Rice University Athletics
Volleyball: Owls Fall 3-1 to Crosstown Rival Houston
11/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Cougars opened game one with a 7-1 lead and never looked back, outhitting the Owls .286 to .162. Junior Leigh Leman knocked down five kills and collected four digs in the 7-15 game one loss.
Game two proved to be all Rice, as the Owls jumped out to an 8-3 lead, and dominated the injury-plagued Cougars for the 15-4 game two win. Rice held Houston to just a .091 hitting percentage, while the Owls hit an astounding .417. Karolina Zelinka tallied five kills and five digs en route to the game two victory.
The two teams went neck-and-neck in game three, with the Cougars coming out on top 15-10. The Owls were held to just a .088 hitting percentage behind the stong play of Leman and Zelinka. Both girls hit the double-double mark in game three, combining for nine kills and 15 digs.
The Cougars finished the match in top form, opening to a 10-0 lead before Rice could get on the board. Houston dominated, and won game four 15-3 to claim the match. The Cougars held the Owls to a .089 hitting percentage in game four, .171 for the match. Houston hit .214 overall, led by senior Bobbi Stewart's 24 kills.
Rice had three players finish with double figure kills. Leman posted her 15th double-double on the year with 17 kills and 23 digs, while Zelinka tallied 16 kills and 24 digs for her 17th double-double on the year. She needs just 14 more digs to become the all-time leader at Rice. Her younger sister, Klara Zelinka, notched 11 kills and added eight digs for the Owls.
Rice moves to 14-12 overall and travels to El Paso this weekend to face UTEP on Saturday.
