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University of Houston Athletics
Volleyball Looks to Keep Rolling Along
9/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2005
HOUSTON - After dropping the season opener to Wichita State, the University of Houston volleyball team has won back-to-back games heading into this weekend's action at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
The Cougars face another weekend of strong competition as foes from the SEC (Mississippi), ACC (Miami), and eight-time defending Big Sky champions (Sacramento State) invade the Den.
"This is another challenging weekend for us," head coach Bill Walton said. "None of the teams in this field are pushovers. We are going to have to work for every point in every game this weekend."
Houston concludes the weekend with an individual match on Sudnay night against Sacramento State. First serve is slated for 7pm at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
Middle blocker Kariny Ritter was named Conference USA Player of the Week on Monday afternoon by the league office after an amazing weekend at the Houston Tournament. The honor is the first league accolade for the senior middle blocker.
Ritter opened the season registering consecutive double-doubles against Wichita State (10 kills and 13 dgis) and Stephen F. Austin (19 kills and 11 digs). Dating back to last season, Ritter had knotched four consecutive double-doubles. That streak came to a close last Saturday night against Texas Tech only coming up three digs shy of keeping the streak alive.
"Kariny is our best all-around player," head coach Bill Walton said after Saturday's victory against the Red Raiders. "She can come at you from all different angles, and places on the court."
Ritter sparked the Cougar attack connecting on a team-high .271 attack percentage. She also was second on the squad ripping 44 kills at a 4.00 per game clip over the weekend. On defense, Ritter was a force at the net picking up 0.91 blocks per game.
The last time a Cougar was honored with the Player of the Week award was Sept. 9, 2002 when Jenny Tanneberger was recognized.
The Cougars enter the weekend 5-2 all-time against this weekend's opposition. UH has split the previous two meeting with Arkansas State. The Cougars came away with a 3-1 decision in the last meeting during the 1994 season. That season UH made a run to the Elite Eight.
This weekend will mark the first time that Houston and Miami have hooked up on the volleyball court. The two schools met last season on the gridiron with Miami picking up a 38-13 win at Reliant Stadium.
Houston holds a 4-1 advantage against Ole Miss The two squads last met to open the 1992 season as the Cougars emerged with a 3-0 victory.
First serve is slated for 8pm tonight against the Rebels. Individual tickets can be purchased for $5 inside the Alumni/Athletics Center. UH students get into the match free by showing their Cougar 1Card.
