East Carolina University
Houston
Volleyball Falls In Houston 3-1
October 26, 2007 | Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2007
HOUSTON, Texas - Facing a 2-0 deficit, the East Carolina volleyball team rallied to take game three but fell 3-1 to Houston inside the Athletics and Alumni Center Friday evening. The Pirates' sixth-straight loss drops them to 12-14 overall and 3-8 in conference play. The Cougars improved to 12-10 on the season and 7-4 in C-USA. ECU's 96 digs are the second-most in school history for a match and the highest total for a regular-season C-USA contest.
After the Pirates took a 5-2 advantage in game one, Houston went on a 6-0 run to assume an 8-5 lead of their own. East Carolina would get no closer than two the rest of the frame as the Cougars cruised to a 30-21 victory.
Houston kept a slim two-point advantage early in game two but with the score in favor of the Cougars 15-13, they went on a 4-0 run to lead by seven. However, the Pirates responded with an 11-6 stretch to pull within 25-24. ECU tied the game at 26, 27 and 28 but Houston rattled off two points to close out the frame 30-28.
With neither team pulling ahead in the third game, the frame found itself tied at 20 until the Cougars scored four-consecutive times to force a Pirate timeout. It was effective as East Carolina scorched Houston eight times to assume a 28-24 advantage. However, the Cougars rallied with a 5-0 run to force match point at 29-28. The squads traded match points until with the score knotted at 32, the Pirates found two points to steal the frame 34-32.
The fourth game was tight throughout but with the score tied at 21, Houston made key plays to put together a 5-0 run which put the match away. The Cougars took the frame 30-23.
Kelley Wernert continued her solid senior campaign play, slapping 25 kills while completing her 12th double-double of the season with 12 digs. Peyton Thompson also reached double figures with 14. Trish Monroe notched 25 digs, her second-highest total of the season, leading five Pirates in double-figures. In returning to her home state, Katie Koop turned in 52 assists and enjoyed her eighth double-double of her rookie season by tallying 10 digs. The Spring, Texas native now has 10 matches with 51 or more helpers.
Houston edged East Carolina in offense, recording more kills (72-66) and having the better hitting percentage (.216-.206). The Pirates did win the defensive battle 96-93 while the Cougars won the battle at the net 16-8.5.
ECU will stay in Houston in preparation for a Sunday tilt five miles across town at Fox Gymnasium against Rice. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
