Rice University
Tulane
Rice Falls To Tulane 3-1
10/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2007
HOUSTON -- The Rice volleyball team put up a tough battle against second-place Tulane, but it wasn't meant to be as the Owls fell 30-28, 30-18, 30-32, 30-28 on Sunday afternoon at Fox Gym in Conference USA action.
Sophomore Natalie Bogan (Oakland, Calif.) matched her career high of 19 kills to lead the Owl attack, hitting .308 out of the middle. She also led the front line defense with six blocks.
"Natalie is doing a fantastic job," stated head coach Genny Volpe. "She is playing just like she is practicing. Everyday, she's going 110 percent. Her transition is so good, and she's so quick off the floor. She's up almost every single time and is always an option, and that's tough to do for a middle. It's key to have her stay that consistent, we need that from her."
Sophomore Jennifer McClean (Cy-Fair HS) and junior Jessica Holderness (Sycamore, Ill.) were also solid on offense for Rice with 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Freshman Tracey Lam (San Francisco, Calif.) had a career high 27 digs to lead the back row defense.
"Tracey Lam made some key digs," noted Volpe. "Her passing was dead on today. It's so nice to see her coming into her own and getting more comfortable on the floor. She's made some very key plays for us."
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The momentum firmly in hand, Tulane again took control early in game two leaping to a 9-3 lead. Rice kept chipping away and closed the gap to two points on three occasions, but the Green Wave caught fire and closed out the game on a 13-3 run.
Tulane looked to take control early again, building a four-point lead at 7-3, but Rice answered again, tying the game at 9-9, then taking a 10-9 lead. It would be the first of 10 ties and five lead changes in the game. Neither team could grab the momentum as the teams began trading points before the Green Wave launched a 6-0 run to go up 22-17. Bogan stepped up for the Owls with a pair of kills to spark a 7-1 rally to put Rice ahead again. Five ties later, Bogan struck her seventh kill of the game as the Owls were triumphant in the frame.
The teams battled through four early ties in the fourth stanza before Tulane seemed to take control with a six point lead. Rice continued to battle, and again closed the gap to single point at 22-21. The teams kept trading points down the stretch and the Owls fought off one match point with a kill from McClean, but it wasn't enough as the Green Wave held on for the win.
Sara Radosevic and Bridget Wells each had 19 kills to lead Tulane, while libero Jenn Miller recorded 30 digs in the decision.
Rice falls to 9-11 on the year and 4-4 in C-USA play with the loss. The Owls return to the road next week, traveling to Memphis on Friday and UAB on Sunday.
