University of Houston Athletics
Cougars picked to finish fourth in C-USA preseason poll
8/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 11, 2003
In search of a 22nd consecutive winning season, the University of Houston volleyball team was picked fourth in the Conference USA preseason poll. The Cougars, who finished seventh in 2002 with a 19-13 record, 7-6 in C-USA play, return four veterans and will have an exciting group of eight newcomers, including six true freshmen for the 2003 season.
Sophomore Jaci Gonzalez, a All-C-USA selection in both volleyball and softball, broke Houston's single season records for digs (500) and digs per game (4.35) in 2002 as the Cougar's first-ever libero and will be looked to for leadership in her sophomore campaign.
Houston's 19-13 record in 2002 marked its 21st consecutive winning season -- ranking the Cougars eighth on the all-time NCAA list behind teams like Hawaii, Stanford, Nebraska and UCLA.
The Cougars have a rigorous schedule in 2003, hosting only nine of their 28 games at Hofheinz Pavilion. UH will play their first home match on Sept. 10 when they host Baylor at 7:30 p.m.
Louisville was picked as the preseason favorite to win the 2003 C-USA Championship. Preseason C-USA Player of the Year Bing Sun looks to lead the Cardinals, a club that claimed a share of the 2002 C-USA regular season title and made its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
Cincinnati is picked to finish second in Conference USA as the Bearcats aim for an unprecedented ninth straight 20-win season and a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. South Florida is third in the preseason poll, after finishing the 2002 season with a 30-7 overall record, marking only the second time in program history that the Bulls had posted 30 or more wins.
2003 CONFERENCE USA PRESEASON POLL
1. Louisville (28-6, 12-1 in 2002)
2. Cincinnati (23-9, 11-2)
3. South Florida, (30-7, 12-1)
4. Houston (19-13, 7-6)
5. Charlotte (18-15, 7-6)
6. Tulane (21-14, 9-4)
7. TCU (12-18, 4-9)
8. Marquette (13-16, 3-10)
9. Saint Louis (21-10, 10-3)
10. Southern Miss (16-15, 6-7)
11. DePaul (5-25, 1-12)
12. Memphis (19-15, 4-9)
13. UAB (13-20, 5-8)
14. East Carolina (6-26, 0-13)
