces.
Chenelle Walker added 13 kills and six blocks, including a pair of solo efforts, while Keandra McCardell finished the home schedule with a double-double, including 23 assists and 16 digs.
As a team, the Cougars hit .211 on the night, with 60 kills. Houston held the Pirates to a .121 hitting percentage.
Ashton Mares led ECU with 15 kills, and Erika Figueroa was tops among all players with 28 digs.
The first set was incredibly tight, as Houston rallied quickly from an early 8-3 hole. The Cougars tied the frame at 12-all on a McCardell kill and took the lead one point later on a kill from Walker. But ECU reestablished the lead on a Cougar error at 21-20, and they clinched the set, 25-23, on a kill by Kierra Lee-Dunson.
Houston hit .349 in the second set and dominated the frame on the way to an easy victory. A block by Walker and Shelby Harper gave the Coogs a 6-5 lead, and they never trailed again. A Hunter Wise kill at 11-7 forced ECU's first timeout, and Palmer forced another with a kill that made it 17-10. On the first set point, Sarah Afflerbaugh smashed a kill to give the home team a comfortable 25-18 win that evened the match at one set apiece.
The Cougars scored the first three points of the third set and were in control most of the way. Five straight points on the strength of Palmer's serve, including two service aces, stretched the lead to 11-4, though the Pirates did rally to tie the set at 15-all. But Wise gave the momentum back to the Coogs with a kill on the next point, and a Harper kill clinched it. The Coogs won the set, 25-21, to take a 2-1 lead.
Houston closed out the night on a high note, tallying 16 kills in the fourth set. Claire McCown recorded five of her nine kills in the final stanza, including a monstrous smash at match point to send the Athletics/Alumni Center into a celebration. Houston won the final set, 25-20.
Kaddie Platt's team won seven matches at home in 2015, including three matches on the way to the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup championship in September. To get to the 20-win plateau, though, the Cougars will have to win at least one more match on the road.
NEXT SERVE
Houston Volleyball closes out the 2015 season with two road matches next week. The Cougars will face Cincinnati on Wednesday at 6 p.m. followed by a match at Memphis on Friday at 1 p.m.
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