Saturday, August 29
Ruston, LA
4 p.m.
Louisiana Tech University
2-0,0-0Sun Belt
3
vs
2
Houston Christian
0-2,0-0Southland
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Christian | 25 | 25 | 23 | 28 | 12 | 2 |
| Louisiana Tech | 23 | 21 | 25 | 30 | 15 | 3 |
Photo by: Olivia Sharpe
Bulldogs Rally Late to Reverse Sweep Huskies
8/29/2026 7:52:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Louisiana Tech erased a two-set deficit and battled back to defeat Houston Christian, 3-2, Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center, the first reverse sweep in 10 years.
RUSTON– Louisiana Tech erased a two-set deficit and battled back to defeat Houston Christian, 3-2, Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center, the first reverse sweep in 10 years.
Five Bulldogs (Taylor Woods-11, Megan Cooley-11, Gabrielle Hairston-10, Kylie Rodriguez-10, Tyra McKinnie-10) registered at least 10 kills for the first time since 2007 against Boise State. The freshman Woods led Louisiana Tech in kills for the second game in a row, hitting a team best .344 on the night.
After Houston Christian took control of the match early, Louisiana Tech refused to go away. The Bulldogs extended the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the third set before delivering their biggest moment of the afternoon in the fourth. Woods registered 5 kills on .417 hitting while Violet Morrandez contributed four blocks.
With the match on the line, Louisiana Tech outlasted Houston Christian in a marathon fourth set, 30-28, to force a decisive fifth frame. The set would consists of 17 ties and seven lead changes. The Bulldogs aced the Huskies five times as Woods, G. Hairston, Rodriguez, and McKinnie all added three kills.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the final set and completed the comeback with a 15-12 victory to improve to 2-0 on the young season. McKinnie registered two blocks in a row while Riley Steubing notched two aces to propel the Bulldogs to victory.
Louisiana Tech's balanced offense featured five Bulldogs with double-digit kills. Woods and Cooley led the way with 11 kills apiece, while Rodriguez, McKinnie and G. Hairston each added 10. Woods was especially efficient, committing no errors on 32 attempts for a team-best .344 hitting percentage, while Hairston hit .304.
The Bulldogs also found a way to make plays at the net and on the back line throughout the five-set battle. Louisiana Tech finished with 13 team blocks, while Riley Steubing anchored the defense with 31 digs, a new career high and the first time a Bulldog has had 30+ digs in nearly three years. Cooley added 24 digs, giving the Bulldogs a pair of 20-plus dig performances in the victory.
With the victory, Louisiana Tech jumps to its first 2-0 start since 2019.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Scott Mattera
I am just full of pride watching what those kids accomplished. I started feeling this way since the end of game four because no matter how this ended, I could not have been more proud of how they got back up and continued to fight. You can see the level of trust and love this team has in each other. The mix of veteran dependability and freshmen flashes are so special. It is just a super cool team to be a part of.
NOTABLES
Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Volleyball, follow us on X (@LATechVB), Instagram (@LATechVB), and Facebook (LATechVolleyball).
Five Bulldogs (Taylor Woods-11, Megan Cooley-11, Gabrielle Hairston-10, Kylie Rodriguez-10, Tyra McKinnie-10) registered at least 10 kills for the first time since 2007 against Boise State. The freshman Woods led Louisiana Tech in kills for the second game in a row, hitting a team best .344 on the night.
After Houston Christian took control of the match early, Louisiana Tech refused to go away. The Bulldogs extended the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the third set before delivering their biggest moment of the afternoon in the fourth. Woods registered 5 kills on .417 hitting while Violet Morrandez contributed four blocks.
With the match on the line, Louisiana Tech outlasted Houston Christian in a marathon fourth set, 30-28, to force a decisive fifth frame. The set would consists of 17 ties and seven lead changes. The Bulldogs aced the Huskies five times as Woods, G. Hairston, Rodriguez, and McKinnie all added three kills.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the final set and completed the comeback with a 15-12 victory to improve to 2-0 on the young season. McKinnie registered two blocks in a row while Riley Steubing notched two aces to propel the Bulldogs to victory.
Louisiana Tech's balanced offense featured five Bulldogs with double-digit kills. Woods and Cooley led the way with 11 kills apiece, while Rodriguez, McKinnie and G. Hairston each added 10. Woods was especially efficient, committing no errors on 32 attempts for a team-best .344 hitting percentage, while Hairston hit .304.
The Bulldogs also found a way to make plays at the net and on the back line throughout the five-set battle. Louisiana Tech finished with 13 team blocks, while Riley Steubing anchored the defense with 31 digs, a new career high and the first time a Bulldog has had 30+ digs in nearly three years. Cooley added 24 digs, giving the Bulldogs a pair of 20-plus dig performances in the victory.
With the victory, Louisiana Tech jumps to its first 2-0 start since 2019.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Scott Mattera
I am just full of pride watching what those kids accomplished. I started feeling this way since the end of game four because no matter how this ended, I could not have been more proud of how they got back up and continued to fight. You can see the level of trust and love this team has in each other. The mix of veteran dependability and freshmen flashes are so special. It is just a super cool team to be a part of.
NOTABLES
- This was the first reverse sweep for the Bulldogs since August 27, 2016 against Southeast Missouri.
- Steubing notched 31 digs, a career high and the most by a Bulldog in nearly three years.
- Five Bulldogs (Woods-11, Cooley-11, Hairston-10, Rodriguez-10, McKinnie-10) registered at least 10 kills, becoming the first five to have at least 10 kills for the first time since 2007 against Boise State.
- The game consisted of 49 lead changes and 17 ties.
- Woods led the Bulldogs in kills with 11, her second match in a row
- Sydnee Carter and Emerson Traylor notched 29 and 22 assists, respectively. It is only the second time in the last year that two Bulldogs assisted 20+ times in the same game.
- Woods and G. Hairston were both efficient with their 11 and 10 kills, respectively, hitting .344 and .304 in the match.
- The lead in the match only ballooned to 5 or greater once, when Houston Christian led 9-4 in the second set.
Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Volleyball, follow us on X (@LATechVB), Instagram (@LATechVB), and Facebook (LATechVolleyball).
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
HCU
LATech
Kills
69
59
Errors
33
22
Attempts
190
180
Hitting %
.189
.206
Points
82.0
84.0
Assists
57
53
Aces
6
12
Blocks
7
13
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
4
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Saturday, August 29
Friday, August 28
Thursday, November 13
Wednesday, November 12
