The 2018 Houston volleyball season ended Monday in the opening round of districts play.
The fifth-seeded Lady Tigers lost to No. 5 Mountain Grove 25-17, 25-18 at Cabool High School.
Houston finished with a 9-18-2 record under third-year coach Loran Richardson. The total topped last year’s record by four wins.
“It was tough to finish our season with a loss like that in districts. But I am so proud of these girls and the season they’ve had,” Richardson said. “Our record truly doesn’t reflect how well they played and how hard they fought each game. Everyone we played had to work hard for every point. But even more important than wins and losses, was the way these girls treated each other and the way they were good teammates to one another. That’s a successful season to me.”
In Monday’s other matches, No. 2 Licking beat Thayer in straight sets and third-seeded Cabool topped Plato in three sets.
Tuesday’s semifinals will pair top-seeded Liberty, which received a bye, with Mountain Grove. Licking and Cabool played in the other match.
The district championship match follows at 7 p.m.
Senior Tara Stanton led HHS with five kills. Melody Buse had a team-high 17 digs.
Janae Huff had seven assists and one ace.