Rice University
Tulane
Rice Bested By Tulane 3-1
9/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2006
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HOUSTON -- The Rice volleyball team stumbled 30-26, 30-24, 27-30, 30-19 in a face off with league-leading Tulane in Conference USA action Friday night at Autry Court.
Freshman Natalie Bogan had a big night defensively at the net for Rice, recording a career best nine blocks, including three solos. Her tally marks the best blocking match by an Owl this season.
The first two games were highlighted by a combined 25 ties, before the Green Wave pulled ahead. Game one saw 12 ties, the last at 22-all, and six lead changes, before Tulane scored four in a row to take the lead. The second frame was even closer early on, with 13 ties, the last at 17-all. The Green Wave scored three to take the lead, but the Owls stayed close and trailed by a single point at 20-19. Tulane then took control of the game with a 5-0 rally.
The trend continued into game three as the teams tied the score nine times with four lead changes. This time it was Rice to step up with the big rally, breaking a 14-14 tie with a 6-0 run to snare the momentum. After trading points, the Green Wave posted a 5-0 rally to close to 27-26, but the owls slammed the door on the comeback attempt with a pair of kills from sophomore Karyn Morgan.
Tulane regained the momentum in game four, opening with four straight points, including a pair of blocks. The Green Wave surged ahead to a 12-3 lead, before the Owls scored six in a row to close the gap to three points. Tulane fended off the attack and pulled away for the victory.
Morgan and senior Tessa Kuykendall both recorded team highs of 15 kills. Junior libero Yvette Kirk had 23 digs to anchor the Owls' back row defense. Sophomore Jessica Holderness was next with 18 digs.
The Owls (7-10, 0-3 C-USA) continue their current home stand on Sunday when they host UTEP at 1 pm at Autry Court.
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