Senior libero Alana Torres-Rivera recorded 24 digs as Houston volleyball fell in three sets to Cincinnati, 25-22, 25-22, 25-17, on Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Cougars, who are now 1-10 in conference, have lost nine straight matches.
Still, the match marked Torres-Rivera’s third straight with 20-plus digs and seventh in a row in double figures.
Fifth-year middle blocker Aidan Conner, making her first start as a Cougar in place of standout middle blocker Redshirt senior Kellen Morin, delivered a strong performance after being out since the fourth set of Houston’s last match.
Additionally, senior setter Lottie Scully was absent from the starting lineup for the first time this season, allowing freshman Tenesyn Frye to start for the first time. Scully and Frye finished with 17 and 11 assists, respectively, largely splitting the load.
Cincinnati came out strong, winning 12 of the first 17 points to open the match. Houston answered with a 9-1 run to close the gap, but the Bearcats held off the late surge to take the first set, 25-22.
The second frame featured 11 ties as the teams battled evenly until a 6-0 Cincinnati run flipped a 19-17 Cougar lead into another 25-22 Bearcat win.
In the third, Houston took a brief 12-11 advantage before Cincinnati regained control and pulled away with a 10-3 run to complete the sweep, 25-17.
Torres-Rivera averaged more than eight digs per set in the match, while Conner’s six-block debut helped Houston post eight team blocks to Cincinnati’s seven.
Houston returns to play against USF in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Nov 6.
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