Rice University Athletics
Rice University
UTEP (C-USA)
Rice Rallies To Beat UTEP 3-2
10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2005
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HOUSTON - After stumbling early to go down two games, the Rice volleyball team fought back behind career nights from freshman Karyn Morgan and senior Olaya Pazo to beat UTEP 25-30, 22-30, 30-19, 30-22, 16-14 on Friday night in Conference USA action at Autry Court.
Neither team could take control early in game one. The score was tied six times and the lead changed hands twice before the Miners scored a kill to go up 8-7. The battle stayed close with UTEP leading by no more than three before the Miners launched an 8-1 run to seemingly take the game in hand. The Owls, though, took advantage of a UTEP service error to put the ball in Pazo's hands, and she served Rice to an 8-0 run, knotting the score at 25. It wasn't enough as the Miners answered back to take the frame.
Game two started much like the first frame as the score was ties on nine occasions. UTEP broke a 13-13 tie with a pair of kills to spark a 13-3 run, including eight straight, as the Miners took control of the game. The Owls posted four-straight kills, two coming from junior Tessa Kuykendall, to end the UTEP run, but the Miners held off the attack to take the 2-0 lead into the break. Kuykendall finished the game with eight kills
Once again, neither team could grab the momentum in game three. After 11 ties, the Owls took advantage of a Miner hitting error and posted consecutive kills from freshman Jessica Holderness and Pazo to break a 14-14 tie. With Rice leading 20-16, Pazo launched a 5-0 run almost by herself, scoring a kill then stepping back to serve three aces. Morgan and Holderness led a sterling hitting effort by Rice in the frame, scoring five kills each as the Owls hit .417.
After Rice scored the first two points in game four, UTEP rallied to take a 5-2 lead. Morgan sparked a 6-0 Rice run with a kill as the Owls took the advantage. The Owls built a 19-10 lead capped by a pair of Morgan kills. The Miners didn't surrender and fought back to within five, but Rice responded with a 6-0 run and never looked back. Morgan finished the frame with a whopping nine kills.
Rice and UTEP traded points to open game five, then the Miners built a 6-3 lead. Pazo answered back for the Owls with back-to-back kills to close the gap to just one. The Owls stayed close throughout the frame, but found their backs against the wall as UTEP served for the match at 14-12. Pazo again responded with a kill, and a huge block from holderness and sophomore Rachel Lopez knotted the score at 14. Morgan added another kill, then Pazo served out the match with an ace to secure the Rice victory.
Pazo had 23 kills to lead all hitters, and Morgan finished with a career high 21. Pazo also had a career-best five aces to go along with her team-high 20 digs. Kuykendall added 16 kills and a career-high five solo blocks, tying for the fifth-best single match total at Rice. Six Owls finished the match with double-digit digs, while Morgan, Pazo, Holderness and senior setter Kristina Hoban all posted double-doubles.
The victory improves Rice's record to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in C-USA, while the Miners fall to 15-8 and 5-5. The Owls close out their five-match home stand on Sunday when they host Tulane at 1 pm at Autry Court.
