SALT LAKE CITY — Feb. 21, 2026 — LOVB Houston delivered its strongest road performance of the season Saturday night, rallying past LOVB Salt Lake 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-18 at SLCC Bruin Arena.
After dropping the opening set, Houston flipped the match with tough service and defensive pressure and late set execution.
“This was a good match against a really good team in the league. I'm super proud of how the team fought the adversity and I'm super happy to see them feisty … I think they had something to prove from the last two matches against Salt Lake” head coach Sanja Tomašević said.
Opposite hitter Jordan Thompson played a pivotal role in Houston’s upset, tallying 26 kills on a .339 attack efficiency and adding two blocks and 12 digs. Seventeen of the two-time Olympic medalist’s kills came in the fourth set – 10 alone in the fourth – as Thompson solidified her title as LOVB’s top offensive weapon.
After falling in the first set, Houston responded in the second by tightening up defensively and cleaning up errors. Extended rallies began to swing in Houston’s favor, and the visitors capitalized on Salt Lake’s struggles in serve-receive. The shift in momentum carried Houston to a 25-21 win, evening the match at one set apiece.
The third set played out similarly to the second, with Houston being sharper down the stretch, and in the fourth, the visitors pulled away after a 14-14 tie to clinch the set 25-18 and match three sets to one.
“The name of the game for us has been urgency, and not waiting to see what a team is going to do against us, but come out and impose our will, and be feisty from the beginning. When we do that, that's when we play our best,” said Thompson.
Jess Mruzik added 11 kills, one ace, and 12 digs in a balanced performance, while Amber Igiede contributed eight kills and two aces, and Jazmine White delivered her strongest outing of the season with three kills, one ace, four blocks and two digs.
The win kept Houston (7-4) at second place in the League One Volleyball standings, 1.5 games behind first-place Salt Lake (8-2). Houston returns home to face Nebraska at the Fort BendCounty Epicenter on Thursday, February 26. First serve is set for 7 p.m, with the match streaming free on Victory+.
