HOUSTON, Texas – HCU opens the home portion of its 2023 schedule when the Huskies host the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament this Thursday through Saturday inside Sharp Gym with Prairie View A&M, Pennsylvania, Arkansas State and UT-Rio Grande Valley rounding out the field.
The Huskies (0-3) kicked off the 2023 season with a trip to Lubbock, Texas for the Under Armour Challenge hosted by Texas Tech. HCU won the first two sets against Texas Tech to open the tournament before ultimately falling, 3-2, to the Red Raiders. On day two of the tournament, the Huskies suffered a pair of 3-1 defeats at the hands of Wichita State and Abilene Christian.
Sophomore outside hitter
Cassidy Drapela led the way for the Huskies with 39 kills, 14 digs, and seven blocks while junior middle blocker
Audrey Pearce totaled 27 kills, 13 blocks, and 10 digs on the opening weekend. Veteran senior libero
Kaley Feris tied her career-high with 30 digs against Texas Tech and notched 71 total digs in the tournament and sophomore middle blocker Lexie Pearce racked up 12 blocks in the loss to Texas Tech.
PVAMU (2-1) commenced its 2023 campaign at the Texan Invitational where they took down host Tarleton in a five-set clash before being swept by UIW and edging Northern Arizona in five sets. The Panthers are led by Kylee Owens with 34 kills, 30 digs, and three blocks on the season. Leah Lawson has 97 assists while Jaqueline Nino leads the way defensively with 46 digs. The Huskies are undefeated against the Panthers in their last 23 matchups while only losing three sets in the past 20.
This weekend marks the beginning of the 2023 season for The University of Pennsylvania. The Quakers finished eighth in the Ivy League Conference last year, ending the season 2-22 overall and 1-13 in league play. Penn is led by senior captain Emerson Flornes who recorded 76 kills, 45 blocks, and 23 digs last year. The Huskies won the only match played against Penn, 3-0, in the 2016 preseason tournament at Sharp Gym.
Arkansas State (3-0) kicked off season by going undefeated in their own Arkansas State Invitational. The Red Wolves swept both UALR and Louisiana Tech, then took down North Alabama in five sets. ASU is led by Bailey Helzer with 36 kills, 33 digs, and five blocks. Setter Erin Madigan has dished out 122 assists while Sarah Martinez leads the back line with 51 digs. This will be the first-ever matchup between HCU and Arkansas State, which is led by Brian Gerwig, the husband of former HCU assistant Molly Howard-Gerwig, for whom this weekend's tournament honors.
UTRGV (1-2) started the 2023 season off at the Ellesyn Invitational. After sweeping Montana, the Vaqueros dropped back-to-back contests to nationally-ranked clubs, falling to BYU (17) and Pitt (5). UTRGV is led by Perris Key with 20 kills, 15 digs, and nine blocks. Luanna Emiliano has dished out 90 assists along with 12 digs while Kiaraliz Perez leads the Vaqueros defensively with 27 digs.
2023 Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament Schedule:
Thursday, August 31:
Friday, September 1:
- HCU vs. Penn - 10:00 am
- Arkansas State vs. PVAMU - 12:30 pm
- UTRGV vs. Penn - 4:00 pm
- HCU vs. Arkansas State - 6:30 pm
Saturday, September 2:
- HCU vs. UTRGV - 10:00 am
- Penn vs. Arkansas State - 12:30 pm
- PVAMU vs. UTRGV - 3:00 pm
Following the weekend tournament, HCU will return to action next Friday and Sunday, when it takes on Rice and Florida Gulf Coast at the Rice Invitational in Tudor Fieldhouse.
