Rice University
Arizona
Rice Upsets No. 21 Arizona 3-2
9/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Rice volleyball team upset No. 21 Arizona 30-28, 22-30, 30-23, 17-30, 15-13 on Saturday in the finale of the Four Points Sheraton Wildcat Classic in Tucson, Ariz.
The win marked just the third time the Owls have beaten a ranked opponent in the history of the program, and two of times were under the guidance of head coach Genny Volpe. In her first season at the helm in 2004, Rice swept Loyola Marymount, ranked 20th at the time.
"I'm just so proud of the team for realizing their potential today and coming together as a true team," said Volpe. "They battled through some tough games this weekend. You would think that a team's confidence would be shaken but it was the opposite for us. They really came together."
Earlier in the day the Owls beat Bradley 30-16, 27-30, 28-30, 30-20, 15-12. Of the last six Rice matches, five have gone five games, including all three matches in Arizona.
Senior Tessa Kuykendall was named the MVP of the tournament after averaging 3.07 kpg and 1.07 bpg over the three matches. She finished the match against the Wildcats with 13 kills and four blocks. Joining her on the all-tournament team was sophomore Karyn Morgan, who led Rice against Arizona with 15 kills.
"Tessa was absolutely deserving of the (MVP) honor and I'm so proud of her," said Volpe. "She is coming around and getting stronger with every match that we play. She started the season off a little shaky and over the last few matches she has continued to get better. She was such a great leader today and team really rallied around her."
The Owls (6-4) came out strong against the Wildcats in game one, taking a 7-4 lead. Arizona responded quickly with a 9-1 run, but Rice refused to surrender. With their opponents leading 15-9, the Owls began chipping away at the margin, tying the score at 18 and again at 19. Rice pulled ahead by as many as four before Arizona tied the score at 27 and 28. A pair of kills from freshman Jennifer McClean put the Owls on top.
McClean finished the frame with nine kills and hitting .429.
The Wildcats stormed out of the chutes in game two, scoring the first seven points unanswered. Arizona built an 11-point lead, but once again Rice clawed back into the game with a 9-0 run to close the gap to just two points at 17-15. Arizona regrouped and regained the advantage to take the frame.
Rice returned to game one form in the third set, opening with a 6-1 run, and just like in the first, Arizona battled back with a 7-1 rally to take a brief lead. The Owls took advantage of a pair of miscues from the Wildcats to regain the momentum, then held off another rally to close out the frame with a 12-5 run.
Sophomore Jessica May gave the Owls a spark off the bench with four kills on five swings in game three. Kuykendall also added four kills in the frame.
After three early ties to start game four, the Wildcats surged ahead to claim the frame and force the decisive game five.
Game five continued the close contest with seven ties, before Kuykendall broke open the match with a pair of kills. The spark gave the Owls a 12-10 lead as finished out strong for the upset.
Junior Yvette Kirk recorded 20 digs in the match to lead the Rice passers. Morgan posted 19 digs while McClean added 11. Freshman Natalie Bogan was strong for the Owls defensively at the net, leading the squad with six blocks.
"The key for us tonight was such strong defense," noted Volpe. "Our defense tonight was phenomenal."
Next up for the Owls is a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Nike Challenge. Rice faces New Hampshire on Friday, then IPFW and the host Wolverines on Saturday.
