HOUSTON – The HCU volleyball team kicks off the 2024 season with three tests in town, facing Texas State, Rice, and Texas Southern this Friday and Saturday at the Rice Invitational hosted at Tudor Fieldhouse.
HCU opens the tournament on Friday, Aug. 30, taking on the Bobcats at 10 a.m., followed by the Owls at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Wrapping up on Saturday, HCU will face the Tigers at 11 a.m.
The Huskies welcome back four starters from last season, led by Audrey Pierce, a three-time all-conference middle blocker who averaged 1.12 blocks per set last season to rank second in the Southland Conference. Junior outside hitter
Cassidy Drapela led the team with 339 total kills last season while junior setter
Grace McLaughlin averaged 10.34 assists per set, placing her third in the conference. Seniors
Alexia Jones and
Tatiana Evans combined to average 2.56 digs per set last season while outside hitter
Ana Garza averaged 1.67 kills per set as a freshman.
The Huskies bolstered their roster with 10 newcomers, including transfers
Sa'Myah Medford, a sophomore who came from Louisiana Tech, and senior
Emerald Jacobs, from Florida A&M. The team also welcomes eight talented freshmen:
Ravyn Dash,
Chloe Richards,
Katy Barger, and
Avery Psencik, all outside hitters;
Jade Smith, a middle blocker;
Peyton Fadal, a setter; and
Bianca Byerly and
Savanna Stevens, both defensive specialists.
The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the conference in the league's preseason poll and received a pair of first place votes.
Both Texas State and Rice were picked to win their respective conferences in preseason polls. The Bobcats are coming off a 20-10 season in which they finished first in the Sun Belt west division, going 12-4 in conference play. The Owls posted a 12-7 record in their first season in the American Athletic Conference in 2023, placing third in the league's west division, and went 18-11 overall. The Tigers, meanwhile, were predicted to finish eighth in the SWAC after an 8-23 season last year.
Next week, the Huskies host the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament from Thursday, Sept. 5, through Saturday, Sept. 7. Howard, Kansas City, and New Mexico, along with the Huskies, make up this year's tournament field.
