Houston players watch from the sideline during the third set of an NCAA volleyball match against Louisiana, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Houston. | Matthew Guzman/The Cougar
Houston volleyball dropped its third straight match Thursday night against Utah after winning both of the first two sets.
UH entered the evening having lost the first two matches of its four-game road trip, and was looking to turn things around against Utah, which had been winless in conference play.
The Cougars dominated the second set of this matchup. At one point, going on a 5-0 run including an ace by senior outside hitter Brenya Reid, en route to winning the set 25-17.
Utah flipped the momentum in the third, starting with a 10-4 lead before the Cougars came back to bring the lead down to two. The Utes then tacked on six straight points and later won the set 25-19.
The fourth set was very tight, with twelve ties throughout, before the Utes went on a 5-1 run late in the set. They held on to tie the game at two sets apiece and won the game in the fifth, 15-11.
Junior outside hitter Kamryn Gibaldo was the leading force for the Utes, racking up a game-high 20 kills and 17 digs.
UH’s main weapon in this match was their blocking, which is ranked second in the Big 12 conference. They out blocked Utah 13-10, with redshirt senior middle blocker Kellen Morin leading the way with a season-high 8 blocks.
The Cougars are now 1-4 in conference play and to an 8-8 record overall.
They end their road trip with a game against No. 21 BYU on Saturday, before returning home to face Kansas on Oct.16 at the Fertitta Center.
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