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The UH volleyball team returns home this weekend, and not a moment too soon.
Houston plays two home matches against Conference USA rivals, as the Cougars face Saint Louis (7-11, 1-0 Conference USA) at 5 p.m., Friday and Memphis (17-1, 1-0 C-USA) at 7:30 p.m., Saturday.
The Cougars are returning from a rough road trip during which the team lost its last three matches, and was 1-3 for the trip. The Cougars are young and experienced, and they have been battling injuries all season.
Pin Lim/The Daily Cougar
“Our hands are kind of tied,” head coach Bill Walton said. “We have all these young players, and now everybody's getting hurt. There isn't much you can do in that situation except bear down and wait out the storm.”
UH has four of its 12 players unable to play because of injuries, and defensive specialist Rachel Harrell is playing at less than 100 percent because of injuries. All four injured players are hitters, leaving the team with only four front-line players.
“You need at least five or six hitters to be really competitive,” Walton said. “You wouldn't go out there with four linemen and a safety on your offensive line. Your quarterback would get killed. That's the situation we're in, where we're just putting up a makeshift frontline.”
The Cougars should be able to handle the Saint Louis Billikens, since they have not lost to a team with a losing record this season.
Memphis is a different story. The team is 17-1 and has won its last 13 matches. The Tigers are currently the favorites to win Conference USA. The team is led by junior Tiara Gilkey, who is averaging 4.1 kills per game.
This Saturday will mark a homecoming for Memphis freshmen Christen Clayton, who grew up in Houston and played for Clear Lake High School.
Houston's injury problems have forced several young players to play larger roles than the team expected. Walton said the experience will pay big dividends in the future.
“Right now these players are just getting thrown into the fire,” Walton said. “Normally you'd get some time to learn and grow, but these players are having to just learn on the fly. They're struggling now, but later on down the road they will be that much better for it.”
Both matches will be played at Hofheinz Pavilion. The time for the match on Friday has changed to 5 p.m. from 7:30 p.m. Admission is free to UH students.
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