University of Houston Athletics
Softball Picked To Finish 2nd In C-USA Play
1/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 20, 2005
Conference USA announced its preseason softball poll along with the preseason All-League team on Thursday, with Houston being tabbed as the preseason second-place team and grabbing three preseason All-Conference performers.
The Cougars were selected as the conference runner-up behind league favorite Louisville, by conference head coaches. Houston finished in a tie for the No. 2 spot along with USF and ahead of DePaul and Southern Miss, who round out the top five.
After finishing the 2004 season as the C-USA Tournament runner-up and reaching the NCAA Regionals with an at-large bid, Cougar head coach Kyla Holas feels that her team landed right about where it should based on the returning players and recruits that are at Louisville.
"We are very pleased," said Holas. "Of course we want to be No. 1, and that is what we are shooting for, but it is a starting point and I think it is the right assumption by all the coaches."
Making the preseason All-Conference team is a trio of Cougars that include seniors Kristen Glowacz (IF) and Jenilee Skender (DP), along with junior pitcher Crystal Briscoe.
Glowacz, a two-time All-Conference First-Team selection, and Skender, who earned Second-Team honors a year ago, will head up a potent offense for the Cougars that is always capable of putting up runs. While Briscoe, who posted a team-high 12 victories in 2004, returns to head-up a young but talents pitching crew.
"I was excited and I was glad for those seniors especially, and I think it was right on the money," said Holas. "If we were making the team, we would have put them on there too. Although, I do think that by the end of the year there are going to be a lot more Cougars on there."
The Cougars kick off the 2005 season in Austin, Texas with a trio of games against in-state rival Texas, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 5-6.
