{"id":456637,"date":"2026-10-05T03:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T03:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/456637\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T03:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T03:14:09","slug":"mountaineers-fall-to-houston-in-four-sets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/456637\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountaineers Fall to Houston in Four Sets"},"content":{"rendered":"

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.\u00a0– The West Virginia University volleyball team (9-5, 2-2 Big 12) dropped a 3-1 decision to Houston on Sunday afternoon at Hope Coliseum. The Cougars won by set scores of 21-25, 25-18, 25-20 and 25-23.
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\nWVU added two first-time starters to the lineup in freshman middle blocker Cami Huff<\/a> and freshman outside hitter Saar Bertels<\/a>, while graduate student Sophia Fallah<\/a> saw her first action of the season.
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\nThe Mountaineers came out strong in the opening set, hitting .382 with 16 kills on 34 attacks. WVU used a trio of service aces from senior middle blocker Maddy McGath<\/a> to build an 11-8 advantage before extending its lead to 21-17. The Mountaineers closed the set on a kill from senior outside hitter Nina Horning<\/a> to take a 1-0 lead.
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\nHorning led WVU with seven kills on 13 attacks in the opening frame, while sophomore right side Anna Barr<\/a> added two kills.
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\nHouston (10-5, 3-1 Big 12) responded in the second set, taking an early 10-4 lead before WVU battled back to make it 15-15. The Cougars then used a 6-0 run to take control, building a 21-15 advantage before claiming the set, 25-18, to even the match.
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\nThe Cougars carried the momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 9-5 lead and later extending their advantage to 16-6. WVU attempted to rally late, using an 11-2 run behind a pair of service aces from junior defensive specialist\/libero Eily Painter<\/a> to cut the deficit to 23-19. The Mountaineers continued to fight, but Houston held on for a 25-20 win and a 2-1 match lead.
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\nWVU again found itself in a tight battle in the fourth set. The Mountaineers led 12-11 before Houston scored three straight points to take a 14-12 advantage. The Cougars later built a 22-16 lead, but WVU responded with a 6-1 run to pull within one point. Horning delivered a kill to make it 21-23 before McGath and Barr combined for a block that put the score at 22-23.
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\nThe Cougars finished the match, 25-23, on a kill from junior outside hitter Kamille Gibson.<\/p>\n

Barr paced the Mountaineers offensively with 13 kills while hitting .393 on 28 attacks. Horning finished with 12 kills, six digs and a block, while McGath added four kills, four aces, three digs and two blocks. Senior setter Alexis Finnvold<\/a> totaled 27 assists and eight digs.

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\nFreshman defensive specialist\/libero Reagan Turk<\/a> anchored the WVU defense with 12 digs. Painter contributed two of the team’s seven service aces, while the Mountaineers finished with five total blocks.

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\nHouston was led by junior outside hitter Sydney Jones, who recorded a match-high 24 kills while hitting .442. Gibson added 14 kills and 17 points, while sophomore outside hitter Noemi Despaigne finished with 15 kills.

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\nWest Virginia is now 1-6 all-time against Houston. WVU head coach Jen Greeny<\/a> is 1-2 against the Cougars.

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\nThe Mountaineers head to Utah for two matches. They are set to face the Utes on Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET at the Jon M. Huntsman Center and No. 18 BYU on Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. ET at George Albert Smith Fieldhouse.<\/p>\n

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and X<\/a>.<\/p>\n