The Cougars finally found the momentum they’ve been searching for all season.
The Cougars (6-13) have won three consecutive matches, including two last weekend in the Athletics/Alumni Center.
UH knocked off two solid teams in Tulane, and UTEP to improve to 3-1 in Conference USA, tied with rival Rice for third place behind Tulane and Southern Miss.
The Cougars will attempt to maintain that momentum against Rice at 7 p.m. today at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
Head coach Bill Walton recognizes the importance of not only knocking off Rice, but also maintaining that winning attitude.
‘It’s for first place; it means a lot,’ Walton said. ‘Plus, they’re the cross-town rival, baby. It’s ‘beat Rice’ day.’
While the Cougars have certainly turned things around, they are still a young team and rank in the bottom of C-USA in every statistical category.’
It wasn’t that long ago that the team was 3-13 before its sudden three-game winning streak.
The Cougars now have a chance to measure themselves against a talented, experienced team in Rice, whose overall record is 11-4.
Walton says the Owls are a multi-faceted team.
‘Their setter, Meredith Schamun, makes them good, and Natalie Bogan ‘hellip; puts a lot of pressure on you to stop her in the middle,’ Walton said.’
Walton says the key for the Cougars against the Owls is their own defense.
‘We have to stop Bogan, Jennifer McClean and Ashleigh McCord,’ Walton said. ‘McCord we want to block, Bogan we want to block and dig and McClean we want to block her line and dig everything else.’
The history between the Cougars and Owls is long-standing, as this marks thier 73rd meeting of all-time. The Cougars have dominated the series with a 58-14 record.
The Owls are guided by head coach Genny Volpe, now in her sixth season. She collected her 100th career victory last week against UAB.
The Owls only have two freshman and four seniors, including middle blocker Bogan, who is second in the conference hitting percentage.’
The Owls also feature defensive specialist Tracey Lam, who leads the conference in digs per set with an impressive 5.22 average.
The Owls have played a majority of their games at Tudor Fieldhouse, but among their signature victories was a sweep of the USF Challenge in San Francisco, which also capped a season-long six-match winning streak.
The Owls excel statistically on both offense and defense. They are second in C-USA in hitting percentage and opposing hitting percentage. They are first in kills, assists, and digs.
A win against Rice would be a statement win for the Cougars. If the Cougars can apply the same poise they displayed this past weekend, they should have a chance to win.
‘There ought to be a lot of intensity,’ Walton said. ‘If we played with intensity against Tulane, today we should play with even more.’
