Preview: Volleyball to Continue Strong Play on Road this Weekend
10/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 18, 2012
| Houston at UTEP / Tulane | El Paso, Texas / New Orleans, La. | 8:00 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. CT | |
| at UTEP | | Live Video |
| at Tulane | | Live Video |
| Information | Conference USA Notebook | Twitter (@UHCougarVB) |
The Cougars are coming off arguably their best win of the season, having earned a 3-1 victory over then-first place Marshall. With the win, Houston moved up into a tie for fifth place with a C-USA record of 5-4 and an overall mark of 6-13.
For her effort in propelling Houston to two wins last weekend, senior setter Abby Simmons was honored by Conference USA as Setter of the Week, the first accolade for the Cougars this season. The Phoenix, Ariz. native, totaled 92 assists in two contests and helped Houston to a .278 team hitting percentage.
ABOUT HOUSTON
Houston enters the weekend having won four of its last five contests and its last two road games. The Cougars are led by senior Katie Norris with 274 kills, while senior Chandace Tryon paces the team in percentage with a solid .336. Simmons leads the setting game with 632 assists, while sophomore Natalie Keck leads the team with 258 digs on the defensive end, joining Tryon, who has 74 total blocks.
ABOUT UTEP
UTEP enters Friday's contest with an 11-10 overall record and a 5-4 mark in Conference USA play, which sits them in a tie with the Cougars. The Minors have dropped three of their last four contests as they rely heavily on Xitlali Herrera's 239 kills and .313 attacking percentage to pace their offense. Cassandra Burruel leads the team with 91 digs, while Malia Patterson holds a team-best 822 assists.
Houston and UTEP will meet for the 18th time in school history and second time this season. The Cougars dropped a 3-0 match to the Minors back on Oct. 7 at home, but still remain atop the all-time series at 11-6.
ABOUT TULANE
Tulane will host Rice on Friday before meeting Houston on Sunday. The Green Wave enters the weekend with a 4-16 record and a 2-7 mark in Conference USA play. Tulane has lost eight of its last nine games. Leading the way offensively is Cori Martone with 282 kills, while Olivia Utt paces the team with 77 total blocks.
Houston and Tulane will face off for the 37th time in the all-time series with the Cougars leading the way at 27-9. Houston earned a 3-1 win back on Oct. 5 in Houston.
GAMETRACKER/ALL-ACCESS
Both road contests will be available on GameTracker for free and on All-Access for a small fee at UHCougars.com.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter @UHCougarVB and "Like" /HoustonCougarVolleyball on Facebook.
UP NEXT
Houston will begin a three-game homestand, beginning with Rice on Friday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. Note: early game
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballHouston at Big 12 Media Days
Thursday, August 07
Cougars All-Access: Barakat Rahmon (VB)
Tuesday, November 19
Cougars All-Access: Kate Georgiades (VB)
Wednesday, October 02
Cougars All-Access: David Rehr (VB)
Monday, September 16