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An intense rally in No. 23 Houston’s battle against South Dakota produced an all-time highlight on Friday night as the programs looked to claim a victory in the opening round of the NCAA volleyball tournament in Omaha.
With the Cougars leading two sets to one, junior Kate Georgiades went all out to keep the ball in play after it rocketed off her teammate, senior Morgan Janda, during a rally in the fourth set. As the ball sailed toward the end line, Georgiades sprinted and leaped to hit it over her head, but took a nasty spill over a table in the process.
The junior’s sensational effort came, mind you, with her team up 5-1 in the set. Fortunately for Georgiades, her table-crashing rally save may have been worth the risk as the Cougars secured the point after a kill by sophomore Kellen Morin on an assist from Janda. Houston, appearing in its first NCAA tournament since 2000, went on to win the thrilling matchup in five sets for its first tourney win since 1994.
Georgiades’s highlight, while painful to watch, may have been the rallying moment for Houston as it looked to avoid what would’ve been a huge upset. Not to mention, the win added a nice cherry on top for Georgiades, who may find herself on the SportsCenter Top 10 before the weekend’s out.
