University of Houston Athletics
Volleyball Gears Up for League-Leader Tulsa and SMU
10/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2006
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HOUSTON - The University of Houston volleyball team returns to the friendly confines of the Athletics/Alumni Center after a four-match road trip. The Cougars are coming off a 0-2 weekend at Marshall and East Carolina.
"There's no time for us to feel sorry for ourselves after last weekend," head coach Bill Walton said. "We have a fever and are trying to sweat it out in practice this week. We're not using soup and tea but sweat and hard word to cure ourselves. Competition requires you to give more effort when things aren't going well."
Houston has had a knack for playing its best volleyball this season when facing the league-leader or hot team in conference. The Cougars put an end to UAB's 10-match winning streak (Sept. 24) in addition to knocking off Tulane (Oct. 1 & 13) when the Green Wave were at the top of the C-USA standings.
Houston enters the weekend with a combined 8-1 record against this weekend's conference opponents. The Cougars are 7-0 all-time against SMU, including three convincing victories last season. UH split with Tulsa a season ago, as both teams held serve at home.
With 24 kills last weekend, Kelly McAnelly surpassed Emily Leffers (1993-94, 1996-97) for the No. 4 spot in program history. The Houston native enters this weekend's action with 1,342 career kills and is 64 away from matching Jennifer Wittenburg (1999-2001) for the No. 3 hole. McAnelly also is five kills from moving into the No. 27 spot in Conference USA history.
Becca Sartori joins McAnelly on the prowl of chasing down career marks in the Houston and Conference USA record books.
After popping 16 kills last weekend, Sartori has racked up 1,255 career kills and needs 81 kills to match Emily Leffers (1993-94, 1996-97). She also is 41 kills shy from joining McAnelly in the Top 30 in the C-USA record book.
With one block assist last weekend, Sartori is four blocks assists to tie Marie-Claude Tourillon (1994-96) for the No. 5 slot in the Houston record book. Sartori also is 14 total blocks from the No. 23 position in the Conference USA record book.
Krystal Schulle has stepped in nicely for an injured Kelsey King at setter. This season is the first time since high school that Schulle has played the setter position.
The Lockhart native has fueled the Cougars to a 10-5 record, dishing out 12.85 assists per game. Her 12.46 assists per game in C-USA matches is fourth best in the league.
Schulle has racked up eight double-doubles, including 29 assists and 13 digs at Marshall (Oct. 20). She also passed out a career-best 66 assists at East Carolina (Oct. 22) The Cougars have won eight of its 10 matches via the sweep with Schulle at setter.
After being named to the 2005 Conference USA All-Freshman Team, Justine Farmer has been proving there is no such thing as a sophomore slump.
The El Paso native headlines the squad and C-USA with 17 double-doubles this season, already surpassing her total from a season ago.
Farmer has reached double-digit kills in 29 of her last 31 matches dating back to last season. She is the only player in C-USA to be in the Top 10 in kills and digs per game. Farmer ranks fifth in C-USA, averaging 4.57 kills per game and is 10th in the league, posting 3.78 digs per contest. She also is sixth in C-USA, notching 5.06 points per game.
Farmer cranked 30 kills on a .323 attack percentage at East Carolina (Oct. 15). She joins Kelly-Anne Billingy of Marshall and Rachel Giubilato of SMU as the only players in C-USA to reach the 30-kill mark multiple times this season. Farmer has reached the 20-kill and 20-dig marks in eight matches.
Ashley Calhoun, Kinsey Cave and Erin Rice are three Cougar freshmen looking to make an instant impact in 2006.
Calhoun has reeled in double-digit digs in 15 of her 22 starts at libero. She is second on the squad with 349 digs and is just outside the Top 10 in C-USA, posting 3.64 per game. Calhoun has notched at least 20 digs in three of her last six starts, including a 21-dig effort at UTEP (Oct. 15). She also paces the team, recording 34 service aces and fired in a career-best five aces at UTEP (Oct. 15).
Cave was an All-CIFSS selection and Century League First-Team honoree in both 2004 and 2005 at El Dorado High School in California. The southpaw came through with a pair of seven-kill performances against New Mexico (Sept. 1) and Baylor (Sept. 2) at the Clarion Invitational. She has gradually returned to the lineup, notching six kills and two blocks at East Carolina (Oct. 22).
Rice has made the most of her limited action, but has been a blocking machine in C-USA action, recording 47 blocks in 29 games. She paces the C-USA, posting 1.62 blocks per game in league play. Rice came through with a career-best 14 blocks in a three-game sweep at Tulane (Oct. 13).
First serve against the Golden Hurricane is set for 7pm Friday followed by a 1pm Sunday start against the Mustangs.
