Volleyball: Owls Sweep 20th-Ranked LMU and UNC
9/18/2004
The Owls after going 2-1 at the Carolina Classic. |
HOUSTON ? Rebeca Pazo and Rebecca Kainz led the Rice volleyball team to a pair of 3-0 victories over North Carolina and 20th-ranked Loyola Marymount Saturday to earn all-tournament honors at the GlaxoSmithKline Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Owls defeated the host Tar Heels 30-28, 30-22, 30-24 in the early match, then downed the Lions 30-23, 30-21, 30-28 just hours later. The victory over LMU was just Rice's second ever over a ranked foe, the last coming in a 3-1 decision against 24th-ranked Colorado State in 1998.
Pazo struck first in the match, and she went on to dominate game one, scoring seven of her team's first 13 points. The Owls led through the first half of the game, before the Tar Heels knotted the score at 14-all. UNC held on to the momentum, leading by as many as five (26-21). Rice then took advantage of a Tar Heel error as Tessa Kuykendall served up a pair of aces to get the momentum swinging back in favor of the Owls. After finally tying the score at 28-all, Rice closed out the set. Pazo finished the game with nine kills and 11 digs.
Neither team could take control in the early going of game two. With the scored knotted at seven, Kristina Hoban stepped back and served an ace, giving the Owls a lead they would not relinquish. With the Heels focusing on stopping Pazo, the court opened for her teammates. Kuykendall, Kainz and Lindsey Carter each had four kills to lead the game.
After trading leads briefly to start game three, the Owls took control of the set on a Carter kill and never looked back. Kainz was impressive in the game scoring seven kills on nine attempts with no errors (.778). Carter had six kills including the match clincher.
Pazo finished with 14 kills and 26 digs. Kainz also had 14 kills, while Carter posted 12. Kuykendall led the Owls' dominance at the net recording nine of Rice's 13 blocks.
Games one and two against LMU were similar as the action stayed tight before Rice slowly pulled away down the stretch. Pazo was again impressive in game one, blasting eight kills to lead the Owls, while Carter followed with a team-high four in game two.
In game three, though, the Lions stayed right with the Owls as the teams were tied 21 times during the set. With the score knotted at 28, Kuykendall and Olaya Pazo put up a solid block, then Carter knocked down her second match-point kill of the day.
Rebeca Pazo finished the match with 19 kills and nine digs to lead Rice. Carter posted eight kills against the Lions, while Kainz had seven kills and four blocks, including two solo. Kuykendall also had a pair of solo blocks, finishing with five in the match.
The wins improve Rice's record to 9-2 on the year as they head into the start of Western Athletic Conference play. The Owls host Fresno State on Thursday, followed by Nevada Saturday. Both matches are set for 7 pm starts at Autry Court. |
