Rice University
DePaul
Owls Sweep DePaul At Holiday Inn Select/Rice Invitational
9/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2006
Rice vs. DePaul Box Score
Illinois State vs. UT-San Antonio Box Score
Holiday Inn Select/Rice Invitational Gametracker
HOUSTON -- On the first day of the Holiday Inn Select/Rice Invitational, the Rice volleyball team dominated DePaul in a 30-27, 30-20, 30-19 victory, and visiting Illinois State rallied against Texas-San Antonio for 20-30, 28-30, 31-29, 30-26, 17-15 win on Friday at Autry Court.
Sophomore Karyn Morgan came out on fire for the Owls, scoring four of their first five points on kills. The Blue Demon kept things close, tying the match five times in the opening frame, the last at 17-17. Rice then took advantage of a pair of DePaul miscues to snare the lead for good. The Owls led by as many as five in the frame before closing out with the three-point margin.
Morgan blasted the Blue Demons for a total of 10 kills in the first game to lead all hitters. Sophomore Jessica May also had a hot hand for Rice, hitting .500 with five kills on eight swings with a single error.
Rice came out strong again in the second game, scoring the first points on a pair of Morgan kills and an ace from freshman Jennifer McClean. DePaul tried to keep it close early, but a commanding 13-5 run gave the Owls a 12-point lead at 27-15 and all of the momentum to close out the frame.
Showing a more balanced attack in the second game, Morgan again led her team in kills, this time with four. Middle blockers Tessa Kuykendall and Natalie Bogan both added three kills, while three others chipped in two a piece.
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The Blue Demons came back strong from the break, taking an early 6-3 advantage. The Owls answered back with a 4-0 run to regain the lead. After three more ties, Rice snared the lead for good with a Kuykendall kill and a big block from Kuykendall and junior Rachel Lopez, which sparked an 8-2 run. DePaul tried to fight back and trailed by five at 22-17. Kuykendall again stepped up with a kill to spark a 7-0 run that featured great serving junior libero Yvette Kirk. And, after scoring the first point of the match, Morgan scored the final kill to secure the victory.
Kuykendall hit a scorching .714 with five kills on seven swings in the final frame.
Morgan led all hitters with 18 kills, while May finished the match with career-bests of 10 kills and 11 digs. Kuykendall posted nine kills, and Bogan chipped in seven. Defensively, Kirk led the Owls with 12 digs and McClean added 10 to go along with her three aces. Lopez set up 41 assists in the match, her best effort to date.
For DePaul, Megan Ingersoll posted 12 kills to lead her team offensively, while four Blue Demons recorded double-figure digs.
The first match of the tournament between UTSA and Illinois State turned into a thriller. After dominating in the first game, the Roadrunners held off the Redbirds to take a 2-0 lead into the break. The battle picked up in the third frame, but after 11 ties UTSA seemed to have the match in hand taking a 29-26 lead and serving for the match. Illinois State refused to surrender and rallied for five unanswered points, three on blocks, to take the frame and stay alive in the match.
The excitement continued in the forth game, and after eight ties and four lead changes, the Redbirds took the lead for good. The Roadrunners stayed close, but couldn't regain the upper hand. Both teams continued to fight in the final game, and after six ties, UTSA once again had a chance to serve for the match at 14-12. But again, Illinois State refused to surrender, fighting off a pair of match points with a 5-1 run to win.
The Redbirds' Meagan Daniel led the come-from-behind victory with 23 kills, while Connie Picard added 16. For the Roadrunners, Kristin Dziubla and Lindley McDavid led the offense with 16 and 15 kills, respectively.
Tournament action continues Saturday, beginning at 10 am. The Owls take the court against UTSA at 12 noon and wrap up the day at 6 pm with Illinois State. Admission to the 6 pm match is free.
