The 2022 NCAA volleyball tournament began late this week, and if one particular first-round matchup is any indication, it'll certainly be an event to remember. Houston and South Dakota played a thriller Friday in Omaha, Neb., with the former coming through with a 3-2 win to earn a second-round matchup with Auburn.
But the most memorable aspect of Friday's game was far from the result. In the fifth set of the best-of-five matchup, the Cougars and Coyotes had a remarkable, nearly 45-second-long rally in which numerous players dived to the floor while one, Houston's Kate Georgiades, dove over a table. Take a look:
WHAT A RALLY 😱 @UHCougarVB pic.twitter.com/OhwuGCpWCz
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2022
After all the hubbub, Houston won the point to take a 6-1 lead in the set. But the Coyotes came back firing, going on an 8-1 run later in the set to tie it at 17-all and eventually win 25-23. Houston, though, shut down South Dakota's comeback hopes with a 15-11 fifth set victory to win the match 3-2.
The Cougars have now earned their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1994. They'll return to play Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET against Auburn with a chance at reaching their first Sweet 16 since that same year.
