The UH volleyball team huddles up after scoring a point in a 2019 match against SMU. The Cougars’ 2020 season was postpone until Spring 2021 by the American Athletic Conference after the AAC said it was in its student-athletes’ “best interest.” | Trevor Nolley/The Cougar
UPDATED: UH volleyball head coach David Rehr reflected on the American Athletic Conference’s decision to postpone all volleyball and soccer competitions until at least next spring on Tuesday afternoon.
“While I’m disappointed to hear the news about our upcoming season,” Rehr said in a statement the team posted on Twitter. “What’s more important during these difficult times is ensuring the safety and well-being of our student-athletes.
“Since we started practicing, our team has worked hard to prepare for the season, and we will continue to do so and make sure we are ready to compete when the time is right.”
The AAC originally planned for both volleyball and soccer teams across the conference to begin a season in September.
“This is a difficult day for our student-athletes who represent us in soccer and volleyball,” said athletic director Chris Pezman after the AAC’s decision. “With the NCAA’s decision to move Fall Championships to the spring, this is a logical decision to mirror this effort. Our affected student-athletes have worked diligently to prepare for this upcoming season and have remained vigilant fighting against this pandemic.
“We remain committed to the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes and look forward to our programs competing this spring.”
The main reasoning behind the AAC’s decision to postpone all competition is so that the conference’s volleyball and soccer schedules would align with the NCAA championship season, which has been moved to the spring.
“We were prepared to conduct competition in the fall in men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, but moving to the spring was in the best interest of our student-athletes as it will align our schedules to allow our teams to compete for national championships,” said Commissioner Mike Aresco in a statement released by the AAC.
The AAC also plans to make a decision regarding whether or not cross country competition will still take place as schedules in the fall as soon as they receive further clarification from the NCAA.
