BEAUMONT, Texas — Houston Christian Volleyball opened with a dominant first set before Lamar rallied to take the next three, as the Huskies fell 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 14-25, 26-28) on Saturday morning at McDonald Gym.
HCU came out sharp in the opening frame, hitting .406 as a team behind a balanced attack. The Huskies took control early with a 6-1 run and continued to build momentum with strong serving and front-row execution.
Joya Euhus and Hannah
Redrow led the offense with several early kills, helping HCU close out the set 25-16 with confidence.
The second set was tightly contested from start to finish. Neither side led by more than three points, with HCU taking a late 22-21 advantage after a kill from
Katy Barger. Lamar responded with a 4-1 run to steal the set 25-23, tying the match at one apiece despite HCU outhitting the Cardinals .250 to .229.
Lamar carried the momentum into the third set, taking a quick 9-2 lead as HCU struggled to convert in transition. The Huskies were limited to a .029 hitting percentage in the frame while the Cardinals' block and serve pressure set the tone.
Despite steady setting from
Peyton Fadal, who finished with 42 assists, HCU couldn't overcome the deficit and dropped the set 25-14.
The fourth set saw the Huskies regain rhythm, leading 13-10 midway through behind a pair of kills from Euhus and strong defensive coverage from libero
Bianca Byerly. Lamar clawed back late to tie it at 22, but HCU continued to battle, fighting off multiple match points before the Cardinals capitalized on an error to take the set 28-26 and the match.
Joya Euhus paced the Huskies with 16 kills while hitting .353, adding three blocks and 18 points overall. Redrow followed with 10 kills and a .391 attack percentage, while Barger also reached double figures with 10 kills on .188 hitting. Fadal guided the offense with 42 assists and added nine digs, while Byerly anchored the back row with a team-high 15 digs.
As a team, HCU hit .210 with 55 kills, 65 digs, eight total blocks, and five service aces.
The Huskies fall to 10-11 overall and 5-3 in Southland Conference play, while Lamar improves to 12-11 and 5-3. HCU returns to action next week as Southland play continues.
