Rice University
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UTEP
Owls Sweep Miners
10/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 12, 2007
HOUSTON -- Rice fended off a game-three surge from UTEP to win 30-17, 30-21, 31-29 in Conference USA volleyball action on Friday night at Fox Gym. With the win, Rice improves to 9-10 overall and 4-3 in C-USA play.
"Any match that we win in conference 3-0 is a significant win," noted head coach Genny Volpe. "I think it's really nice to see that, especially with the comeback we had in game three. A lot of teams could have easily just lost their cool under the pressure, but the team actually embraced the pressure. It was really nice to see them have that confidence."
Junior Jessica Holderness (Sycamore, Ill.) was solid across the boards for the Owls, leading the way with 12 kills and 20 digs, while adding a pair of blocks. "It was nice to have strong overall play by Jess, getting 20 digs," said Volpe. "She definitely made some key plays on defense."
The middle blockers were on fire offensively for Rice as sophomore Natalie Bogan (Oakland, Calif.) and freshman Caroline Gill (Fairhope, Ala.) both posted .478 hitting percentages. Bogan had 12 kills with one error on 23 swings, while Gill scored 11 kills with no errors on 23 swings. Gill was also one off her career best with eight blocks.
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Rice took immediate control of game one, building an 8-3 lead and never looking back. Bogan had four kills to lead the balanced Owl attack, while UTEP was held to a -.122 hitting percentage.
The Miners looked to seize the momentum in game two, taking an early lead. Trailing 7-5, the Owls took advantage of a Miner hitting error and the solid serving of freshman Tracey Lam (San Francisco, Calif.) to break open the game with a 9-0 run. Bogan led Rice again with four kills in the frame.
UTEP rebounded coming out of the break, scoring the first three points of game three. The Miners kept the Owls back on their heels as they slowly built an eight point lead at 21-13. Holderness rallied Rice back with a kill and an ace to spark a 5-0 run as the momentum began to swing back in favor of the home team.
Trailing 27-24, Gill and freshman Meredith Schamun (Murrieta, Calf.) teamed for a block as the Owls made their final push for the sweep. Another kill from Holderness and a Schamun ace tied the score. The teams traded points and with the score tied at 29, Gill and sophomore Jessie Boulavsky (Clear Brook HS) scored a block then Bogan posted her final kill to secure the team victory.
The Miners' Amy Sanders led all hitters with 14 kills, while Christie Murphy had 14 digs on the defensive side.
The Owls return to action on Sunday when they host Tulane at 1 pm at Fox Gym.
