PREVIEW: Volleyball Faces Memphis, Cincinnati This Weekend
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Gameday Central >> Houston at Memphis | ||
| Date | Time | Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 | 7 p.m. | |
| Location | Elma Roane Fieldhouse Memphis, Tenn. | |
| Coverage | | Live Video  | |
| Gameday Central >> Houston at Cincinnati | ||
| Date | Time | Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 | 12 p.m. | |
| Location | Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, Ohio | |
| Coverage | | Live Video | |
| Social Media |    | |
HOUSTON - In its last three weeks of conference play, The University of Houston Volleyball team is set to face Memphis and Cincinnati this weekend in two away matches before returning to Houston for the home finale.
On Friday, the Cougars will face Memphis at 7 p.m. in Elma Roane Fieldhouse. With wins this weekend, Houston could jump into fifth place in the American Athletic Conference standings. Houston is only one of five conference opponents who defeated Memphis this season.
MEMPHIS TIGERS
Memphis is currently in fifth place in the American Athletic Conference standings and is the statistical leader in seven categories.
Houston picked up its first conference win at home against Memphis in four sets, the second four-set loss for the Tigers this season.
Aleksandra Petronijevic is the Tigers starting libero and leads the conference in total digs (604) and digs per set (5.54).
Series Record: 25-10 (28-28)
Last meeting: Sept. 28, 2014 - UH 3, Memphis 1
Following the match, Houston travels to Cincinnati for a meeting at noon on Sunday. The Cougars seek revenge after falling 3-2 at the Athletics/Alumni Center in late September.
CINCINNATI BEARCATS
The Bearcats enter the match tied with Houston 13-13 overall, 5-9 in the American Athletic Conference. Cincinnati has dropped the last seven straight matches including five matches at home in Fifth Third Arena.
Junior right side Emma Roberson is the leading scorer for the Bearcats right now as she has tallied 357 kills and a .277 hitting average.
Series Record: 7-8 (27-30)
Last meeting: Sept. 26, 2014 - Cincy 3, UH 2
QUICK HITS
-- Houston went 2-0 this week with two five-set wins over Tulane at home and at East Carolina. The Cougars are now 13-13 on the season, 5-9 in conference play. Houston is now 6-3 in five-set matches.
-- Senior libero Natalie Keck led the Cougars with 53 digs this weekend. She tallied 29 digs at home against Tulane on Wednesday, her third best performance of the season. Keck is only 16 away from her 2,000th career dig.
-- Senior middle blocker Kaiti Waters also had a valuable weekend as she recorded a .394 hitting average with 16 kills, five aces and 10.0 blocks.
-- Senior outside hitter Kadi Kullerkann tallied 37 kills this week including a 26 kill performance against Tulane on Wednesday.
Houston Volleyball National Statistical Rankings: | |
Kills Per Set (13.36) | 93rd |
Team Assists (1,318) | 37th |
Team Digs (1,652) | 49th |
Team Kills (1,416) | 34th |
LAST TIME OUT
Houston Volleyball went 2-0 this week in the second round of conference play.
In a midweek match against travel partner Tulane, the Cougars outworked the Green Wave to overcome a 2-1 deficit after three sets.
The Cougars recorded a season high of 13.0 team blocks.
On Friday, Houston forced a fifth set in an exciting win at East Carolina. Freshmen Keandra McCardell and Sarah Afflerbaugh recorded double-doubles at Greenville, N.C., while senior Cortney Warren led the Cougar offense with 24 kills, hitting .311.
STAT LEADERS
Houston ranks second in three categories among the American Athletic Conference. In team kills, Houston ranks second in the conference and 34th in the nation with 1,416 total kills. Senior hitter Kadi Kullerkann leads the Cougars and the league in four of the categories to push Houston ahead of the pack. She is also ranked in the top five in the nation for kills per set (5.07), total kills (532) and points per set (5.41).
Defensively, Houston is second in conference for total team digs (1,652). Senior libero Natalie Keck has notched 532 digs so far this season and sits 20th in the nation.
KADI `KILLER'KANN
Senior outside hitter Kadi Kullerkann put up 37 total kills this weekend, averaging 4.11 kills per set. She now has collected 532 kills through 26 matches and a hitting average of .286.
Kullerkann has successfully hit double-digit kills in all 26 matches and tallied 20+ kills in 14 matches. Most recently she recorded 20-kill matches in nine of the last 12 matches, the last coming in a five-set match against Tulane at home (26 kills). Kullerkann also notched 30+kill matches twice this season.
Kullerkann has made a name for herself in the national rankings and leads every category among the conference.
National Rank | Category | Conference Rank |
25th | Attacks Per Set (11.65) | 2nd |
5th | Kills Per Set (5.07) | 1st |
5th | Points Per Set (5.41) | 1st |
13th | Total Attacks (1,223) | 1st |
3rd | Total Kills (532) | 1st |
In her final season as a Cougar, Kullerkann has made her way into the Houston Volleyball record books.
SINGLE SEASON | ||
5th | Kills Per Set | 5.07 |
CAREER | ||
9th | Kills Per Set | 3.40 |
CHART CLIMBERS: Natalie Keck
Senior libero Natalie Keck recorded 53 total digs this weekend averaging 5.30 digs per set and was named to the American Weekly Honor Roll. She has notched 532 digs so far this season, adding toward her 1,984-career dig total. She stands sixth on the single-season digs list. The Louisville, Ky., native moved into second place in the school record books for career digs jumping Amanda Carson (2007-10). Keck is only 16 digs away from reaching her 2,000th career dig.
Keck has recorded double-digit digs in all but two matches this season. She had a 19-match streak of double-digit digs before the UCF game on Friday (Oct. 24) where she was one shy of double-digits. Currently, she is on a five-match streak with double-digit digs and has recorded 20+ digs in the last three consecutive matches. Keck has notched 20 or more digs in 15 of the 26 matches.
Keck has also made a name for herself in the national rankings this season alongside teammate Kullerkann.
National Rank | Category | Conference Rank |
32nd | Digs Per Set (5.02) | 2nd |
20th | Total Digs (532) | 2nd |
Keck has always been a front runner in the Houston Volleyball record books and in just five weeks, her career at UH will come to an end.
SINGLE SEASON | ||
6th | Digs | 532 |
10th | Digs Per Set | 5.02 |
CAREER | ||
2nd | Digs | 1,984 |
2nd | Digs Per Sets | 4.44 |
STAY CONNECTED
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SINGLE GAME TICKETS
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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
