University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Volleyball Set to Compete in Lipscomb Invitational
8/29/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 29, 2012
| 2012 Lipscomb Invitational | Houston vs. Missouri, Appalachian State, Lipscomb | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| Day 1: Friday, August 31 | Game 1: Houston vs. Missouri at 10 a.m. |
| Day 2: Saturday, September 1 | Game 1: Houston at Lipscomb at 2:30 p.m.. |
| Location | Nashville, Tenn. | Allen Arena |
| Online | Live Stats | Twitter (@UHCougarVB) |
| Additional Info | Game Notes | Meet your Cougars |
HOUSTON -- Looking for its first win of 2012 and under head coach Kaddie Platt, the University of Houston volleyball team is set to compete in its second-straight road tournament, the Lipscomb Invitational, in Nashville, Tenn. on Friday and Saturday.
The Cougars are currently 0-3 and are coming off a tough opening weekend, dropping all three matches to Toledo, No. 24 Ohio State and No. 20 Oregon.
ABOUT HOUSTON
Despite a 0-3 record to start the year, Houston had several impressive moments during the Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic at Ohio State. Eight players saw action in 10 or more sets and seniors Katie Norris, Chandace Tryon, and Stephanie Nwachukwu showed well in the start to their final season. Norris leads the team with 39 kills, while Tryon has 31 and Nwachukwu 22. Freshman Emily Howard and sophomore Kaiti Waters also proved their worth around the net with 10 and 16 kills, respectively. Howard finished the three-match weekend with a team-high .471 attack percentage on 10 kills in 17 attempts. Senior setter Abby Simmons paced the offense with 99 assists and five service aces, while sophomore libero Natalie Keck made 32 digs for the Cougars.
As a team, Houston is hitting .173 to its opponents' .259. The Cougars have 125 total kills and 13 service aces, while tallying 129 digs and 17.0 total blocks.
ABOUT MISSOURI
Missouri is 3-1 after finishing second in the Tiger Invitational behind Michigan. The Tigers had wins over North Florida, Virginia Tech and Nicholls State, but fell to Michigan in the final game of the tournament. Missouri is led offensively by Lisa Henning's 57 kills, followed by Whitney Little's 36. Setter Molly Kreklow has 143 assists, while Henning leads the team with five assists. Defensively, the Tigers' Jade Hayes has 53 digs. As a team, Missouri entered 2012 receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Tigers are hitting .332 as a team with 179 kills.
ABOUT APPALACHIAN STATE
Appalachian State enters the weekend at 0-4 on the season with its most recent lost to Winthrop, 0-3, on Tuesday. The Mountaineers will play host-Lipscomb on Friday at Noon prior to meeting the Cougars at 5 p.m. As a team, Appalachian State is hitting .066 with 122 kills. Leading the way offensively is Lindsey Sauls with 36 kills, followed by Dalton Tolliver's 32 kills. Paige Brown paces the offense with 82 assists. Defensively, Jessica Eley has tallied 19 total blocks, while Courtney Rhein has 70 digs.
ABOUT LIPSCOMB
Lipscomb begins the weekend with an 0-3 record having lost its last match to North Carolina, 0-3. The Bisons will host Appalachian State and Missouri before meeting Houston in the tournament finale on Saturday. Lipscomb, as a team, is hitting .084 with 123 kills. Leading the way offensively is Lauren Ford with 32 kills, while Caitlin Dotson has 97 assists. Defensively, Stephanie Rex has 45 digs and Jewell Dobson has seven total blocks.
1 SHY OF 500
Platt will look to garner career win No. 500 with her first victory as the head coach at Houston. Platt's current career record is 499-160 and 0-3 at Houston.
PLAYING THE RANKS
Houston is set to play six teams that are ranked or received votes among the Top 25 in the AVCA Preseason Poll. Eight of the Cougars games will be played against these teams this season. Pepperdine leads the way at No. 11, while Florida State follows at No. 12. Oregon polls in at No. 20 and Ohio State, which Houston will face twice comes it at No. 24. C-USA foe Tulsa and Missouri both received votes.
RETURN OF THE FLO
Houston will host the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup for the second straight year in the Athletics/Alumni Center. The tournament will be held on Sept. 14-15, hosting Pepperdine, Florida State and Ohio State.
C-USA TOURNAMENT IS BACK
The Conference USA Championship returns after taking the last two seasons off. Houston's last appearance was in 2009, where the Cougars went 0-1. The top 8 teams in C-USA will play in the Championship on Nov. 16-18 in Tulsa, Okla.
KECK CLEARS 500
Sophomore libero Natalie Keck notched her 500th career dig on Friday, Aug. 24 in Houston's season opener against Toledo. She finished her freshman season with 499 total digs and entered 2012 just one shy of the milestone.
NORRIS NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Following a strong start to her senior season, captain Katie Norris was named to the Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic All-Tournament Team hosted by Ohio State. In 11 sets played, Norris tallied 39 kills and 18 digs for the Cougars.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can stay connected all season long by following the Cougars on Twitter @UHCougarVB and on Facebook at /HoustonCougarVolleyball.
All games this weekend will be available through Live Stats at www.lipscombsports.com.
UP NEXT
Houston will return home to host its season opener against UTSA on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Athletics/Alumni Center.
