Houston falls to No. 9 Arizona State in a matchup of two top blocking teams

Houston volleyball faced off Friday night against the No. 9 Arizona State Sun Devils at the Fertitta Center in the second to last home game of the season for Houston, which saw it lose 3-1.

The Sun Devils headed into this match looking to clinch first in the Big 12, and the Cougars were looking to spoil ASU’s night and end their 13-match losing streak.

This matchup also saw the two best blocking teams in the Big 12 conference going against each other, with the Sun Devils ranked first and the Cougars second.

Houston averages 2.54 blocks per set, but is without the fourth best blocker in the conference, senior middle blocker Kellen Morin, who averaged 1.25 blocks per set.

“It’s a go-getter mentality, honestly,” redshirt junior middle blocker Ella Wendel, who has stepped up into the starting lineup in Morin’s absence said. “We are always saying that hungry dogs run faster.”

Wendel, who finished with seven kills and three blocks, also explained that defense is always a key focus for the team during practices.

And the defense showed out for the Cougars during this matchup, with high levels of hustle being shown on various plays during the game. Including some big plays by freshman libero Gillian Pitts during the second set, which led to UH’s only set win in the match. 

“She has grown a lot this season, and I think that she’ll continue to show that,” senior libero Alana Torres-Rivera said about Pitts.

In the final stretch of matches, the main focus for Houston is to help its underclassmen players get some key in game reps versus high level competition, and keep their hopes up for the future of the program.

“A big part of is it reminding the freshmen, this has been just a bad year for us.” Wendel said. “So they can lock in, stay, and believe in these coaches and this program.”

The Cougars next matchup will see them travelling to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on Wednesday, Nov 26, at 6 p.m.