What we learned from Houston volleyball’s undefeated tournament

With a second win of the day within reach, Houston found itself on the brink of dropping the fourth set against Abilene Christian. The Cougars trailed 24-22 before senior outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales delivered back-to-back kills to extend the frame.

Houston regained the lead at 26-25, but ACU responded with three consecutive kills to force a fifth set. The Cougars answered in the deciding frame, winning 15-12 and closing out their second victory of the day.

“I have a lot of energy naturally, and try to give that to my teammates,” sophomore libero Mattie Casale said of the long day of volleyball, which required the Cougars to dig deep.

The Cougars swept Texas Southern 3-0 earlier before returning to the court to collect a 3-2 win over ACU.

On Friday, the Cougars swept Houston Christian, holding the Huskies to nine points in the final set of the Houston Invitational.

Back row leaders

Casale, a transfer from Purdue, played libero throughout the tournament, averaging nearly five digs per set and recording 24 digs against Abilene Christian. While head coach David Rehr has praised Casale for her ability to “fly around” the floor, he also recognizes the passing ability of sophomore Gillian Pitts, who appeared in seven of Houston’s 11 sets during the tournament as a defensive specialist.

“It’s kind of the give and take of what we want at a particular time,” Rehr said.

Without a dominant defensive presence at the net throughout the tournament, besides senior Alexis Roberson’s eight blocks against ACU, Houston relied heavily on its back row to withstand opposing attacks.

Junior outside hitter Lily Barron, who missed the entire 2025 season with a torn MPFL, has been limited in her jumping but has still played a critical role, recording three aces in two of the three matches and tying a game-high with 12 digs against Texas Southern.

New offensive threats

Junior outside hitter Sydney Jones, a transfer from Tennessee, led the team in kills in all three matches. Against ACU, she totaled 23 kills, two shy of her career high, which she set at Temple in 2024.

In each match, junior Kamille Gibson finished second on the team in kills while showcasing the versatility she began to hone at Oklahoma.

Her best performance came against ACU, when she recorded her first double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs.

At setter, junior Kalei Edson, who previously played for Auburn, surpassed 40 assists in two of the three matches, helping facilitate the offense.

Building for what’s next

Houston heavily utilized the transfer portal, welcoming 13 new players ahead of the 2026 season and creating an ongoing need to build chemistry.

“On the court, we are still learning the personalities,” Rehr said. “When we get into tough situations, some people get quiet and want to have space, and some people want to get loud and dance and have fun. Those two people don’t like each other when they are on the court at the same time in a pivotal part.”

Houston has one final tuneup against Lamar on Tuesday, Sept. 8, before heading to the Paradise Invitational Sept. 12-13. The tournament field features three teams ranked in the AVCA top 15.