The young UH volleyball team faced a set back when junior setter Kelsey King was sidelined last week with an injury, but the team stepped up in the face of adversity.
Freshman setter Robin Fitzgerald will continue to run the show for at least one more week and try to avoid pushing the Cougars losing streak to a season high four matches.
Fitzgerald didn’t exactly have it easy in her first match as a starter as she was thrown into the fire against No. 6 Texas.
Being a freshman starter could make some a little shaky, but Fitzgerald has undergone the experience well in the eyes of her team.
"If she’s nervous I haven’t been able to tell. Her on-the-court demeanor has been good," said freshman outside hitter Hannah Sullivan.
Fitzgerald finished the match against Texas with 28 assists and followed that performance up with 44 assists against New Mexico State.
Coming in to her third match as the starter against Cal State Bakersfield tonight, Fitzgerald’s teammates are confident in her ability to lead the team.
"I think Robin has been doing really well for being a freshman," said middle blocker and fellow freshman Lucy Charuk. "She has stepped it up, and that’s what we’ve needed her to do."
After losing in their first two matches of the season the Roadrunners gained momentum with three consecutive wins, but couldn’t keep it going in their last two matches.
Cal State Bakersfield (3-4) will come to Houston looking to break their two-match losing streak.
The Roadrunners will be led by 6-4 Sarah Norman and 6-3 senior middle blocker Melissa Myers.
Junior outside hitter Norman has led her team in kills every match this year and is coming off of Player of the Week honors for her performance in the University of Oregon kickoff classic last weekend.
Myers comes into tonight’s match against UH leading her team in blocks and third in kills. Meyers has reached double figures in five consecutive matches.
Along with Fitzgerald, the Cougars will be led by junior outside hitter Justine Farmer, who notched 23 kills in her last match against New Mexico State.
UH should also get big contributions from freshman defensive specialist Amanda Carson and freshman outside hitter Hannah Sullivan who has averaged nearly 11 kills in her last two outings.
Head coach Bill Walton said that there will be a couple of key aspects to beating Cal State Bakersfield tonight.
"We’re going to have to improve our middle attack and continue to work on our serve reception," Walton said. "The level you play at is based on how you serve and receive the ball."
