Reid hits a milestone, Gonzales shines in Cougars’ loss to No. 21 Baylor

In the third set, with the score at 13-11, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales delivered a perfect pass to freshman setter Tenesyn Frye, who set up senior outside hitter Brenya Reid for the kill. The point marked the 1,000th kill of Reid’s career, achieved during a match that Houston lost 3-1 to No. 21 Baylor.

“It feels good knowing all the hard work I put in throughout the years is paying off,” Reid said. “I was just getting back into the flow of playing after my knee surgery, being myself and doing my best.”

Reid had surgery for a torn meniscus after her freshman season at James Madison, she later transferred to Houston for her senior season after a successful junior year which saw her get first team all-Sun Belt and lead JMU in kills with 331.

In her milestone game, Reid had 14 kills, only second to Gonzales’ 22.

In the fourth and final, with the Bears leading the match 2-1 the teams found themselves neck and neck until the score reached an intense 33-33. Baylor took the final two points via a kill and a Houston attack error. The crowd at the Fertitta Center was roaring with every rally, with 3,859 fans in attendance, the third largest crowd in program history.

“I had a smile on my face the whole time,” Gonzales said. “It’s just fighting for each other, and fighting for those points.”

Gonzales had a career high in kills in this matchup, with nine of the 22 coming in the marathon fourth set.

“It was honestly just knowing my teammates had my back,” Gonzales said when asked about her performance “I knew they were confident in me, and that I could go take another rip.”

The Cougars are now 2-5 in sets that go contested to 25 or more.

This loss makes Houston’s 12th in a row, but there is positivity and a tight bond within the group, which has seven seniors. 

“It’s a lot of our last seasons, so now we are just playing for each other and having fun,” Reid said. “We just continue playing for each other.”

UH plays its next game against Kansas State on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Fertitta Center, the third of its current four-game homestand.