Houston’s Kate Georgiades (17) and Katie Corelli (21) chest bump as the team celebrates scoring during the first half of an NCAA college Volleyball match, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston volleyball defeated both UCF and Cincinnati 3-1 in back-to-back Fridays of conference play, improving their conference record to .500 on the year. The team is currently in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 rankings.
Graduate libero Kate Georgiades used the two matches to extend her streak of double-digit digs to 30.
In the first set against UCF, Houston tallied a .433 hitting percentage, while the Knights held a mere .033. The Cougars stormed out to a 16-8 lead, thanks to six kills. As the set continued, Houston maintained its pace, taking the last three points to win by 12.
UCF found its rhythm in the second set, making Houston’s path to victory less clear. The set saw 14 deadlocks. Graduate outside hitter Angela Grieve contributed two kills during a four-point Cougar run, giving Houston a two-point lead, but UCF answered with a 6-1 run to take a 24-23 lead. The teams traded points for the next nine scores until UCF finally took two straight to clinch the set.
The teams continued trading points in the third set, with UCF taking a brief 19-17 lead before Houston tied it at 19. Two straight kills from redshirt freshman outside hitter Ashlyn Bellamy and a service ace from Georgiades gave Houston a one-point lead. It took Houston winning five of the last seven points to secure a 25-22 victory.
With one set remaining, Houston went up 18-12, driven by three consecutive kills. A competitive rally between Bellamy and UCF’s redshirt freshman middle blocker Sasha Cohen accounted for five straight points, with Houston claiming four of them. Houston ultimately won the set 25-17, and Bellamy finished the night with her second double-digit kill game.
Houston volleyball followed this with a four-set victory over Cincinnati at Fertitta Center on Friday, Nov. 1. Senior outside hitter Katie Corelli led the Cougars with 18 kills, marking her 30th career match with double-digit kills. Grieve also impressed, achieving her 10th career double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs to secure the 3-1 home win.
Adding to the offensive effort, Bellamy posted a career-high 12 kills and three blocks, while Georgiades anchored the defense with 31 digs and seven assists. Redshirt junior Barakat Rahmon tallied 10 blocks, becoming the first Cougar to reach double digits in blocks since Rachel Tullos recorded 12 against South Florida in October 2022.
The opening frame was tight, with neither team able to establish more than a two-point lead until Cincinnati used a 3-0 run to go up 11-8. The Bearcats seemed set to hold the advantage, but the Cougars clawed back, evening the set at 19. After tying again at 23, the set extended, with Cincinnati finally clinching it 28-26 after a 4-1 run.
Houston responded in the second set, jumping to a 7-0 lead and never looking back. The Cougars dominated offensively, at one point claiming a double-digit lead, and went on to win 25-9.
Cincinnati started strong in the third, briefly leading 3-1 before Houston tied it at 6 and used a 5-0 run to take control. The Cougars withstood a late Bearcat comeback attempt to take the set 26-24.
Cincinnati again scored first in the final set but couldn’t hold back Houston. After facing a 10-6 deficit, Houston tied it at 15, eventually gaining a two-point lead at 17-15. The Cougars held onto their lead, winning 25-21 to secure the 3-1 match victory.
Up next, Houston will hit the road to face Iowa State for a midweek match on Nov. 6.
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“Houston volleyball takes back-to-back contests 3-1” was originally posted on The Cougar