Houston Wins The American West Division Title

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Volleyball team claimed The American Athletic Conference West Division title by taking down Memphis is straight sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-16) on Saturday afternoon.
 
Houston's winning of the West Division is the program's first title of any kind since joining The American. Saturday also improves the Cougars (12-2, 8-0 AAC) conference record to 8-0, the first time that has happened since 2000.
 
For the second time in as many days, defense fueled Houston to victory, as the Cougars held the Tigers (5-7, 2-6 AAC) to a minuscule hitting percentage of just .074, marking a season-low for a Houston opponent. Houston's presence at the net kept Memphis off balance, recording 10 blocks in the match, the fifth double-digit blocking performance for the Cougars this season.
 
Set 1

• Houston wasted no time coming out of the gates, scoring four of the first five points of the match.
• After a kill by sophomore Rachel Tullos stretched the lead to five, Memphis was forced to call a timeout.
• The Tigers trimmed the gap to just two points, but a dump off from freshman Annie Cooke put the Cougars back in front, 10-7, which sparked a 4-1 run from Houston.
• Memphis called a break in action, but that didn't stop the momentum on Houston's side, which cruised to the 25-18 set win to take a 1-0 match lead.

Set 2

• Another strong start from Houston resulted in a seven-point lead at the 10-3 mark.
• A kill from sophomore Abbie Jackson stretched the Houston advantage to 17-6, which proved to be enough of a cushion to pace the Cougars to the 25-17 set win and 2-0 match lead.

Set 3

• With both teams trading leads to start the set, Houston began to pull away, building a three-point lead at 9-6, resulting in a timeout from Memphis.
• The break in action never stopped the Cougars though, who came out of the break scoring four unanswered points to build and seven-point lead, which they never looked back from in route to the 25-16 set win and 3-0 match victory.

UP NEXT
Houston continues its four-match homestand to close out the 2021 spring season, as the Cougars host No. 6 Baylor at 6 p.m., Thursday. Fans wishing to watch the game can do so on ESPN+
 
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