BATON ROUGE, La. -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team fell 3-0 to Houston on Friday afternoon in its season opener. Despite a strong push in the second set, the Cardinals were unable to overcome the Cougars' late runs, falling 25-16, 25-20 and 25-17.
SET ONE: UIW held an early lead until Houston used a 4-0 scoring run to take a 6-4 advantage. A kill by Alex Beauchamp sparked a 4-0 run for the Cardinals, bringing the game even at nine. Freshman Mya Cheatum tallied four kills as UIW entered the media timeout trailing by one. Houston came out of the timeout with a run of its own, extending their lead to 18-14. Vanessa Ergie recorded her first kill of the match, but the Cougars went on a 5-0 run to take the opening set.
SET TWO: The second set opened with both teams trading points. Cheatum continued to lead the Cardinals offensively, recording three kills before the media timeout as UIW trailed by just two. Out of the timeout, a kill by Calissa Allison started a 5-0 scoring run for the Cardinals. Allison and Sofia Grimm teamed up for a block, while Ashton Rogers added a service ace to give UIW a 18-15 lead. The Cougars came storming back for a 9-1 run to close out the set and take the 2-0 lead.
SET THREE: Early errors and a relentless Cougar attack forced the Cardinals to take an early timeout as Houston built an 11-6 lead. Allison recorded three kills out of the huddle to help bring UIW within six points. Houston began to pull away on a 5-0 run, extending its lead to double digits. The Cardinals continued to chip away at the lead, but Houston's lead proved too large to overcome as the Cougars secured the set with a third-set victory.
NOTABLES:
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Allison continued to fill the stat sheet, recording two blocks, nine assists and one service ace.
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Two Cardinals recorded double-digit kills, with Victoria Hall leading the team with 14 and Allison adding 11.
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Cheatum shined in her collegiate debut, earning the start at outside hitter and tying for the team lead with nine kills while hitting .238.
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Eregie led the Cardinals with a .444 hitting percentage, recording five kills on nine attempts.
The Cardinals will wrap up their stint in Baton Rouge tomorrow, Aug. 29, when they face LSU at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on X @UIWAthletics, and on Instagram @uiw_athletics.
Follow the team on X @UIWVolleyball and on Instagram @uiw_volleyball.
