Houston Volleyball Set For Two Road Matches
10/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Season Stats 
| Houston Match Notes | SMU Match Notes
| Gameday Central >> Houston at SMU | ||
| Date | Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 | |
| Location | Moody Coliseum Dallas, Texas | |
| Coverage | | Live Video  | |
| Gameday Central >> Houston at Tulsa | ||
| Date | Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014 | |
| Location | Reynolds Center Tulsa, Okla. | |
| Coverage | | Live Video | |
| Social Media |    | |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Volleyball program heads back on the road for another American Athletic Conference match this weekend.
The Cougars (9-7, 1-3) look to regain momentum as they travel to Dallas, Texas, for a 7 p.m. match against conference in-state rival SMU Friday night.
On Sunday, Houston revisits Tulsa for the first time since leaving Conference USA in 2012. The Cougars and Hurricanes face off at 1:30 p.m.
SMU MUSTANGS
SMU finished second place behind Louisville last year in conference play. SMU had an 11-game win streak before losing the first conference match of the season to UCF.
Senior outside hitter Caroline Young was pulled out of the Memphis match after suffering an ankle injury. Junior setter Avery Acker leads the conference in assists (678 / 11.49) just ahead of UH's Keandra McCardell.
Series Record: 11-12 (45-43)
Last meeting: Nov. 27, 2013 - SMU 3, Houston 0
TULSA HURRICANES
Houston travels to Tulsa, Okla., for a Sunday match at 1 p.m. This is the first match between the two schools since the 2012 regular season finale and the final Conference USA match for the Cougars.
Tulsa is under new direction after former head coach Steven McRoberts accepted the head coaching job at Ole Miss. The Hurricanes are now led by first year coach Ryan Wills.
Tulsa is on a four-match losing streak, dropping all four conference matches so far. Two sophomores lead the Hurricanes this season. Outside hitter Erica Bohannon is third in the conference for kills (215) while libero Brooke Berryhill is one of the top defensive specialists in the conference. Both were named to the conference Preseason team.
Series Record: 5-10 (22-32)
Last meeting: Nov. 11, 2012 - Tulsa 3, Houston 0
QUICK HITS
-- Houston Volleyball fell 0-2 this weekend in conference play against Tulane and East Carolina. This is the first week the Cougars have dropped two straight in a weekend since the 2013 Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup.
-- Senior outside Kadi Kullerkann picked up 20-kill matches against both teams. She has averaged 5.33 kills per set, moving to sixth in the nation. She has totalled 321 kills so far this season, the fourth most in the nation.
-- Senior libero Natalie Keck led the Cougars with 34 digs on the weekend, tallying her 14th and 15th consecutive double-digit dig matches. She is just 153 digs away from second all-time for career digs.
UH Volleyball National Statistical Rankings | |
Category | National Rank |
Kills Per Set (5.02) | 1st |
Points Per Set (5.31) | 1st |
Total Attacks (722) | 1st |
Total Kills (321) | 1st |
LAST TIME OUT
Houston Volleyball went 0-2 in the second week of American Athletic Conference competition. The Cougars fall to 9-7 overall, 1-3 in conference - 10th in conference standings.
Houston started with set one wins in each match but fell in straight games to lose the match.
In a midweek match, the Cougars dropped in four to Tulane. Senior Kadi Kullerkann recorded 21 kills, hitting .278, and five blocks. She scored 25.5 points for the Cougars, but reception errors and service errors plagued Houston.
On Sunday, Houston went into halftime with a 2-0 lead against East Carolina, holding the Pirates to just 29 points in the first two sets. But, East Carolina came back with momentum and won three straight to drop the Cougars in five sets. Kullerkann notched 27 kills, .385 hitting average and three blocks against ECU while scoring 29 of the 82 points scored by Houston.
STAT LEADERS
Houston ranks second in six categories among the American Athletic Conference. Led by setter Keandra McCardell, the Cougars are second in assists per set averaging 12.86. In kills per set, the Cougars rank second in the conference and 30th in the nation with 13.92. Senior outside hitter Kadi Kullerkann leads the Cougars and the league in four of the categories to push Houston ahead of the pack. The Cougars also rank second in team total kills (891) while sitting 38th in the nation.
Defensively, Houston is second in conference for total team digs (973). Senior libero Natalie Keck has notched 311 digs so far this season and sits 36th in the nation.
KADI `KILLER'KANN
Senior outside hitter Kadi Kullerkann put up 48 total kills this weekend, averaging 5.33 kills per set. She now has collected 321 kills through 16 matches and a hitting average of .319. Her total after 16 matches is more than the total kills she notched all last season.
Kullerkann has made a name for herself in the national rankings and leads every category among the conference.
National Rank | Category | Conference Rank |
6th | Kills Per Set (5.02) | 1st |
9th | Points Per Set (5.31) | 1st |
29th | Total Attacks (722) | 1st |
4th | Total Kills (321) | 1st |
CHART CLIMBERS: Natalie Keck
Senior libero Natalie Keck recorded 34 total digs this weekend averaging 3.78 digs per set. She has notched 311 digs so far this season, adding toward her 1,763-career dig total. The Louisville, Ky., native still stands in sole possession of third place in the school record books and is 153 digs away from jumping Amanda Carson (2007-10) for the second most career digs.
Keck has recorded double-digit digs in 15 consecutive matches this season. She has notched 20 or more digs in eight of the 14 matches.
Keck has also made a name for herself in the national rankings this season alongside teammate Kullerkann.
National Rank | Category | Conference Rank |
33rd | Digs Per Set (4.86) | 2nd |
36th | Total Digs (311) | 2nd |
A LOOK BACK AT 2013
Houston Volleyball entered the 2013 season as inaugural members of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars were originally picked to finish eighth in the conference, but jumped UConn, Cincinnati and Temple to finish fifth overall. The Cougars wrapped the season with an 18-15 record overall and a 10-8 record, the best record under head coach Kaddie Platt.
Redshirt sophomore (now redshirt junior) Kadi Kullerkann earned second team All-American Athletic Conference honors.
During the 2013 season, the Cougars led the conference in service aces recording 175 (1.41 per set). Defense was key for the Houston Volleyball team as the Cougars allowed only 11.57 kills per set, the third lowest average behind Louisville and SMU.
Houston Volleyball started the season on a good note winning seven of the eight matches played in two tournaments. The Cougars were crowned champions at the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Tournament hosted by University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and junior libero Natalie Keck was named the tournament MVP Libero.
Houston Volleyball began the inaugural conference season with two road wins at Rutgers and UConn, followed by a third win hosting Cincinnati at home.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter @UHCougarVB and "Like" /HoustonCougarVolleyball on Facebook. Houston Volleyball is now on Istagram as well, UHCougarVB.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Fans can now purchase Houston Volleyball Season Tickets for just $50. To take advantage of this offer, CLICK HERE or call 713-GO-COOGS today!
JOIN POINT HOUSTON CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Volleyball program by joining the Point HOUSTON Club. To find out more information about the Point HOUSTON Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Price at (713) 743-GOUH
