.png&width=48&height=48&type=webp)
University of Houston Athletics
Volleyball Opens 2007 Season at Home Friday
8/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 23, 2007
HOUSTON - The University of Houston volleyball team opens the 2007 season Friday when they play host to UT-Arlington at 8 pm in the Athletics/Alumni Building.
The Cougars return six letterwinners including junior Justine Farmer, who was named to the Preseason All-C-USA Team. Farmer and fellow junior Kelsey King will look to lead a team that has no seniors on the roster and welcomes seven newcomers this season.
Farmer is already making her mark in the Houston record books. She is just 98 kills away from ranking in the school's all-time Top 10 kills leader list and 125 digs away from joining the 1,00-kill, 1,000-dig club. The El Paso native is the only player in C-USA to rank in the Top 10 kills and digs list in two consecutive seasons.
Meet Our Opponents
UT-Arlington will be making a stop in Houston for the first time since 2000, when the Cougars defeated the Mavericks. Houston leads the all-time series between the two schools, 25-19, falling in the last contest between the two schools in 2004.
The Mavericks finished 2006 with a 25-10 record and a second place finish in the Southland Conference. They return four players with more than 300 digs and three players with more than 100 blocks.
Schedule
When this Cougars take to the court on Friday it will be the earliest start to the season in the Walton era. Prior to 2007, the Cougars earliest start was Aug. 26, which occurred during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Houston will host 14 home matches this season, including two tournaments. Five of their opponents advanced to post-season play in 2006 including Texas, New Mexico State, Missouri, Stephen F. Austin, and UAB. Texas advanced to the Elite 8 before falling to the eventual national runner-up, Stanford.
The Cougars will also get used to playing in Texas as they face eight in-state opponents including UT-Arlington, Texas, Rice, UT-San Antonio, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, SMU and UTEP.
Up Next
Following the match against UT-Arlington, the Cougars will travel to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. They will then return home to host the Houston Invitational on Aug. 31-Sept. 2.
