Sept. 26, 2002
Final Stats
WACO, Texas - Tisha Schwartz notched 22 kills and Jillian Mazzarella posted Baylor's first triple-double since the 1999 season, but it was not enough as Baylor dropped a 28-30, 30-21, 30-25, 30-28 decision to Houston here Thursday night. With the loss, Baylor drops to 6-6 on the season. Houston improves to 9-4.
Schwartz led all players in the kills department, but 20 attacking errors in 66 swings left her attacking percentage at .030. Kelly Spriggs added career highs with 16 kills and nine digs. Mazzarella, meanwhile, posted a career-high 10 kills to go along with 37 assists and 15 digs.
Baylor took the first game 30-28, holding off a furious Houston rally. The Bears led 29-23 before the Cougars scored five straight points to pull within one. However, a Schwartz kill put the game away.
Houston dominated Baylor in game two, holding the Bears to a .033 attacking percentage (8-7-30) and hitting .310 as a team (14-5-29). The Cougars' attack was just as strong in game three; UH hit .311 (17-3-45) and held Baylor to .200 (18-9-45).
The Bears battled back in game four, holding Houston to a .191 percentage (18-9-47). However, another late Houston run proved fatal for Baylor. With the Bears leading 27-25, Houston came out of a timeout with four straight points to take a 29-28 lead. Baylor withstood one game point on a Spriggs kills, but Jenny Tannberger put the match away with a kill on the next point.
Tanneberger and Laura Koster paced Houston with 15 kills each. Jane Anne Karasek added 14 kills, while Loure Dews and Donna Sellen had seven blocks each.
Junior all-America candidate Stevie Nicholas did not play against Houston, snapping her consecutive matches started streak at 72 and her consecutive games played streak at 260. Nicholas injured her knee in Baylor's match against Colorado last Wednesday and awaits further diagnosis.
Baylor returns to Big 12 Conference action Saturday, traveling to Norman, Okla., for a 2 p.m. CDT match against Oklahoma. The Bears swept the season series with the Sooners last year, winning in three games both in Waco and at Norman.
