Houston volleyball flew to the Bahamas this past weekend for the first tournament played on foreign grounds in NCAA history.
In a tournament with several high-level programs, some of the most memorable moments were made when nobody could watch, at least online, due to a 40-minute power outage delay.
Dancing with the Wildcats: Cougars fall to No. 3 Kentucky
One intense battle between Houston and No. 3 Kentucky wasn’t even on the court. It happened during an unexpected power outage that forced both teams to take a break. They decided to get into a friendly competition that didn’t involve volleyball.
It went from rock-paper-scissors, to a dance battle to group line dancing. The teams came to a hard-fought tie during their intermission.
On the volleyball side, the Wildcats showed why they are a force, being ranked top ten in the nation in assists per set. Kentucky took all three sets of play, taking control of the first two sets before the Cougars gave the No. 3 team in the country trouble, taking a three-point lead near the end of the set.
After a big combined block from sophomore middle blocker Tara Greenberry and junior outside hitter Kamille Gibson, Houston took a 23-20 lead in set three, before the Wildcats would come back and finish their sweep.
Junior outside hitter Sydney Jones led Houston in the attack, getting eight kills to go alongside four blocks from Greenberry.
No. 14 Purdue sweeps the Cougars in opening match of Paradise Invitational
Houston started its Paradise Invitational journey with a matchup against No. 14 Purdue, where offensive struggles did not help the Cougars, as Purdue won in straight sets.
During the third set freshman libero Cali Reece subbed in to help spark a run with her serving.
Reece would get back-to-back aces, and help the Cougars get four in a row during her serving run.
Junior setter Kalei Edson racked up 30 assists against the Boilermakers, getting 52 in two games in this tournament.
The Cougars struggled offensively against the Boilermakers, with UH getting a .182 hitting percentage versus .311 from Purdue.
Gibson got 11 kills against Purdue to lead Houston, including two aces and two blocks.
Overall, Houston ended this tournament 0-2, dropping its record to 5-3 on the year.
Coming up next, the Cougars will play two games on Friday, Sept. 18, at Fertitta Center. One of them is at noon against UTSA, and the other is at 6:30 p.m. against Texas State.
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