By Michael Adams
Texas Volleyball Journal

SAN ANTONIO — LOVB Houston delivered its most complete performance of the season Saturday, sweeping league-leading LOVB Austin 25-14, 25-21, 25-14 at the Frost Bank Center to earn its first win of the year.

The victory also continued Houston’s recent dominance in the all-Texas matchup. Houston has now won four of the five meetings between the two Lone Star State teams and went 3-1 against Austin last season.

Opposite hitter Jordan Thompson led the way with a match-high 19 kills and two blocks, powering an efficient Houston offense that dictated the tempo from the opening serve.

“I’m super happy about today’s win and how we showed up as a team,” said LOVB Houston head coach Sanja Tomašević. “Today’s win was a team win. Every player did their job. I felt like our team was very disciplined offensively and defensively. We showed up with a lot of grit and a lot of attitude. That’s Houston volleyball.”

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Houston (1-3) wasted little time taking control in the first set, ripping off a 10-2 run to build a 12-4 advantage and forcing Austin into tough swings and rushed possessions. Austin never recovered, dropping the opening frame 25-14.

Austin (3-2) showed more balance in the second set behind setter Carli Lloyd, who spread the offense around and helped the Sol build a 16-11 lead. Logan Eggleston delivered three kills late in the set as Austin pushed ahead 21-19 and looked poised to even the match.

But Houston responded with its best stretch of the afternoon, closing the set on a 6-0 run to steal the momentum and take a 2-0 lead.

“I don’t think we competed very well from the first serve,” said LOVB Austin head coach Erik Sullivan. “I don’t know that we were good in any phase of the game. Hats off to Houston… they came in and played really clean, put a lot of pressure on us, and we didn’t respond very well.”

Houston carried that energy into the third set, continuing to win long rallies and getting key touches at the net to pull away early. The match ended with another 25-14 set, capped by an ace from outside hitter Jess Mruzik.

Houston finished with advantages across the stat sheet, outkilling Austin 45-25 and winning the blocking battle 9-4 while hitting .398 as a team.

Amber Igiede was nearly automatic in the middle, finishing with nine kills on 11 swings, while Mruzik added nine kills and Thompson accounted for 21 total points.

Eggleston led Austin with 10 kills on .417 hitting, but the Sol struggled to generate consistent offense as Houston’s pressure at the net and from the service line kept Austin out of system for long stretches.

Austin will travel to face LOVB Salt Lake on Thursday, while Houston will look to build on the win when it plays LOVB Atlanta on Wednesday.