Thursday, October 9
Salt Lake City, UT
7:00 PM
University of Utah
9-7,1-4Big 12
3
vs
2
Houston
8-8,1-4Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 25 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 11 | 2 |
| Utah | 23 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Utah Volleyball Fights Off Houston in Five Set Match
10/9/2025 10:23 PM | Volleyball
Utes find footing in third set to prevent loss and push five set win over the Houston Cougars
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Volleyball came back to win a five-set showdown against the Houston Cougars in the Jon M. Huntsman Center Thursday night.
The Utes and Cougars readjusted their game in each set during an intense battle where they tied each other 26 times. Ultimately, the Utes pulled out a 3-2 win over the Cougars (23-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-11).
SET ONE
The first set started out close as both Utah and Houston rallied back and forth.
A Kamryn Gibadlo kill ties the first set 5-5 and starts off a four-point run for the Utes.
Emrie Moea'i had two big back-to-back kills to contribute, bringing the score to 18-15.
After tying the first set three separate times, the Cougars made a comeback to win the first set, 25-23.
SET TWO
The Utes struggled to find their footing after Houston brought a hot 7-3 start to the second set. After using both their timeouts, a Neea-Maria Joki kill started a 3-point run for the Utes. The run included a Levani Key-Powell ace and a Gibadlo kill.
Devyn Wiest had a big kill to prevent the Cougars from taking set point.
Despite multiple attempts at making more point runs, the Utes fell to the Cougars 25-17.
SET THREE
The Utes started the third set with Moea'i having three big kills to open the scoring, 3-1. The Utes brought the score up to 5-1 before the Cougars called a timeout to try and break the Utes momentum.
McKenna Payne had service ace that brought the score to 13-7.
The Cougars tried to battle back after a few errors made by the Utes. However, the Cougars could capitalize, and the Utes kept the lead, 13-10.
The Utes had a six-point run after a Key-Powell kill to further advance the lead, 20-12.
The Utes fought off the straight-set match loss against the Cougars by winning the third set, 25-19.
SET FOUR
After finding their rhythm, both teams took turns putting points on the scoreboard, 5-5. During this time, Joki had a service ace along with two separate kills by Key-Powell and Moea'i.
The Cougars battle back to tie the set again, 10-10. However, Key-Powell took a powerful kill that kept the Utes ahead and prevented the Cougars from taking the lead.
An unsuccessful Houston challenge gave Utah a 21-20-point lead that the Utes capitalized for a 25-23 set four win.
SET FIVE
After losing some momentum going into the fifth set, the Utes found their swing after two back-to-back kills by Gibadlo.
The Utes went on a five-point run to take the lead over the Cougars 9-8. The run included another Gibadlo kill, an Isabelle Marco ace and additional kills by Joki and Katelynn Field.
Gibadlo contributed her own service ace to advance the Utes lead, 12-9.
The Utes took the final set, 15-11 over the Cougars to win the match 3-2.
STANDOUT STATS
UP NEXT
The Utes hit the road for a rematch against Colorado on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. MT before heading back home to host No. 8 Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. MT.
Utah will celebrate 50 years of the program on Alumni Night against ASU and hold a Kids Clinic immediately following the match.
Both games can be viewed on ESPN+.
2025 UTAH VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE, ROSTER, & TICKETING INFO.
View full schedule here. | Check out Utah Volleyball's full 2025 roster here.
Season tickets are available here. | Single game tickets are available here.
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Volleyball program, including tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtahVolleyball | Instagram: @utahvolleyball).
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TODAY – UTAH 360
The Utes and Cougars readjusted their game in each set during an intense battle where they tied each other 26 times. Ultimately, the Utes pulled out a 3-2 win over the Cougars (23-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-11).
GAME! Utah comes back from down 0-2 to get their first conference victory ??
— Utah Volleyball (@UtahVolleyball) October 10, 2025
??ESPN+#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/4nNTaMah1T
SET ONE
The first set started out close as both Utah and Houston rallied back and forth.
A Kamryn Gibadlo kill ties the first set 5-5 and starts off a four-point run for the Utes.
Gibby = Locked IN ??
— Utah Volleyball (@UtahVolleyball) October 10, 2025
??ESPN+#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/EVXTaMFdI4
Emrie Moea'i had two big back-to-back kills to contribute, bringing the score to 18-15.
After tying the first set three separate times, the Cougars made a comeback to win the first set, 25-23.
SET TWO
The Utes struggled to find their footing after Houston brought a hot 7-3 start to the second set. After using both their timeouts, a Neea-Maria Joki kill started a 3-point run for the Utes. The run included a Levani Key-Powell ace and a Gibadlo kill.
Devyn Wiest had a big kill to prevent the Cougars from taking set point.
Despite multiple attempts at making more point runs, the Utes fell to the Cougars 25-17.
SET THREE
The Utes started the third set with Moea'i having three big kills to open the scoring, 3-1. The Utes brought the score up to 5-1 before the Cougars called a timeout to try and break the Utes momentum.
McKenna Payne had service ace that brought the score to 13-7.
The Cougars tried to battle back after a few errors made by the Utes. However, the Cougars could capitalize, and the Utes kept the lead, 13-10.
The Utes had a six-point run after a Key-Powell kill to further advance the lead, 20-12.
The Utes fought off the straight-set match loss against the Cougars by winning the third set, 25-19.
SET FOUR
After finding their rhythm, both teams took turns putting points on the scoreboard, 5-5. During this time, Joki had a service ace along with two separate kills by Key-Powell and Moea'i.
The Cougars battle back to tie the set again, 10-10. However, Key-Powell took a powerful kill that kept the Utes ahead and prevented the Cougars from taking the lead.
That's just vintage Moea'i ??
— Utah Volleyball (@UtahVolleyball) October 10, 2025
??ESPN+#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/rYYq6LoRRy
An unsuccessful Houston challenge gave Utah a 21-20-point lead that the Utes capitalized for a 25-23 set four win.
SET FIVE
After losing some momentum going into the fifth set, the Utes found their swing after two back-to-back kills by Gibadlo.
The Utes went on a five-point run to take the lead over the Cougars 9-8. The run included another Gibadlo kill, an Isabelle Marco ace and additional kills by Joki and Katelynn Field.
Gibadlo contributed her own service ace to advance the Utes lead, 12-9.
Joki coming through when it matters MOST ??
— Utah Volleyball (@UtahVolleyball) October 10, 2025
??ESPN+#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/bN5mwNoQ4e
The Utes took the final set, 15-11 over the Cougars to win the match 3-2.
STANDOUT STATS
- Gibadlo had a total of 20 kills with a .218 hitting percentage and 17 digs.
- Key-Powell had three service aces.
- Field had four kills and .364 hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
The Utes hit the road for a rematch against Colorado on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. MT before heading back home to host No. 8 Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. MT.
Utah will celebrate 50 years of the program on Alumni Night against ASU and hold a Kids Clinic immediately following the match.
Both games can be viewed on ESPN+.
2025 UTAH VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE, ROSTER, & TICKETING INFO.
View full schedule here. | Check out Utah Volleyball's full 2025 roster here.
Season tickets are available here. | Single game tickets are available here.
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Volleyball program, including tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtahVolleyball | Instagram: @utahvolleyball).
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TODAY – UTAH 360
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UH
Utah
Kills
55
65
Errors
21
34
Attempts
148
172
Hitting %
.230
.180
Points
72.0
84.0
Assists
49
59
Aces
4
9
Blocks
13
10
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
3
Blocks
1
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