The two hottest teams in Conference USA remain a top the C-USA standings after posting perfect records on the week. Louisville extended its overall winning streak to 10 games and its league winning streak to 11 games, while DePaul kept pace by posting a 5-0 record and extending its own winning streak to nine games. Both teams are on the road for C-USA series this weekend with the Cardinals traveling to East Carolina for a weekend series and the Blue Demons facing Saint Louis after a pair of mid-week doubleheaders.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Hitter of the Week
Kristen Glowacz
Sr, 3B, Katy, Texas
Glowacz collected her third C-USA Hitter of the Week honor after batting .875 (7-for-8) in a three-game sweep of Saint Louis and .692 (9-for-13) during a 5-0 week for the Cougars. The senior tied a single-game C-USA record with four hits in game two of the series with the Billikens. Glowacz clubbed three home runs on the week to give her a C-USA record 44 for her career. She also added six RBI to bring her total to 40 for the season.

Pitcher of the Week
Aja Sherman, LOU
Sr., RHP, Las Vegas, Nev.
For the third consecutive week and fourth time this season, Sherman dominated her competition to earn the league’s weekly pitching honor. The senior did not allow an earned run in three appearances to extend her scoreless inning streak to 33 overall. Sherman tossed two shutouts in a series sweep of Charlotte and added eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 nine-inning victory over Indiana. She fanned 14 Hoosiers, just one off her career high, and finished the week with 29 punchouts.

NATIONAL POLLS

ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (Week 9 – March 28-Apr il 3)
1. Michigan (15)
2. Arizona (5)
3. California
4. Texas
5. Tennessee
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma
8. Baylor
9. Stanford
10. Georgia
11. Alabama
12. Oregon State
13. UCLA
14. Louisiana-Lafayette
15. Florida
16. Fresno State
17. Missouri
18. Northwestern
19. Iowa
20. Arizona State
21. Georgia Tech
22. Washington
23. Creighton
24. Southern Illinois
25. Nebraska
Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.
Also Receiving Votes: DePaul (9)

USA TODAY/NFCA Poll (Week 9 -- March 28-April 3)
1. Michigan (21)
2. Arizona (3)
3. California (1)
4. Tennessee
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Texas A&M
8. Stanford
9. Baylor
10. Alabama
11. Georgia
12. UCLA
13. Oregon State
14. Louisiana-Lafayette
15. Missouri
16. Florida
17. Arizona State
18. Northwestern
19. Fresno State
20. Washington
21. Georgia Tech
22. Auburn
23. Creighton
24. Iowa
25. Oregon
Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.

DIAMOND STARS (April 4-10)

DE PAUL: SS JESSICA EVANS went 6-for-13 (.462) in five Blue Demon victories last week. Evans belted a pair of home runs and doubles to post a 1.077 slugging percentage.

EAST CAROLINA: 1B KATE MANUSE went 5-for-11 (.455) at the plate to lead the Pirates to the Longwood Invitational championship last weekend. The senior added to her league-leading RBI driving in a pair of runs during the tournament.

HOUSTON: Freshman BARBIE LOVE pitched the Cougars to a pair of wins, while not allowing an earned run in 11 1/3 innings of work. Love fanned 11 in her two appearances and scattered six hits.

LOUISVILLE: SS COURTNEY MOORE hit her eighth, ninth and tenth home runs last week to break U of L’s single-season mark in that category. One of her blast’s was a ninth-inning solo shot to defeat Indiana.

SOUTHERN MISS: SS JESSICA HUERTA homered and picked up her 12th and 13th doubles of the season in the series with DePaul.

USF: Leadoff hitter CHRISTIE CHAPMAN went 7-for-18 (.389) with three doubles at the plate in five games last week. Chapman also scored seven runs and drove in seven.

STEAMIN’ DEMONS
DePaul has won nine straight and 13 of 14 overall to remain tied a top the C-USA standings with a hot Louisville team. The Blue Demons have won seven straight in league play following a 2-0 setback to UAB on March 25. No one player has taken center stage for the Blue Demons, who have six players with a .300 or better average in league games. C SARA POLENSKY leads the club with a .471 average in league play, while CF LINDA SECKA has a team-high 15 RBI in league play and 24 RBI overall. All-American 1B SASKIA ROBERSON has belted a team-leading seven home runs and carries a .354 overall average. In the circle, sophomore TRACIE ADIX is a perfect 7-0 in league games with a 1.64 ERA.

THE SHERMANATOR
Louisville senior AJA SHERMAN got off to a slow start this season, but the right-hander has been lights out of late. She has a scoreless innings streak of 33 entering this week’s action and has posted four consecutive shutouts in league play. For the season, Sherman has nine shutouts which is a new U of L single-season record. The Las Vegas native also has a pair of no-hitters to give her six for her career, which is one off the C-USA record held by former DePaul standout Lindsay Chouinard. Sherman is 12-7 on the season with a 1.72 ERA.

IN A BLAZE
Louisville dropped its C-USA opener to USF, but since the loss to the Bulls has reeled off 11 straight wins to climb to the top of the C-USA standings with DePaul. The combined efforts in the circle of AJA SHERMAN and CATHERINE BISHOP have been the driving force behind the win streak. During their 11-game run, the duo has yielded just two runs and zero in the last 37 innings of league play. Overall, the scoreless inning streak is at 46 entering the week. The tandem has combined for 16 shutouts and three no-hitters this season.

GLOWACZ GRABS NATIONAL HONORS
USA Softball recognized Houston 3B KRISTEN GLOWACZ as its Co-National Collegiate Player of the Week on March 8 after the senior batted .667 with five home runs and 11 RBI for the week (Feb. 28-March 6). Glowacz hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the Cougars’ second victory of the weekend over No. 16 Nebraska. She shared the honor with UCLA freshman Anjelica Selden, who tossed a pair of no-hitters against St. John’s and No. 18 Fresno State.

GLOWACZ GOES BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Houston 3B KRISTEN GLOWACZ had a Sunday to remember in a pair of Cougar wins over No. 16 Nebraska and Texas Southern on March 6. The senior hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in a 6-2 win over the Cornhuskers, then added a long ball in a 15-1 win over the Bobcats during the Hyatt Regency Classic. For the day, Glowacz went 6-for-6 at the plate with four home runs, six RBI and six runs scored. In the process, she set or tied five school records. The senior also set the C-USA record for homers in a game and total bases with 12.

FRESHMEN PERFECTION
A pair of C-USA rookie hurlers have recorded both of the leagues’ perfect games this season. UAB freshman JENNIFER NELSON recorded the first in an 8-0 five-inning victory over Alabama A&M on Feb. 15, while Houston freshman ANGEL SHAMBLIN notched the second in a similar contest as the Cougars defeated Arkansas Pine-Bluff 8-0 also in five innings on Mar. 14.

ERICKSEN COLLECTS 400th VICTORY
USF head coach KEN ERICKSEN is the third Conference USA coach this season to reach a milestone victory. Ericksen recorded his 400th career victory on Saturday in the Bulls’ 7-2 victory over UAB in game two of the doubleheader. In nine seasons at the helm of the Bulls, Ericksen has won two conference titles and guided his USF squads to five NCAA Tournament appearances.

400 KEE’S TO VICTORY
With a doubleheader sweep of UNC-Wilmington on March 23, East Carolina head coach TRACY KEE notched her 400th career win at the school. Kee is in her eighth season as head coach for the Pirates and 17th overall at the school. Following a successful four-year stint as a catcher/third baseman, Kee spent six seasons as an assistant coach in Greenville.

McNUTT NETS 300th WIN
Southern Miss head coach GAY McNUTT recorded the 300th victory of her coaching career on Feb. 13 at the Rebel/Easton Tournament in Oxford. USM rallied for the historic victory defeating Ball State 5-4 in its sixth game of the season.

MASHING MANUSE
East Carolina senior KATE MANUSE is putting together one of the most impressive power-hitting seasons in C-USA history. The Pirates’ first baseman is second in the league with 11 home runs and her 17 doubles are tops in the league. With her 17 two-baggers, Manuse has climbed to the top spot on the all-time C-USA charts for doubles. She also leads the league with 52 RBI.

HOME RUN QUEENS AND RBI MACHINES
DePaul 1B SASKIA ROBERSON and Houston 3B KRISTEN GLOWACZ are locked in a pair of tight races to see who will finish their respective careers as Conference USA’s all-time home run and RBI leaders. Through games of April 10 both seniors have surpassed the previous home run mark of 38 held by former Cougar ARELIS FERRERIS, while Glowacz, who has 14 HR and 40 RBI on the season, has surpassed former USF standout HOLLY GROVES for the top spot on the RBI chart. Glowacz took the overall lead in the home run race after belting three home runs in five games last week. USF’s CARMELA LIWAG is also making a run at the RBI crown. Liwag has 24 this year and 148 for her career. Here is a look at the C-USA career lists for all-time home runs and RBI:

Home Runs
44 Kristen Glowacz, HOU (2002-current)
43 Saskia Roberson, DPU (2002-current)
38 Arelis Ferreris, HOU (2001-04)
33 Holly Groves, USF (2002-04)
27 Kenya Peters, USM (2000-02)
25 Christina Douglas, DPU (2001-04)
25 Sara Bausher, LOU (2002-current)
23 Jenilee Skender, HOU (2002-current)
21 Sarah Boyd, USM (2001-04)
21 Heather Bell, USM (2001-04)

RBI
165 Kristen Glowacz, HOU (2002-current)
157 Holly Groves, USF (2002-04)
152 Arelis Ferreris, HOU (2001-04)
150 Saskia Roberson, DPU (2002-current)
148 Carmela Liwag, USF (2002-current)
140 Keola Calderon, LOU (2000-03)
132 Courtney Lewellen, USF (2000-03)
124 Cliffanie Engram, UAB (2000-03)
115 Sarah Martz, DPU (2001-04)

AROUND THE HORN

CHARLOTTE (12-29-1, 2-13 C-USA): The 49ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory in game two of their doubleheader with Appalachian State on Wednesday. RF EMILY FORBES hit a two-run homer in the fifth and LF EVAN MILLER added a pair of hits in the victory. The home run was Forbes’ first of her career. DP BECKY MATTHEWS hit a home run in game one of the doubleheader. Matthews had one homer as a freshman last season. Charlotte was then shutout in three straight contests by Louisville, who is one of the hottest team in C-USA. The 49ers play host to Winthrop for a doubleheader on Thursday before traveling to Tampa to face USF in a C-USA series this weekend.

DE PAUL (21-11, 11-1 C-USA): The Blue Demons kept pace with Louisville in the league standings with a three-game sweep of Southern Miss. The sweep increased the team’s overall winning streak to nine games as DePaul has beaten its opponents by an average of 5.2 runs during that stretch. CF LINDA SECKA had six RBI in the series with Southern Miss and leads the team with 15 in league play. RHP TRACIE ADIX saw action in four contests last week going 3-0 with one save, while yielding just two earned runs in 18 innings of work. Adix fanned six and is now 13-3 on the season. 2B SARA BANDAUSKI is batting .421 with runners in scoring position to lead the team. The Blue Demons open a seven-game road swing with a doubleheader at Illinois on Tuesday. DePaul also faces Northern Illinois in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday before concluding its week with a C-USA series at Saint Louis.

EAST CAROLINA (47-13, 9-3 C-USA): The Pirates went 4-2 in non-conference action last week including a 4-1 record at the Longwood Invitational to capture their fourth tournament title of the season. 1B KATE MANUSE continued to lead the offensive effort for the Pirates finishing the week with a .455 average. Manuse leads C-USA with 17 doubles and 52 RBI, while posting a .456 (27-for-56) average with runners in scoring position. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .309 with runners in scoring position. LHP STEPHANIE HAYES shutout Radford twice at the Longwood Tournament scattering seven hits in 14 innings of work. Hayes tossed a three-hitter against Radford in the championship game. East Carolina returns to conference play this Saturday against league-leader Louisville in Greenville.

HOUSTON (23-20, 6-6 C-USA): The Cougars snapped an eight-game losing streak with a doubleheader sweep of Sam Houston State on Wednesday and backed that up with a C-USA series sweep of Saint Louis over the weekend. Freshman ANGEL SHAMBLIN recorded her second no-hitter of the season in a five-inning 8-0 victory over Saint Louis on Saturday. Shamblin’s classmate BARBIE LOVE also had an impressive week in the circle. Love picked up a pair of victories while allowing just one unearned run in 11 1/3 innings of work. 3B KRISTEN GLOWACZ continues her torrid pace to her senior campaign. Glowacz already has 14 home runs and 40 RBI, both UH single-season records, and is on pace to break the C-USA single-season home run record of 18 set by former USF standout Holly Groves last season. Glowacz (18-for-36) and 1B MICHELLE KEITH (13-for-26) are each batting .500 with runners in scoring position this season. Houston takes a break from mid-week action before traveling to Southern Miss for a C-USA series this weekend in Hattiesburg.

LOUISVILLE (26-12, 11-1 C-USA): The Cardinals are in the midst of a C-USA season best 10-game winning streak overall and have won 11 straight in league play. The teams’ latest triumph came in Charlotte as the duo of AJA SHERMAN and CATHERINE BISHOP once again held their opposition scoreless for the entire series. It was the second-consecutive series that Louisville recorded three shutouts. Sherman broke the school record for shutouts in a season with her ninth in the series finale against the 49ers. SS COURTNEY MOORE belted three home runs last week including the game-winner in a nine-inning 1-0 victory over Indiana. Her third home run of the week gives her 10 for the season, which is a new U of L single-season record. 3B AUDREY RENDON (.489) and 2B MICHELLE VAZQUEZ (.480) are first and second in batting average in C-USA games. The Cardinals travel to Eastern Kentucky for a single game of Tuesday before traveling to East Carolina for a weekend C-USA series with the Pirates.

SAINT LOUIS (13-20, 4-11 C-USA): The Billikens went 2-3 on the week taking a pair of one-run games from Western Illinois on Tuesday before being swept at Houston in a C-USA series. CF ADRIENNE MAY has moved into third place on SLU's all-time stolen base list with 50 and is three away from second place. May, who is hitting .409, went hitless in a three-game stretch for the first time this season. However, she only had five at-bats in the Houston series. She has reached base via hit or walk in 28 of 33 Billiken games. Saint Louis is on the road for a pair of mid-week doubleheaders at Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri State before returning home to host DePaul for a C-USA series this weekend.

SOUTHERN MISS (19-25, 5-10 C-USA): The Golden Eagles are in the midst of a season-long seven-game losing streak after being swept at DePaul. Southern Miss also dropped a mid-week contest with Mississippi State losing to the Bulldogs, 5-2. SS JESSICA HUERTA had a pair of doubles and a home run in the DePaul series to lead the Golden Eagles’ offensive efforts. 1B ASHLEY DAVIS continues to lead the team in league play with a .381 average, four home runs and 12 RBI. Davis is batting .462 with runners in scoring position and .410 with runners on base. Southern Miss has a single game at Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting Houston for a C-USA series this weekend.

UAB (19-28, 5-10 C-USA): The Blazers dropped two of three games to USF over the weekend to complete a 2-3 week. UAB also split a non-conference doubleheader with Alabama A&M last Tuesday. The Blazers matched their season high in runs with a 11-1 victory in game two with the Bulldogs. The five-inning victory was the team’s third run-rule victory of the season. UAB has collected 10 or more hits in a game four times in its last seven games while scoring in double digits twice during that span. The Blazers begin a three-game stretch of non-conference games on Tuesday with a game at Mississippi State. UAB will travel to Atlanta this weekend to face Georgia Tech in a doubleheader on Saturday before returning to league play the following weekend at Charlotte.

USF (28-20, 7-5 C-USA): The Bulls picked up a C-USA series win on Sunday with a 8-2 victory in their rubber match with UAB. RF TIFFANY STEWART went 3-for-4 and LF CARLY STEWART added a trio of RBI’s as USF improved to 5-4 in league play. Freshman BREE SPENCE picked up the win in the circle and also added a pair of hits at the plate. The Bulls dropped a doubleheader at Stetson on Wednesday before rebounding to pick up the series win against the Blazers.