University of Houston
Marshall (Quarterfinals)
Volleyball Ousts Marshall in C-USA Quarterfinals
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Houston vs. Marshall (C-USA Quarterfinals) Box Score (PDF)
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Nov. 18, 2006
HOUSTON - The University of Houston volleyball team used a total team effort to knock out the defending Conference USA Champions and No. 2 seed Marshall (30-26, 19-30, 30-27, 19-30, 15-13) in a rematch of last season's championship match Friday evening at Hofheinz Pavilion in the C-USA Quarterfinals.
"It feels incredible because we all wanted (to win) so bad," outside hitter Kelly McAnelly said. "We played with all our hearts and everything we had."
The Cougars (19-14) advance to face No. 3 seed Memphis in the C-USA Semifinals, who defeated UTEP in four games. First serve against the Tigers is slated for approximately 8pm at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Justine Farmer slapped 27 kills and added 10 digs for her league-leading 23rd double-double of the season, while Erin Rice controlled the front row, recording 13 blocks. The 13 blocks set a C-USA Championship single-match record. Sunshine Misa-Uli chipped in seven kills and career-best seven blocks for the victors.
"We blocked extremely well tonight, and that's what made the difference in the match," head coach Bill Walton said. "Erin was invaluable. The entire team did an excellent job of executing the defensive gameplan."
Houston also got solid performances from seniors Kelly McAnelly and Becca Sartori. McAnelly powered home 19 kills to go along with 11 digs in addition to a career-best seven blocks. Sartori added 16 kills on a .324 attack percentage.
Krystal Schulle dished out a match-best 66 assists and tallied 13 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Ashley Calhoun corralled a team-high 18 digs.
"I've learned throughout the season while stepping into a new position that you're going to get yelled at times but you have to move on," Schulle said. "You have to just keep going, stayed pumped up and let your team keep you up."
The Thundering Herd (20-11) rode the right arm of C-USA Player of the Year Kelly-Anne Billingy to a single-game tournament mark of 44 kills on a .402 attack percentage. The 44 kills also were the second-most in C-USA history for a single-match. The Herd got 12 kills from Stephanie Cahill and 10 kills from Uche Ndubisi in the loss.
Marshall (20-11) jumped out to a 5-1 advantage in the deciding game using a pair of Cahill kills. The Cougars fought back and grabbed a 9-8 lead, capped on a block from Rice and Misa-Uli. The Herd crept back out to an 11-9 edge capitalizing on a pair of Houston attack errors.
After a timeout, Houston regrouped to close the match on a 6-2 spurt for the 15-13 victory. The Cougars got three blocks down the stretch, including match-point from Sartori and Misa-Uli to seal the win.
Houston, seeded seventh, continues the 2006 C-USA Volleyball Championship Saturday evening with a semifinal tilt against No. 3 seed Memphis. First serve against the Tigers is scheduled for 8pm at Hofheinz Pavilion. Live stats for the entire tournament will be available on UHCougars.com
"We know we won but it's already in the past," Farmer said. "We have another match tomorrow, and we have another gameplan to execute."
Cougar Notes
This evening was the fourth meeting between Houston and Marshall on the volleyball court ... It was the first time that the Cougars have defeated the Thundering Herd ... Houston advances to the C-USA Semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons ... Ashley Calhoun has reeled in double-digit digs in 22 of her 29 starts at libero, including her last seven outings ... With 18 digs, Calhoun now has 486 digs on the season and is 14 digs shy of Jaci Gonzalez (2002) for the No. 4 position over a single-season ... Krystal Schulle eclipsed the 60-assist mark for the sixth time this season ... Houston improves to 2-4 when Schulle reaches that feat ... The Lockhart native tacked on 13 digs for her 12th double-double of the season ... Erin Rice recorded 13 blocks to establish a single-game C-USA Championship record ... It was the third time that Rice has tallied double-digit blocks on the season ... UH is 2-1 in those matches ... Sunshine Misa-Uli and Kelly McAnelly notched career-bests with seven blocks apiece ... McAnelly ripped 19 kills and reeled in 11 digs for her 13th double-double of the season ... She has totaled a double-double in four of her last six outings ... The Houston native now has 1,445 career kills and is 19 kills shy from Lilly Denoon (1991-1994) for the No. 2 position in program history ... She passed Martina Shields (UAB, 2000-2003), Kim Sentmore (Tulane, 1997-2000) and Shalini Job (Southern Miss, 1995-1998) and moved into the Top 20 in C-USA history ... McAnelly is 16 kills shy of Kelly McClain (Louisville, 1997-2000) for the No. 17 position ... With 48 attempts, McAnelly is 200 swings away from Debbie Vokes (1994-98) for the top spot in that category in the Houston record book ... Justine Farmer has slapped double-digit kills in 35 of her last 38 matches dating back to last season ... The El Paso native also added 10 digs for her C-USA leading 23rd double-double of the season ... The 23 double-doubles adds to a single-season program record at UH ... Farmer surpassed the 20-kill mark for the 13th time this season, including six of her last eight outings ... The El Paso native has now powered home 589 kills and passed Latisha Charles (1990) and Emily Leffers (1997) moving into the No. 3 slot in program history over a single-season ... Farmer is 23 kills away from Jenny Tanneberger (2002) for the No. 2 spot ... Her 10 digs allows her to past to pass Kristen Guidish (1998) for the No. 6 spot over a single-season ... She is 23 digs away from teammate Ashley Calhoun for the No. 5 position ... Becca Sartori cranked 16 kills and has recorded 1,333 career kills ... The Houston native 14 kills away from Kelly Trimble (Southern Miss, 1998-2001) for the No. 28 spot in the C-USA record book ... She also is three kills away from Emily Leffers (1993-94, 1996-97) for the No. 5 position in the Houston record book ... With five block assists, Sartori has registered 337 blocks assists and is 18 shy of Loure Dews (2001-2004) for the No. 4 position in program history ... She has tallied 382 career blocks surpassing Shella Neba (Memphis, 2000-2003) and Benny Flinn (Louisville, 2000-2003) in the C-USA record book ... The Houston native is two blocks away from Christina Bush (USF, 1998-2000) for the No. 20 position ... Sartori is three total blocks from Marie Tourillon (1994-1996) for the No. 8 hole in the UH record book ... She also has notched at least .250 attack percentage in her last seven matches.
