Dramatic Finishes Lead to Doubleheader Sweep

SAN ANTONIO – A pair of dramatic endings from the University of Houston Volleyball team paved the way for the Cougars to earn a doubleheader sweep over RV Maryland and UTRGV on Saturday and finish the UTSA Classic undefeated.

The Cougars (4-4) began the day trailing by two sets against the Terps (3-2), but stormed back to defeat Maryland, 3-2 (23-25, 9-25, 25-22, 25-17, 15-13). In the second matchup of the day, Houston completed its 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 26-14) sweep over the Vaqueros (4-3) after rallying off a pair of set points to win the third frame 26-24.

In the Cougars' comeback match against Maryland, freshman Abbie Jackson recorded the second double-double of her career, posting a team-best 16 kills along with 14 digs. Senior Katie Karbo joined Jackson as the Cougars with double-digits digs against Maryland, posting a season-high 26 digs in the contest.

Junior setter Abby Irvine paced the Houston offense with a pair of 40-assist outings. She followed her 44-assist performance against the Terps with another 40 helpers against the Vaqueros. Irvine has eclipsed the 40-assist mark in each of her past four matches.

Houston 3, Maryland 2
Set 1
Jackson continued to put her offense on display, as her fourth kill of the match tied the score at 12. After Maryland started to pull away late in the match, Houston showed its grit and managed to pull within a score, 24-23. The Terps responded though and came out of their timeout with a kill to seal the, 25-23 first set victory.

Set 2
Maryland quickly came out in the second set and scored five unanswered points to take a 5-0 lead. Once the Terps built their advantage to nine, the Cougars were forced to call a timeout, but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Maryland went on to win the set, 25-9, taking a 2-0 match lead at the intermission.

Set 3
After the Cougars began the set with a three-point deficit, Houston fired back with a 9-2 run that forced Maryland to call a timeout, trailing by four. During that 11-point stretch, four different players tallied kills for the Cougars, which helped them find a 16-12 advantage. From there, Houston managed to maintain its edge over Maryland all the way to the 25-22 set victory.

Set 4
Once again, the Cougars showed their grit, as they began the fourth stanza in a hole that they climbed out of. Once the Terps jumped out to a 10-7 lead, Houston scored four of the next five points to tie the score at 11, thanks to a huge block from freshman middle blocker Rachel Tullos and sophomore right side hitter Kendall Haywood. The two sides were then neck-and-neck with one another, but with the score tied at 14, Houston put the pedal to the floor and scored five unanswered points to force a Maryland timeout. The Cougars' momentum couldn't be stopped though, as Houston finished out the set on a 7-3 run to win, 25-17 and force a decisive fifth set.

Set 5
The final set saw a battle between the two squads, as neither team was able to hold more than a two-point lead. After a kill from Haywood that put Houston ahead, 11-9, Maryland called a timeout. With the Cougars clinging on to a one-point edge, Haywood slammed home to final point for Houston to seal the 15-13 set win and complete the comeback, giving the Cougars the 3-2 match victory.

Houston 3, UTRGV 0
Set 1
With the score tied 6-6, the match started off with both team battling it out, as neither team was able to gain an edge on the other. After a kill from Irvine put the Cougars ahead, 14-13, Houston went on a run and pushed the advantage to three, 19-16. The Vaqueros battled though, trimming the lead to just one, but the Cougars held them off the take the first set, 25-23.

Set 2
Houston carried that momentum into the second set, having jumped out to an early, 6-1, lead which forced UTRGV to call a timeout. The Cougars maintained their lead courtesy of another kill from Jackson. At the time Houston held a 15-6 advantage, five Cougars had posted four or more kills, which set the tone for the rest of the set, as Houston cruised to 25-13 victory and 2-0 match lead.

Set 3
After the set began in a seesaw battle, Houston began to pull away midway through the frame, resulting in UTRGV calling a timeout, trailing 14-10. The Vaqueros managed to climb their way back into it, and even held a 24-22 lead, but the Cougars never backed down from the challenge. Having fought off a pair of set points, Houston tied the score at 24, and once the Cougars took the lead, Jackson ended the match with her 16^th kill to cement the 26-24 and complete the sweep.

UP NEXT
Houston continues its 11-match road on Tuesday, as the Cougars travel to Lamar for a contest with the Cardinals. First serve for that matchup is slated for 7 p.m.

NEW GAMEDAY PROCEDURES
Those looking to watch the Cougars in action in 2019 are now advised to park in the Stadium Garage on Holman Street as well as Lot 16B on the southeast corner of Elgin and Cullen in front of Moore's School of Music.

Fans can park in both areas for $5, which will be open two hours before first serve. On days where other events are occurring on campus, $5 parking lots will still be available at locations to be determined later.

To enter the Fertitta Center, doors will only be open at the Holman Street entrances, where fans can purchase single-game tickets for as low as $5. Fans can buy tickets in advance now by either clicking here or calling (713) GO-COOGS.

Along with the list of prohibited items, also new to Houston Volleyball fans in 2019 is a Clear Bag Policy, which is being incorporated to help provide a safer environment for the public and to expedite fan entry into the Fertitta Center. The UH Clear Bag Policy strictly limits the size and types of bags that are permitted into the Fertitta Center.

Items such as backpacks, large bags and diaper bags are not permitted. Fans are strongly encouraged to not bring any bags. However, the following will be permitted:

Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12" x 6" x 12"
One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar)
A small clutch purse no larger than 4.5" x 6.5" with or without a handle or strap. These small clutches are subject to search.
An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at the entrance by arena personnel.

STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarVB, and "Like" UHCougarVB on Facebook.

JOIN POINT HOUSTON CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Volleyball program by joining the Point HOUSTON Club. To find out more information about the Point HOUSTON Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.

– UHCougars.com –

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Abbie Jackson

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