ORLANDO – The UCF volleyball team fell 3-1 to Houston Friday night in The Venue.
The Knights (8-9, 1-7 Big 12) recorded 57 kills and 51 digs, whereas the Cougars (9-10, 4-5) tallied 60 kills and 54 digs while hitting for a .380 clip. Sasha Cohen had an electric game recording her first double-double of the season while also managing a career-high 15 kills. Heidi Bonde led the team in kills racking up 18 while Abby Schomers piloted the offense with 38 assists. Chloe Scheer recorded 11 digs marking her 16th double-digit dig game of the season. Cam Shelton recorded her first ace of her collegiate career.
Emily Wilson put the Knights on the board first with a kill. The teams traded points back and forth early, featuring four ties within the first six points of the match. However, a five-point run from the Cougars gave them a four-point lead, 10-6. Seven hitting errors from the Knights would be their Achilles’ heel in set one, allowing Houston to take the set 25-13.
A couple of tough rallies knotted the second set early, 3-3. However, the Black and Gold gained momentum to fuel a three-point run, 6-4. Houston answered with a run to take the lead back, 10-7. Katelyn Grimes served the Black and Gold back on top to give them a one-point edge, 14-13. The Knights held on to their lead by only one or two points until the Cougars clawed their way back into the game to tie it up at 18-18. Despite Houston taking the lead at 23-20, a kill from Bonde gave the Knights the lead at set point, 24-23. The Cougars wouldn’t let the set end easily, forcing four ties. The Knights ultimately triumphed taking the set, 30-28.
Set three was a back-and-forth affair that consisted of nine ties and five lead changes. From the jump, the Knights and Cougars would grapple for the lead until back-to-back kills from Houston allowed them to take control at 9-6. A similar tale to the last set, the Knights proved to be relentless, staying on the Cougars until a kill from Cohen tied the teams back up again at 11-11. From there, back-to-back kills from Bonde gave the Knights a two-point lead, 14-12. The Knights hung onto the lead until a six-point scoring push from the Cougars tied it at 19. Houston didn’t give up its lead and took the third set, 25-22.
The Cougs took control of the fourth set early going up 6-3. Although UCF stayed close behind, only trailing by a point or two, Houston maintained its lead heading into double digits, 12-10. The Black and Gold struggled to regain momentum, allowing Houston to take the biggest lead of the set at 17-12. The Knights chipped away at the scoring gap, but it wouldn’t be enough as Houston took the fourth and final set, 25-17.
UCF is back in action Wednesday, October 30 against Cincinnati. The match is slated for 7 p.m.