PREVIEW: Houston Volleyball Ready For UCF, USF
10/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Gameday Central >> Houston at UCF | ||
| Date | Time | Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 | 6 p.m. | |
| Location | The Venue at UCF Orlando, Fla. | |
| Coverage | | Live Video  | |
| Gameday Central >> Houston at USF | ||
| Date | Time | Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014 | 11 a.m. | |
| Location | The Corral Tampa, Fla. | |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Live Video | |
| Social Media |    | |
| Houston Match Notes HOUSTON - The University of Houston Volleyball team preps for another road challenge this weekend as the Cougars travel to Florida.
Houston (10-10, 2-6) is set to face UCF Friday night at 6 p.m. (CT) in hopes to hand the Knights (15-5, 8-0) their first American Athletic Conference loss this season. The Cougars make their way to Tampa, Fla., for a game against USF (8-12, 2-6) on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT).
QUICK HITS
-- Houston Volleyball picked up its first win of October with a five-set win over UConn Sunday afternoon. The Cougars stay .500 overall and picked up its second win in conference play.
-- Senior outside Kadi Kullerkann recorded her fifth and sixth consecutive 20-kill match this weekend. She ranks nationally in the top 10 in three categories, kills per set (5.09 - 5th), total kills (417 - 4th) and points per set (5.39 - 7th).
-- Senior libero Natalie Keck led the Cougars with 59 digs on the weekend, tallying her 18th and 19th consecutive double-digit dig matches. Against UConn, Keck recorded her second 30-dig performance of the season. She is just 48 digs away from second all-time for career digs. Keck moved up to top 25 in two categories nationally (digs per set - 5.07 - 25th // total digs - 416 - 19th).
Volleyball National Statistical Rankings | |
Assists Per Set (12.51) | 80th |
Digs Per Set (13.49) | 96th |
Kills Per Set (13.50) | 73rd |
Team Assists (1,026) | 38th |
Team Digs (1,270) | 62nd |
Team Kills (1,107) | 36th |
UCF KNIGHTS
UCF is the American Athletic Conference leader and the only team receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll this week.
Senior middle blocker DeLaina Sarden was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the past two weeks. She leads The American in hitting percentage (.435) and is No. 7 nationally in the same category.
Last season, Houston swept the series 2-0 with a 3-0 win at home and a 3-2 win on the road. The Cougars hope to knock off top ranked UCF this weekend in The Venue at UCF.
Series Record: 10-3 (33-17)
Last meeting: Nov. 24, 2013 - UH 3, UCF 2
SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS
USF sits in last place after eight games in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls are on a five-game losing streak and will host Houston Sunday afternoon.
Junior middle blocker Erin Fairs is the Bulls top returner and has carried the team this season. She is USF's top attacker with 280 kills, 279 digs and 41 blocks. Fairs has also scored 30 percent of the teams total points this season.
Last season, USF took both matches during conference play with four set wins.
Series Record: 11-9 (41-37)
Last meeting: Nov. 22, 2013 - USF 3, UH 1
LAST TIME OUT
Houston Volleyball picked up its second win of the American Athletic Conference this season with a 3-2 win over UConn Sunday afternoon.
On Friday, Houston dropped in four sets to Temple. Although senior Kadi Kullerkann had an outstanding performance, it wasnt enough for The Cougars to overcome.
Sunday deemed better for the Cougars as they battled for a five-set win over UConn. Kullerkann tallied her sixth consecutive 20-kill match, 11th of the season while senior libero Natalie Keck recorded her second 30-dig performance of the season (36 vs. UConn - 10/22).
STAT LEADERS
Houston ranks second in three categories and third in two categories among the American Athletic Conference. In kills per set, the Cougars rank second in the conference and 73rd in the nation with 13.50. 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 10 in the nation for kills per set (5.09), total kills (417) and points per set (5.39).
The Cougars also rank second in team total kills (1,107) and moved up to 36th in the nation.
Defensively, Houston is second in conference for total team digs (1,270). Senior libero Natalie Keck has notched 417 digs so far this season and sits 19th in the nation.
KADI `KILLER'KANN
Senior outside hitter Kadi Kullerkann put up 53 total kills this weekend, averaging 5.89 kills per set. She now has collected 417 kills through 20 matches and a hitting average of .310.
Kullerkann has successfully hit double-digit kills in all 20 matches and tallied 20+ kills in 11 matches. Most recently she recorded 20-kill matches in the last six matches. 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 |
5th | Kills Per Set (5.09) | 1st |
7th | Points Per Set (5.39) | 1st |
17th | Total Attacks (930) | 1st |
4th | Total Kills (417) | 1st |
CHART CLIMBERS: Natalie Keck
Senior libero Natalie Keck recorded 59 total digs this weekend averaging 6.36 digs per set. She has notched 416 digs so far this season, adding toward her 1,868-career dig total. The Louisville, Ky., native still stands in sole possession of third place in the school record books and is 48 digs away from jumping Amanda Carson (2007-10) for the second most career digs.
Keck has recorded double-digit digs in 19 consecutive matches this season. She has notched 20 or more digs in 12 of the 19 matches including the last four matches.
Keck has also made a name for herself in the national rankings this season alongside teammate Kullerkann.
National Rank | Category | Conference Rank |
25th | Digs Per Set (5.07) | 2nd |
19th | Total Digs (416) | 2nd |
STAY CONNECTED
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SINGLE GAME TICKETS
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