Houston was defeated after a five-set thriller for their last match at home by UConn in a 2-3 decision.
Starting out, neither team could grasp much of a lead on the other as the two teams traded points well into the first set.
Houston then went on a five-point run after offensive errors from UConn and kills from sophomore setter Kelsy Childers, which brought UH’s lead to 14-7.
The Cougars kept its steady lead over UConn with kills from senior outside hitter Claire Karsten in addition to a block from sophomore Isabel Thuet.
As Houston inched closer to victory, the Huskies responded with a three-point run to tie the match 23-23, forcing a Houston timeout.
The Cougars could not halt UConn’s momentum, as the Huskies narrowly took the first set 25-23.
Going into the second set, the lead bounced between both teams, but offensive strides from UConn gave them a five-point advantage over the Cougars.
Houston was able to shorten the Huskies lead to one, with three kills from senior outside hitter Megan Duncan.
UH tied UConn 21-21, following a kill from Thuet, but pulled ahead by two, forcing another timeout from Houston.
An ace from Childers kept Houston alive as the score sat at 24-23.
The teams jumped into a long rally that ended with a kill from UConn, and the Huskies took the second set 25-23.
In the third set, the match remained close until Houston went on an eight-point run to put the score at 17-8.
The Huskies responded, scoring the next three points, but it was not enough to stop the Cougars.
Houston forced a fourth set as they dominated UConn in the third with a score of 25-15.
The fourth set saw an early lead for the Cougars, as they jumped out with an advantage of 10-3.
Houston was able to hold onto its lead with strong performances both offensively and defensively.
UConn went on a run for four points to bring the match within just three scores.
Houston came out with more kills from Karsten and Duncan, and an ace from senior libero Katie Karbo to win the fourth set 25-17.
In the final set, each team went on short runs to take the lead.
After a lead by Houston, UConn scores the next three points to tie the game, forcing a Houston timeout.
Despite the Cougars’ efforts, the Huskies held onto their short advantage to steal the last set 15-12.
Thuet led Houston with 14 kills, while Karsten tallied 12, and Duncan brought in 11.
Adding to the strong offensive performance, Childers added 44 assists.
On defense, Karbo shined with 27 digs, which leaves her only 22 away from the American Athletic Conference all-time digs record.
The match was Houston’s last home game this season. They will travel on Friday to face the Memphis Tigers.