rv Houston Volleyball Storms Past Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – The rv Houston Volleyball team continued its hot start to the season with a second straight sweep, downing Duke as junior Halle Schroder paced the team with 13 kills and a .294 hitting percentage and redshirt senior Kellen Morin dominated with eight kills and six blocks inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Morin, returning from injury that kept her off the court entirely in the 2024 season, could not be stopped as she posted a .500 hitting percentage on an 8-1-14 line while adding six blocks, participating in over half of Houston's total. Schroder and senior Bre Reid each tallied 13 kills and two aces while Schroder notched two blocks.

Freshman Gillian Pitts earned her first career double-digit dig performance with 11 in the match, while senior Alana Torres-Rivera used three aces to lead the match in the category with Scully also recording a pair.

While Duke was able to jump out to a 10-7 lead with a 3-0 run early in the first set, Houston closed the gap at 15-15. Behind kills from Scully and Schroder as well as a Blue Devils attack error, the Cougars used a 3-0 run to grab the lead then used another two 3-0 runs to seal a 25-19 set win.

Schroder led the match with five kills in the first set while three Cougars – Schroder, Scully and Pitts – tallied four digs each.

Houston kept its foot on the gas into the second set. A 5-0 run early in the frame put the Cougars up 10-5 and multiple short runs in the remaining points allowed Houston to cruise to a 25-13 win. Houston went 11-for-13 on sideout opportunities (84 percent) while limiting Duke to 11-for-25 (44 percent) in the category.

Morin's five kills paced all hitters in the second set, helping Houston hit .316 in the frame, and added three blocks to her tally.

The Blue Devils kept the third set closer. With 16 ties and seven lead changes, neither team was able to establish a lead. With the frame tied at 24-24, Houston was able to use kills from Morin and Schroder to close out the set and the match.

NOTABLES

Houston posted back-to-back matches with double-digit blocks for the first time since doing so against Cincinnati (10, Nov. 1, 2024) and Iowa State (13, Nov. 6, 2024).
The Cougars ceded just one block, it's fewest allowed since permitting one against East Texas A&M on Sept. 19, 2024.
Houston opened the season with back-to-back sweeps for the first time since the 2011 campaign when it downed Lipscomb and Xavier in straight sets.
Head Coach David Rehr has coached Houston to four 2-0 starts in his seven seasons at the helm.

UP NEXT
Houston closes the weekend with a 10:30 a.m. CT, Sunday, meeting against Bryant.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Volleyball joining the Point Houston Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Volleyball for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
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– UHCougars.com –

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Brenya Reid

Halle Schroder

Kellen Morin

Barakat Rahmon

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Kellen Morin

Gillian Pitts

Halle Schroder

Alana Torres-Rivera

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