NEW ORLEANS – HBU smothered New Orleans' offense, holding the Privateers to a .098 attack percentage, to record its fourth-straight sweep, 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-18), in Southland Conference volleyball Saturday at the Health Performance Center.
Senior outside hitter
Bailey Banks led the Huskies (14-5, 6-1 SLC) with 12 kills and added seven digs, while senior middle blocker
Blair Gillard hit .667 with nine kills and five blocks. Senior outside hitter
Jessica Wooten chipped in with seven kills, 10 digs and three aces and junior setter
Madison O'Brien recroded 28 assists, seven kills and eight digs. Senior libero
Hailey Erickson led HBU with 15 digs and junior middle blocker
Kayla Davenport posted four blocks.
Blessing Dunn had 10 kills and six digs for UNO (7-11, 1-5) and Lane Hindenburg had five kills. Sarah Thomas handed out 18 assists and added seven digs, with Andrea Nava leading the Privateers with eight digs. Kaitly Grice was UNO's leading blocker with three.
The Huskies hit .297 for the match and held the advantage in digs (44-37), blocks (10-5) and aces (7-2).
HBU got off to a fast start, scoring the first four points of the match on a kill and an ace by Banks and a block and a kill by Davenport. The Huskies led 8-3 when the Privateers scored five-straight, which included a pair of blocks by Grive and Kyra Hunter to tie the score. HBU answered by scoring the next four, punctuated by back-to-back aces by Wooten. UNO scored the next two to get back within two, but another four-point surge by the Huskies, two of which came on kills by Banks, gave them the cushion they would hold throughout the rest of the set. A kill by Gillard gave them set point, then she teamed up with Banks on a block for a final tally of 25-18.
Another quick start saw the Huskies jump out to an 8-2 lead in the second. Leading 13-6, HBU scored four in a row on kills by Gillard and O'Brien, another ace by Wooten and a UNO attack error to extend the advantage to 11. The Privateers chipped away to get back within five at 22-17, but the Huskies scored three of the last four points, the last on a block by Banks and Davenport, to take another 25-18 decision.
HBU took a 7-3 lead early in the third and after a UNO sideout, ripped off six-straight point to make the score 13-4. Still trailing by nine at 17-8, the Privateers scored the next five to close within five. UNO got within four at 19-15, but the Huskies rebounded with a four-point run to put the set out of reach. Gillard finished off the match with an ace for the 25-18 victory.
The Huskies return home to host Sam Houston State on Dig Pink Night Thursday at 7, then face Abilene Christian Saturday at 1 p.m. at Sharp Gym.
