University of Houston
<b> Arkansas State (Houston Invitational) </b>
Volleyball Storms Past Arkansas State
9/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2005
Arkansas State - Houston Box Score (PDF)
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HOUSTON - Three Cougars slapped double-dight kills as the University of Houston volleyball team blew by Arkansas State (30-21, 30-27, 30-22 on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
It was the first sweep of the season for the Cougars. Houston (4-1) has now won four consecutive matches after dropping the season opener to Wichita State back on August 26th.
"Last night I challenged saying let's make sure that we don't lose another game three," head coach Bill Walton said. "This team has been notorious the last three seasons for kicking back after winning the first two games. When you're winning you have to learn to step on the gas, and today we sort of began the process of doing that."
Jennifer Hohl ignited the Cougar attack with 32 assists and 8 digs. Houston was led by Kariny Ritter popping 12 kills and four blocks, while Justine Farmer and Becca Sartori powered home 11 kills apiece.
Once again the Cougars defense rose to the occassion holding the opposition to a .087 attack percentage. Jaci Gonzalez anchored the back row registering 23 digs.
"We did a good job of slowing a lot of balls down," Gonzalez said. "That's key if we are not able to stuff block. The front and back (rows) were able to help each other out."
UH got off to a fast start grabbing 13 of the first 20 points of the match. At one point, Ritter ripped three kills in a row. The Cougars cruised to a 30-21 opening game win.
The tempo of the match picked up in game two, but the Houston defense swung the momentum halfway thru the game forcing five Arkansas State (0-3) attack errors aiding UH to a 20-13 advantage. Houston held on for a 30-27 victory giving the Cougars a two-game lead.
"In the middle of the second game we got our block more organized," Walton said. "And I think that changed things for us."
Game three started as a back and forth affair starting with nine ties to go along with four lead changes. An ASU service error gave the Cougars the advantage for good at 15-14.
The Cougars conclude the Houston Invitational facing off against Miami. First serve is slated for 8 p.m. against the Hurricanes.
"Compared to most ACC schools, Miami is a little more athletic," Walton said of the Hurricanes after last night's victory. "They set their middle hitters really high, and it's going to be a challenge for our girls. If we serve really tough, they can't run a lot of offense to their middle hitters, and we'll be in good shape."
"Our enthusiasm and our intensity is going to be up for this match," Hohl said. "We've seen Miami, and they've seen us. It's going to be a matter of who comes out ready to play."
Individual tickets can be purchased for $5 inside the Alumni/Athletics Center. UH students get into the match free by showing their Cougar 1Card.
Cougar Bytes
Houston has now pushed its winning streak to four matches ... The Cougars also had a four-match winning streak at the end of last season beating Northwestern State, UAB, USF, and Lamar ... UH improved to 2-1 all-time against Arkansas State ... Head coach Bill Walton is now seven wins away from 600 career wins ... Saturday afternoon was the first sweep of the season for the Cougars; UH had won its previous three matches in four games this season ... Houston held Arkansas State to a season-low .087 attack percentage ... Kelly McAnelly sat out for the second consecutive match with an injury ... Her return to the line-up will be assessed early next week ... Kariny Ritter is the only Cougar with double-digit kills in all five matches this season... Ritter kept her double-digit kills streak alive to eight matches dating back to last season ... Justine Farmer and Becca Sartori also contributed with double-digit kills for the fourth consecutive match ... Zuela Adom ripped eight kills on 16 swings ... In her last two matches, Adom has powered home 14 kills on 25 swings with only two attack errors ... Jennifer Hohl has dished out over 30 assists in her last four matches ... In two of the four matches, Hohl has tallied over 40 assist ... Jaci Gonzalez continues to anchor the back row extending her 20 + dig streak to eight matches dating back to last season ... Gonzalez is now 103 digs away from 2,000 career digs.
