Houston, Texas — The volleyball team closed out Northwestern State in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Sharp Gym, taking the match 25–17, 25–18, 25–15 to move to 7–5 in Southland play. The Huskies totaled 42 kills on 101 attempts and hit .297, while holding Northwestern State to 30 kills and a .078 mark. HCU also posted 12 total blocks and 52 digs across the three sets in the win.
The Huskies set the tone immediately. In set one, HCU built an early 8–3 advantage with blocks at the net and transition scoring in system. Northwestern State worked back within 12–10 after a mini run from the service line, but HCU responded with scoring runs of its own to extend the lead to 19–15. Houston Christian continued to side out at a high clip late in the frame, and a block at the pin closed out set one 25–17.
Northwestern State opened set two with early momentum, jumping out to a 7–2 lead with two aces in the opening points. HCU answered with a 9–0 stretch, using aggressive first-ball swings and right-side scoring to flip the set into a 14–9 advantage. The Huskies continued to control the tempo with consistent first ball sideout execution and reached set point at 24–18 before closing the frame 25–18.
HCU carried that control into the third set and used another fast start to create separation, taking a 7–4 lead and extending to 16–8 behind multiple kills through the middle attack. Northwestern State pushed back with a short run midway through the set, but HCU continued to score through the block and out of system to maintain a multi-point advantage throughout the late stages of the frame. The Huskies ultimately secured match point with a block at the net to finish the sweep 25–15.
Katy Barger and
Hannah Redrow each hit double-figure kills to lead the Huskies with 11 and 10, respectively.
Cassidy Drapela had eight kills and three blocks and
Allana Archie chipped in five blocks and two aces.
Madison Hess tossed up 35 assists to pace the offense while
Savanna Stevens had 13 digs to lead the defense followed by Hess with nine and
Bianca Byerly with eight.
Oliva Bush had eight kills to lead the Demons. Deja Benjamin had seven and Samaya Wesson had five. Jade Longlad had 21 assists and Harper Cauley had 14 digs.
Houston Christian improves to 12–13 overall and 7–5 in the conference. HCU now shifts into preparation for its next conference matchup on Thursday night at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
