HOUSTON, Texas – Lamar University volleyball fell on the road Saturday afternoon against Houston Christian, 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 31-33, 25-14, 15-9).
 
Lamar (10-8, 2-4 SLC) hit 58-25-201 (.164) from the field with five aces and nine blocks. Maja Malinowska led the Cardinals in kills with 22 while also chipping in 16 digs. Lyric Jordan had 16 kills and nine digs while Keeley Nellis recorded a team-high 18 digs.
 
Houston Christian (6-11, 3-3 SLC) finished the afternoon with a hitting percentage of 23.5 percent (75-29-196). They also had six aces and 14 blocks in the match.
 
Big Red took an early lead in the first set before an 8=2 run from the Huskies put HCU in front. The home team was on the doorstep of taking the frame, but the Cardinals then reeled off six of the final seven points to steal the advantage.
 
After a quick 7-3 run from the Huskies to start the second set, the Cardinals clawed back and engaged in a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way. Jordan logged seven kills in the frame, but three service errors proved costly for Lamar as HCU tied things up.
 
Set 3 proved to be a marathon with 21 ties and ten lead changes while neither team held more than a three-point lead. After five match points for the Huskies and three for the Cardinals, Lamar broke through in the end to take the lead on the road.
 
The Huskies woke up in the fourth set, however, and put their foot on the gas. HCU outhit Lamar .367 to .114 en route to forcing a game-deciding fifth set. The fifth set played out similarly as HCU jumped out to an early lead and did not look back as they never trailed in the frame.
 
Lamar returns to McDonald Gym for a pair of home contests next week against Southeastern Louisiana (Thursday at 6:30 p.m.) and New Orleans (Saturday at 1 p.m.). Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.