The Athletics/Alumni Center will host volleyball’s next three matches. | File photo/The Cougar

After opening their season just miles down the road at the Houston Baptist University, the Cougars will play on campus grounds for the first time on Friday at the Houston Cougar Classic.

In their first tournament of the season, the Cougars finished as the runner-up of the Marriott Houston Westchase Invitational with a 2-1 record. The Cougars’ single loss came against Weber State University, who went undefeated against the competition and won the tournament.

The Cougars played without sophomore outside hitter Brookah Palmer, but freshman hitter Megan Duncan stepped in and had 32 kills in the three games.

Duncan struggled in the first two matches as she averaged a .187 kill percentage before coming back in the final match with a .450 attack rate.

Another freshman, libero Katie Karbo, also started in all three matches and averaged 20 digs per match. Her 60 digs leads the American Athletic Conference.

Entering the Cougar Classic, the Cougars will face three teams who have a combined 2-9 record in 2016. In their first game of the tournament, the Cougars will face off against another Houston neighbor, the Texas Southern University Tigers, at 1 p.m. on Friday.

The Cougars are undefeated all-time against the Tigers and will look to make it four straight. The Cougars have lost only two sets to the Tigers although both losses came in the last meeting between the teams in 2013.

There will be a short break before the Cougars return to face, for the first time, the Idaho State University Bengals at 7 p.m. The Bengals enter the tournament with a 1-3 record after finishing last season 24-13 overall.

The Cougars will close out the tournament against the Lamar University Cardinals at 12:30 p.m on Saturday.

UH is 42-21-1 in the all-time series against the Cardinals and swept Lamar in the teams’ last meeting in 2014.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Volleyball sets to defend home court” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar