East Carolina University
Houston
Cougars Outlast Pirates In Four Sets
October 08, 2011 | Volleyball
Oct. 8, 2011
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina grabbed the first set against Houston Saturday, but the Cougars rallied to down the Pirates 3-1 in a Conference USA match at Minges Coliseum. ECU falls to 2-13 overall and 0-6 in league play while Houston improves its record to 11-5 and 4-2.
While middle hitter Lucy Charuk led all players with 21 kills, two Pirates posted double digits in Amanda Lutzow and Whitney Campbell with 11 and 10, respectively. Lutzow recorded her first double-double of the season, adding a team-best 17 digs. Shelby Beasley also reached double figures in the defensive column with 12.
At the net, Kelly Derby racked up a match-high seven blocks (six assists), helping East Carolina earn a 9.0-7.0 advantage in the statistic. Zarah Cecich also handed out 33 assists in the four frames - a personal best for the freshman.
The Cougars used a prolific offensive attack to hold off the Pirates as they downed 67 kills on 144 attempts with just 25 errors for .292 hitting mark. ECU did put up its second-highest percentage of the season, hitting .176 with 41 kills on 136 attacks to go along with 17 errors.
With the score at 8-5 in favor of Houston in the first set, the Cougars scored three-straight to force a timeout from the East Carolina bench. They would keep that margin until a Katie Norris attack error allowed the Pirates to tie the frame at 17. The teams then traded timeouts after which Houston clung to a 21-19 advantage.
Two kills from Campbell and Lutzow would cap a 3-0 run which gave ECU a 22-21 lead and East Carolina would reach set point at 24-23 when Hannah Allgood put down a kill. The Cougars called their final timeout, but it proved ineffective as an errant pass led Caitlin Ogletree to commit a ball-handling error - giving the Pirates the set.
Houston took control from the outset of the second interval, rushing ahead 8-2 on a kill from Charuk. ECU fought its way back into the frame, using an 11-7 run over the next 18 rallies to make the score 15-13. However, with the Cougars holding a 17-15 advantage, they would take the next two points to establish a four-point cushion. The Pirates would come no closer the rest of the way, leaving the match tied headed into the intermission.
East Carolina battled the visitors to a 10-10 stalemate in the third set, but a devastating 7-1 run which was capped off by a Norris service ace proved too much for ECU to handle. The Pirates pulled the score back to within 19-15 when Chandace Tryon committed an attack error. However, Houston rattled off the final six points of the frame.
It was ECU which pushed in front 7-3 at the outset of the fourth interval, but the Cougars were able to rattle off six consecutive scores to make it 9-7. The Pirates responded with a 5-3 run to force a 12-12 tie, however, two attack errors helped Houston reclaim a three-point edge.
Two Lutzow service aces knotted the score once more at 17 and with East Carolina hanging close, Kadi Kullerkann recorded a kill to give her team a 22-20 advantage. The Cougars reached set point with a 24-21 lead and despite a kill from Britney Roper, the Pirates were called for reaching too far over the net - ending the contest.
The two teams will match up again at Minges Coliseum tomorrow at 1 p.m. to close out the weekend.
