Rice University Athletics
Volleyball: Weekly Notes; Owls vs. SMU/TCU
10/27/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
On Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999, at Autry Court (5,000) at 7:40 pm the Owls will face SMU.
TCU (6-14, 0-5)
On Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999, at Autry Court (5,000) at 3 pm The Owls will face TCU. Two conference matches.
Series
Rice leads the series with SMU 4-2, and is on top in the series with TCU, 5-1.
Rice's Probable Starting Lineup (1999 per game averages)
RICE OWLS 1999 RECORD (10-14, 1-5)
S 2 Soleil Thon 5-6, Sr.-3L, Sugar Land 8.8a, 2.5d OH 3 Klara Zelinka 6-0, Jr.-2L, Houston 3.2k, 3.3d OH 7 Alison Broadfoot 6-0, So.-1L, Clear Lake 1.6k, 1.8d MB 4 Briana Cook 6-1, Fr.-HS, Houston 1.2b, 1.6k MB 14 Courtney Smith 6-0, So.-1L, San Diego, Calif. 1.5d, 1.2k OH 15 Kelly Smith 5-11, Sr.-3L, Edmond, Okla. 4.5k, 3.1d
Rice Versus The Field
The Owls will be at home this week for two conferences matches. On Thursday night, Rice will take on SMU. The Owls lead the series with the Mustangs 4-2, and were victorious in last season's meeting 15-6, 15-9, 15-5. Saturday afternoon, Rice will face TCU. The Owls are also on top of the series with the Horned Frogs by a 5-1 margin. In 1998, Rice captured the win in a 15-6, 15-9, 15-5 decision.
A Look Back
The Owls ended their 6-game skid last week, notching two marks in the win column. The losing streak was haulted Thursday night at Autry Court when Rice defeated Sam Houston State 15-6, 16-14, 15-12. Kelly Smith paved the way for the Owls, serving nine straight points in game two to lift the Owls from a 14-9 deficit to the 16-14 victory. Smith ended the match with 14 kills. Klara Zelinka led the team with 15 kills and 15 digs. Courtney Smith and Briana Cook each added six blocks. The Owls then headed to Tulsa, Okla., where they captured their first WAC win of the season, topping the Golden Hurricane 8-15, 15-3, 15-12, 15-13. Kelly Smith put up a team-high 23 kills and Zelinka dug 19 attacks. Cook knocked down a career-high 12 blocks, which ranks third on the Rice single match block list. Soleil Thon's 23 assists and 12 digs marked her team high 10th double-double this season, while Smith (23 kills, 12 digs) and Zelinka (18 kills, 19 digs) trail closely after each picked up their ninth in weekend play.
Making History
Kelly Smith's 23-kill performance at Tulsa raised her career total to 1,361 and boosted her to second on the Rice career kills list. Smith is behind Rice's only all-America volleyball player, Sammy Waldron. Soleil Thon, who is currently nested at eighth, has been steadily climbing the career assists ladder. Thon needs 66 assists to take over the seventh postion. With the 1999 season winding down, several Owls are approaching the Rice single season top 10. Smith, who is ranked eighth in total attempts with 1,011 from 1998, is just five attacks away from the 10th position (971) this season. Briana Cook, who has accumulated 14 solo blocks and 81 block assists is within sight of making the list in several categories. She is six off the mark for solo blocks, four short in block assists and needs 11 total blocks to enter the ranking in the combined category.
Block Buster
Briana Cook recorded 12 total blocks, including 10 block assists against Tulsa. This not only marked a career- high for the freshman, but placed her at third on the Rice record list for block assists, and at fourth for total blocks. Cook's 12 blocks tie her for first in the WAC. Joining Cook on the front line is Courtney Smith. Smith and Cook each recorded six blocks in the Owls' win over Sam Houston State. Smith has recorded 68 total blcoks this season, including 12 solo. Smith's career-best blocking performance came against Central Florida where she knocked down eight total blocks.
At The Top
Several Owls are leading the WAC with their individual match statistics. Kelly Smith has posted the most attempts in a single match with 92 against Virginia. Smith is followed in that category by Klara Zelinka (80) and Karolina Zelinka (72). Leigh Leman's 30 digs, also against Virginia, is the highest in the conference, and Briana Cook's 12 blocks at Tulsa put her in a 4-way tie for first. The team totals from the Virginia match of 91 kills and 130 digs are also the most in the conference this season.
