University of Houston Athletics
Volleyball Concludes Road Trip at Stephen F. Austin
9/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 7, 2006
Houston Volleyball Notes - Austin Bank SFA Invitational (PDF)
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HOUSTON - The University of Houston volleyball team concludes its three weekend road trip in Nacogdoches at the Austin Bank SFA Invitational this weekend. The Cougars face off against Tennessee State, Arkansas State, Stephen F. Austin and get another crack at Baylor. All matches will have live stats available on UHCougars.com
"I was happy that we blocked more balls, and there were games where our sideout efficiency was better," head coach Bill Walton said. "We're excited about getting another shot at Baylor, but we know we have to focus on our other three matches first."
The Cougars are coming off a 3-1 mark at the Towson Invitational, knocking off Arkansas-Little Rock, New Mexico and Louisiana-Monroe but fell to Baylor.
Walton picked up his 400th career victory at Houston last weekend against UALR. He joined former basketball coach Guy V. Lewis and current baseball manager Rayner Noble as the only other Cougar coaches to win 400 games at UH. Lewis won 592 games in 30 seasons, while Noble currently has 429 victories entering his 13th season with the Cougars.
Justine Farmer was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive weekend. After being named to the 2005 Conference USA All-Freshman Team, Farmer is ready to prove that there is no such thing as a sophomore slump.
The El Paso native had a career weekend at the Clarion Invitational, powering home 63 kills at a 5.73 per game rate. She started the weekend matching her career-high with 24 kills against Arkansas-Little Rock (Sept. 1) then set a new career mark later that afternoon, ripping 29 kills against New Mexico (Sept. 1). Farmer surpassed the 500-career kill mark with her effort against the Lobos.
Only a sophomore, Farmer enters the weekend 52 digs shy of reaching the 500-mark in that category. She has reached the double-digit kills mark in the last 12 matches she has played in and 16 of her last 18 outings dating back to last season.
Ashley Calhoun was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week earlier this week. It was Calhoun's first career weekly award.
Calhoun anchored the Houston defense, reeling in 64 digs at a 4.57 per game average despite only playing three matches at libero. She also has made her presence felt with her strong serve. The Wisconsin native has served an ace in six of her first collegiate matches.
"I'm pleased with how a couple of our new players are starting to come on," head coach Bill Walton said after Saturday's match with Baylor. "Ashley has really stepped up to the challenge of playing libero and is serving great."
Houston was fourth in Conference USA, totaling 41 team double-doubles in 2005. UH already has compiled 12 double-doubles this season. Farmer has racked up six of the 12 double-doubles followed by Kelly McAnelly and Kelsey King who have three apiece.
McAnelly paced the Houston offense during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, registering a combined 1,014 kills. She spent most of 2005 battling a foot injury but is back at full strength for her senior season.
With 39 kills last weekend at the Clarion Invitational, McAnelly moved past Nashika Stokes (1993-96) and Michelle Frazier (1997-2000) for the No. 7 spot all-time. The Houston native enters this weekend's action with 1,183 career kills and is 11 away from equaling Karen Bell (1988-91) in the No. 6 slot. She is also 97 kills from moving into the Top 30 of Conference USA history.
Becca Sartori joins Kelly McAnelly on the prowl of chasing down career marks in the Houston and Conference USA record books. Sartori is 65 kills away from breaking into the Top 10 in program history and 216 kills shy from reaching the Top 30 in the C-USA record book.
With six block assists last weekend, Sartori is three block assists away from matching Emily Leffers (1993-94, 1996-97) for No. 9 all-time. She is also 28 total blocks away from the Top 30 in C-USA history.
Kelsey King has settled into her role at setter in her first season at Houston. The San Antonio native came to Houston from Birmingham Southern, where she was named to the Big South Conference All-Freshman squad in 2005.
King was named Conference USA Co-Setter of the Week (Aug. 28) and is coming off another strong weekend of action at the Clarion Invitational last weekend. She whipped up a pair of 50-assist outings and notched her first three double-doubles of the season, dishing out 12.79 assists per game. King also had a strong weekend on defense, stretching out for 42 digs at a 3.00 per game rate.
Houston enters the weekend with a 47-7 mark against this weekend's opponents with 52 of the 54 meetings coming against Baylor and Stephen F. Austin. UH is 31-4 all-time against the Bears, but Baylor has won the last three meetings in the series, including a 3-0 sweep last weekend at the Clarion Invitational. The Cougars are 15-2 all-time against SFA.
This weekend marks the first time that Houston and Tennessee State will meet on the volleyball court. The Cougars have split their previous two meetings with Arkansas State. Houston won a 3-0 decision against the Lady Indians last season.
The Cougars are 9-4 all-time on these dates in the Walton era. Houston has had most of its success on Sept. 9, winning six of eight matches. The Cougars have registered a 3-2 mark on Sept. 8.
This is the final leg of three-weekend road trip. The Cougars return to the Bayou City next weekend before the home opener against Texas-San Antonio (Sept. 14). First serve is slated for 7pm against the Roadrunners at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
