Houston’s Rebecca Rocassin (8) reacts with her teammates on scoring a point during the second half of an NCAA women’s college volleyball match, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in Houston. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Houston volleyball opened home conference play against the No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Houston came in with hopes to improve on their 6-6 record, but a close fifth set ended in Houston defeat, demoting their record to 6-7.
The fifth set was close as both teams were desperate to win the match. It went point-for-point to 7-7, and Houston fought to establish a lead.
The Cougars lost their drive as TCU managed to take over 14-7. With a service ace by TCU’s senior defensive specialist Cecily Bramschreiber, the Horned Frogs won their third and final set.
The Horned Frogs jumped out to an early four-point lead at the beginning of set one. TCU dominated the early minutes of the match tallying four quick blocks.
Six straight points from Houston, including two kills from graduate outside hitter Angela Grieve and two service aces from graduate libero Kate Georgiades, allowed the Cougars their first lead of the match.
During a fiery exchange, the ball went back and forth until a kill by senior outside hitter Katie Corelli secured a crucial 19th point for Houston. She would go on to score the next two points, earning Houston 21 points in the first set.
A late UH rally ended with a kill by TCU’s redshirt freshman outside hitter Becca Kelley. The Cougars lost set one 25-21.
Set two began with several attack errors from Houston, which put them behind by four points early in the set. Multiple back-to-back kills by TCU broadened their lead, leaving Houston trailing 12-4.
A kill by TCU’s senior outside hitter Melanie Parra ended set two as a close loss for the Cougars. TCU owned the set as Houston was unable to tie or lead during the entire match. Houston entered the third set with hopes to win their first match and prevent a sweep from the Horned Frogs.
In set three, both teams were tied at five points before Houston stormed ahead with a 10-6 lead.
As the match progressed, Houston struggled to maintain a lead as the score became tied 19-19. Back-to-back kills by Houston forced a TCU timeout late in the third set. Already leading, a kill by Grieve secured Houston’s first match point and saved the Cougars from a sweep.
Houston jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set.
UH scored seven straight points to take a 14-5 advantage, and they maintained a sizable lead throughout the rest of the match. A TCU service error forced a final set as Houston earned their second match point.
Even in defeat, the Cougars demonstrated their resilience by coming back from a 0-2 start and maintaining close sets for the rest of the game.
TCU’s Parra led both teams with 22 kills. Sophomore setter Lily Nicholson tallied an astounding 47 assists. TCU’s strong net play ended up being the difference in the game, as they totaled 14 blocks and 55 kills.
Houston’s Grieve led the Cougars with 17 kills and also three aces. Graduate setter Annie Cooke finished with 25 assists, and redshirt junior middle blocker Barakat Rahmon led the team with three blocks. Georgiades led both teams with 20 digs.
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“Houston volleyball comes up short in fight with No. 22 TCU” was originally posted on The Cougar