OMAHA, Nebraska – LOVB Atlanta won Saturday and then had to wait.
But when the action in Baxter Arena was over, it still had not clinched the inaugural League One Volleyball regular season title.
That's because after first-place Atlanta swept LOVB Austin 25-19, 25-21, 25-15 to improve to 11-3, LOVB Houston defeated LOVB Omaha 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23 to move to 9-5 and stay two games off the lead with two matches left.
While Atlanta has clinched one of the two first-round byes into the semifinals for next month's LOVB Finals, Houston still has a chance to either catch Atlanta or get caught by LOVB Madison (6-7).
And the plot could thicken next week when Atlanta plays Houston during Houston's home finale on Thursday, March 27.
In the first match Saturday night Danielle Cuttino led Atlanta with 11 kills, seven in the second set. She had two blocks and eight digs. McKenzie Adams had nine kills, three blocks and 11 digs. Kelsey Cook had six kills, a season-best four aces, a block and 12 digs. Both middles – Tia Jimerson and Magda Jehlárová – had four blocks each.
Atlanta vs. Austin stats | LOVB Atlanta roster | LOVB Austin roster
"We're at the point of the season where physically you feel a little more fatigue and I think the mental is huge, so we just had to key on in being smart, being patient and digging deep," Danielle said.
Atlanta, which hit .143, had a 15-7 blocks advantage and had six aces to Austin's one.
Setter Madi Bugg had 26 assists, two kills in three errorless attempts and 12 digs.
In the first set, Atlanta led 12-10. Right out of the media timeout Cook made it 14-10 with back-to-back aces and her team never looked back.
In the second set, Atlanta won a battle of attrition as Austin had 10 kills with 10 errors and Atlanta had nine kills with eight errors.
And it was ATL in the third as the league-leaders bolted out to an early lead.
"Atlanta is a really, really nice volleyball team right now," Austin coach Chris McGown said. "They got a good flow with their offense, they play great defense, so for us to compete we've got to be pretty close to our best and tonight we just didn't have it."
Austin, coming off a tough, five-set Friday-night victory over Omaha, hit .025 as it dropped to 5-8.
Logan Eggleston led with eight kills but hit .000. She added one block and eight digs. Molly McCage had seven kills, hit .600 and had a block. Setter Carli Lloyd had three blocks, eight digs and 18 assists.
"I'm still so hopeful for this team," Molly said. "We're in a vulnerable position but if we can expose it now and be good later, that's great, that's perfect."
Austin is back in action on Friday when it entertains Omaha at Texas State’s Strahan Arena at Texas State in San Marcos. Saturday's doubleheader has LOVB Salt Lake vs. Omaha and LOVB Madison at Austin.
Austin will be happy to be near home.
"It's not technically Austin, but it's not far," Molly noted with a laugh.
In the nightcap, Jordan Thompson led Houston with 21 kills while hitting .474, her second-best percentage of the season.
Houston at Omaha stats | LOVB Houston roster | LOVB Omaha roster
"Jordan Thompson, she has our number," Omaha coach Suzie Fritz said. "She plays so well when we play and she was exceptional."
Jordan had 13 digs and two blocks in a match in which Houston held a 13-7 blocks advantage. Her total of 193 kills, six aces and 20 blocks made her the first LOVB player to surpass 200 points. Digs and assists are not counted as points.
"Each match is so important and we want to make sure we finish in the top two," she said. "That's our goal, so we can get a bye for the Finals. I think this was really important for that tonight."
Houston, which has won three matches in a row, got eight kills in 13 errorless attacks from Amber Igiede, who had five blocks. Madi Kingdon Rishel had 11 kills, a block and 12 digs. Jess Mruzik had eight kills, including the match-ender, to go with two blocks and five digs.
Houston hit .289. Setter Micha Hancock, who had three kills in six errorless attempts, had a season-best 51 assists, a block and 11 digs. Libero Anna Pogany had 17 digs and two assists.
"I am happy, but tonight might be a good lesson for us. We have to understand that when we are in good shape and we are playing good, we must fight to close the match," Houston coach Massimo Barbolini said.
Houston had a 21-15 first-set lead that Omaha cut to three, last at 24-21, before Jordan ended it on a block.
It was all Houston in the second set but Omaha rallied in the third, breaking a 23-23 tie on a kill by Jaali Winters and a block by Madi Kubik-Banks of Thompson.
In the close fourth, it was tied 23-23 again when Jordan had a big kill and Jess ended it with her only kill of the set.
Omaha, like Austin having to play back-to-back, lost its ninth match in a row, a skid that started with two losses in the LOVB Classic and continued into the regular season. Kimberly Drewniok led with 16 kills, an ace, two blocks and four digs. Kubik-Banks had 12 kills, hit .345, and had a block and nine digs. Sami Francis sparkled again in just her second pro match, getting 10 kills while hitting .474. She had one error in 19 attacks, a block and four digs. Jordan Larson had seven kills and six digs.
Omaha hit .196. Setter Laura Dijkema had 49 assists, a kill in two errorless tries, an ace and 10 digs. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes had 13 digs and three assists. Lexi Rodriguez got her first start at defensive specialist and had six digs and an assist.
"Man, we're trying so hard and I marvel at their resilience right now and capacity to come back," Fritz said.
