In a transitional period for Houston sports, these Cougars are making the most of their opportunities. The past week was highlighted by strong performances and a huge moment for one of Houston’s seniors.
- Senior libero Natalie Keck reached a career milestone after recording her 2,000th career dig in the third set of Friday’s loss to Memphis. Keck totaled 18 digs on the evening and now has a season total of 550. She currently ranks No. 5 in UH history for most digs in a single season and second in career digs, with 2,002.
- Sophomore Brian Barraza qualified for the NCAA Championship on Friday after taking fourth place at the NCAA South Central Regionals. He is the first Cougar to make it to the NCAA Championship since 2011. Barraza finished the 10K with a time of 29:41.5, and his performance earned him a spot on the 2014 NCAA All-South Central Region Team.
- The men’s basketball team entered the Kelvin Sampson era after barely earning a season-opening win against the Murray State Racers. In the 77-74 victory, junior forward Devonta Pullard led the Cougars’ offense with 19 points, followed by 17 from junior guard Jherrod Stiggers. Freshman forward JC Washington had a big impact on the win as he nabbed nine rebounds in his Houston debut.
- The women’s basketball team opened their season in similar fashion to the men’s as they picked up a 46-42 victory over the North Texas Mean Green Friday. After scoring 100 points against Huston-Tilloston, Houston’s defense played a stronger role in the close win over North Texas. The Cougars held the Mean Green to a 27.1 shooting percentage and forced 22 turnovers as junior forward Tyler Gilbert and junior guard Alecia Smith led the offense with 10 points each. Smith also totaled nine rebounds, falling one board shy of her first career double-double.
