Brenya Reid serves for Houston in a match with Florida International at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Aug. 29, 2025. | Courtesy of Andy Mead/YCJ
In their first tournament of the season, Houston volleyball dominated Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC, to rewrite program history.
The Cougars not only opened their 2025 campaign with back-to-back sweeps for the first time since 2011, but also earned their first perfect set record through three matches for the first time in program history.
Reid’s rampage
Senior outside hitter Brenya Reid wasted no time introducing herself to UH as a bona fide scorer. Across three matches, she piled up 36 kills, 40.5 points, 14 digs, three blocks and two aces, repeatedly sparking runs that buried opponents’ momentum.
Against Duke, Reid torched the Blue Devils for 14 kills while tearing through their blocks, and against Bryant, she was even more efficient, posting a .667 attack percentage and igniting Houston’s .643 percentage in the opening set.
Houston blanks FIU in opening match
Houston opened its season on Friday afternoon with a sweep over Florida International (25-18, 25-21, 26-24).
Reid delivered 19 kills, including several clutch swings in a back-and-forth second frame. She also chipped in three block assists and an ace for a match-high 20.5 points.
Senior setter Lottie Scully steadied the offense with 28 assists and added 10 digs for a double-double, while junior outside hitter Halle Schroder and senior outside hitter Avery Shimaitis combined for 12 kills.
The Cougars faced trouble in a tight second set, but made it out unscathed thanks to clutch swings from Reid and timely contributions across the lineup. After falling behind 8-5 at the beginning of the frame, Reid answered with a kill from the left pin and combined with redshirt senior middle blocker Barakat Rahmon on back-to-back blocks to cut the deficit.
UH trailed late in the second set before evening it at 23. With the set tied, Shimaitis put Houston on the brink with another kill, and freshman outside hitter Aubrey Sears slammed the door with her third ace of the frame, giving UH a 2-0 set lead.
UH dominates Duke
Houston continued its onslaught on the second day of competition, silencing Duke in three straight sets (25-19, 25-13, 26-24).
Reid and Schroder combined for 31 points, powering a relentless front. The Cougars held off a late Duke rally in the final set before Schroder slammed the match-winning kill to silence the Blue Devils.
In the second set, Houston reigned over Duke with a staggering 10-3 run, sparked by 24. back-to-back aces from senior defensive specialist Alana Torres-Rivera and a string of kills from redshirt senior middle blocker Kellen Morin and Reid. Duke burned through two timeouts, but couldn’t shake the Cougars, who closed the set 25-13.
The final frame went to extra points after a successful Duke challenge, tying things at However, the Cougars kept their cool. Morin stuffed a block for 25-24, and Schroder sealed it with a kill for the sweep, punctuating a 43-kill team effort.
Cougars stay perfect against Bryant
Houston completed their three-game stretch with another sweep (25-11, 25-21, 25-18).
The Cougars hit .643 as a team in the first set, paced by Rahmon’s near-perfect .833 hitting and Reid’s .667 efficiency.
Set two was competitive, but timely kills from Reid and Schroeder, along with a Scully ace, pushed Houston ahead 25-21. Even when Bryant was able to lower the score deficit to 23-20, the Cougars remained unfazed for a 25-21 finish.
Houston maintained a staggering lead in the final frame, closing out the tournament with a 25-18 finish.
Houston out-attacked Bryant, .343 to .038, and stacked up nine team blocks compared to Bryant’s one.
Next up, Houston will host San Diego State at home on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
sports@thedailycougar.com
