Cougars claw but can’t close as Houston volleyball drops sixth straight

In the third set of Houston volleyball’s 3-2 loss to Arizona, senior libero Alana Torres-Rivera threw herself to the floor, sliding her palm flat against the court for a pancake save that kept the rally alive.

Then, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales, who finished with 17 kills and 10 digs, hammered home a set-tying kill that ignited Houston’s surge.

Arizona briefly pulled ahead 16-14 behind back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Jordan Wilson, but the Cougars answered with a 9-1 run fueled by balanced contributions: consecutive kills from senior outside hitter Bre Reid, two blocks from redshirt senior middle blocker Barakat Rahmon, and two service aces from senior setter Lottie Scully.

Despite the effort, late-set execution slipped away. Arizona responded with a 9-1 run of its own, freezing Houston at set point for three rallies before closing the set 26-24.

It was another missed opportunity for Houston, mirroring its recent struggles. The Cougars have not won a match since Sept. 27 and have dropped six straight, leaving them 14th in the conference with just one league win.

The fourth set, a must-win for Houston, featured nine ties before Arizona broke free with a six-point surge, finally halted when an error ended sophomore setter Avery Scoggins’ dominant serving run, which included two aces.

Shortly after, Houston won a challenge confirming that sophomore middle blocker Adrianna Bridges grazed a ball at the net before it landed out of bounds, preventing match point. Still, the Wildcats closed it out with back-to-back kills to win 25-19.

In the second set, Houston reached 20 points first for the first time since facing BYU. Arizona mounted a four-point run to close the gap, but the Cougars responded with a 5-1 push to win 25-20, their first set victory since BYU.

That set win came as a bounce-back after the opener, where Reid, who finished with 14 kills, served as both spark and setback. She recorded all three of Houston’s final points during an 11-3 Arizona run that ended the set 25-18, but also committed three attack errors during the stretch.

Houston will look to regroup when it faces UCF on Oct. 22 to conclude its three-match homestand.

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