College of Charleston
Houston Baptist
Volleyball Closes SMU Classic On High Note
9/20/2014 9:47:00 PM | Volleyball
DALLAS, TEXAS. – After a challenging first day of competition, College of Charleston volleyball resumed its winning ways on Saturday, downing Houston Baptist 3-1 (25-23, 25-14, 20-25, 27-25) in the SMU Classic tournament finale.
Cara Howley, Sloane White, Melissa Morello and Krissy Mummey all tallied double-digit kills to pace The College offensively, who outhit their Southland Conference opposition .243 to .203. White was especially efficient, hitting at a .455 clip en route to garnering all-tournament team honors. While Morello again showed off her versatility with 25 digs, it was Kallie McKown who continued her strong run of play with 33 assists (8.25 p/set). Saturday's win puts to an end a three match winless streak for the Cougars, who now sit at 8-7 on the season.
“I think we played really well in first two games today,” said head coach Jason Kepner. “We were in complete control for a while but Houston Baptist did a good job in the third game and then played well again in the fourth. It was nice to get moving in the right direction again and I was especially happy that we were able to step up late when it counts the most and make some big plays.”
The Cougars opened the match in great fashion, jumping out to a 12-5 lead in the early goings of the opening stanza. Up 16-11 midway through, the Cougars surrendered four straight points to the Huskies to close the game to within just one at 16-15. After HBU tied the match 23-23, it was back-to-back kills from Mummey and White that sealed the game one victory.
The second set was all CofC as the Cougars played some great volleyball to take a commanding 15-4 lead. The Huskies fought to cut the gap to six at 20-14 before Mummey and Howley – the defending CAA Offensive Player of the Week – accounted for five consecutive points to give The College a 25-14 second set win.
After the Huskies bounced back to take the third game, 25-20, the Cougars opened the fourth frame slowly, going down by as many as seven at 12-5. A clever play from freshman setter Mackenzie Cooler would eventually even the score at 19-19, but the Huskies again looked like forcing a fifth game, taking a 21-19 lead on a Cougar attack error. Facing a set point at 24-22, the Cougars stepped up huge with two kills from Sloane White as well as forcing two Husky attack errors to give the Cougars a set point of their own at 26-25. White then hammed home on the ensuing sequence to secure the match.
Next up for the Cougars is their Colonial Athletic Association opener against the Towson Tigers at home next Friday, Sept. 26, at 7:00 p.m.
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