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University of Houston
8-8,1-4Big 12
Utah
9-7,1-4Big 12
Cougars Stumble Against Utes
10/9/2025 11:22:00 PM | Volleyball
Houston out-hits, out-blocks Utah but falls in five sets on Thursday night
SALT LAKE CITY – The Houston Volleyball team came up short in a five-set heartbreaker to Utah at Huntsman Center on Thursday night.
Houston (8-8, 1-4 Big 12) posted a higher hitting percentage (.230-.180) and more blocks (13.0-10.0) than Utah (9-7, 1-4 Big 12), but a late surge in the fifth set pushed the Utes ahead for the win.
Senior Bre Reid led the way for Cougar hitters with a .471 hitting percentage via a 18-2-34 line. Senior Avery Shimaitis tied her career high with 13 kills, hitting .296 in the match, while redshirt senior Kellen Morin went 6-1-13 for a .385 efficiency.
On defense, Morin nearly tied her career high with eight blocks with redshirt senior Barakat Rahmon and Shimaitis adding five each and freshman Tara Greenberry posting three. Senior Alana Torres-Rivera paced Houston with 16 digs.
Houston overcame a slow start to claim the first set. Down 14-9, the Cougars evened the set at 20-20 before taking the lead by winning the next point. While Utah tied the set again at 23-23, Houston won the next two points with a service error and kill from Shimaitis to take the opener, 25-23. Shimaitis finished the first with a 6-0-9 line, hitting .667 in the frame.
The Cougars maintained their momentum heading into the second set. While the teams evenly split the first six points, Houston went on a 4-0 run to take the lead for good. Head Coach David Rehr's squad opened up the advantage to 18-10 to cruise to a 25-17 set win.
Utah seized the edge in the third. The Utes started with a 5-1 run and never looked back as they took the third, 25-19.
A third set that saw no ties led to a back-and-forth fourth set. With 12 ties and three lead changes, neither team was able to gain a foothold in the frame with the teams sitting tied as late as 21-21. Back-to-back points for Utah put the Utes ahead, allowing them to even the match at two sets apiece, 25-23.
Houston jumped ahead early in the fifth. While the Cougars were up 8-4 as the teams switched sides, Utah rallied with an 8-1 stretch to take the lead, continuing to hold the momentum to win the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
NOTABLE
· Shimaitis posted her fifth double-digit kills match of the season while Rahmon tallied the fifth of her career.
· Morin paced the Cougars in blocks for the tenth time this season while Reid led the team in kills for the sixth time.
Houston finishes its road swing with a tilt at #21 BYU at 2 p.m. CT, Saturday. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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