Rice University
East Carolina
Rice Falls To East Carolina 3-2
10/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2007
HOUSTON -- The Rice volleyball team lost a tough five-game decision to East Carolina on Sunday in Conference USA action, falling 23-30, 32-30, 30-27, 21-30, 15-13 at Fox Gym.
Juniors Jessica Holderness (Sycamore, Ill.) and Karyn Morgan (Episcopal HS) led the Owl attack with 18 kills a piece, while sophomore Natalie Bogan (Oakland, Calif.) recorded 16. Freshman Tracey Lam (San Francisco, Calif.) had a career night with 31 digs, tying the mark for the third-best single match in Rice history. Holderness added 22 digs.
"Sooner or later, the pieces will finally fall in to place for us," said head coach Genny Volpe. "We are working hard and doing great things, but we have to learn how to finish, especially when we're on top."
After trading points to begin the match, the Owls built a 12-5 lead and never looked back. The Owl middle dominated the game as freshman Carolina Gill (Fairhope, Ala.) hit .833 with five kills, and Bogan also posted five kills while hitting .333.
Rice continued to hold on to the momentum in game two, leading by as many as six as late as 21-15, but the Pirates began stringing together short rallies to tie the score at 27. As the teams traded blows, East Carolina finally grabbed the upper hand and took a 30-29 lead. The Pirates then held on for the win.
The battle continued into game three as the momentum eluded both teams. After six ties and four lead changes, the Pirates claimed the lead for good with a 5-0 run as they held off a late Owl charge.
The Owls took control early in game four opening with a 7-1 run, but the Pirates kept fighting and tied the game at 15. Rice recovered to regain the edge and pulled away to force the fifth. As a team, the Owls hit .400 (16-2-35) in the frame.
After East Carolina scored the first two to open game five Bogan sparked a 7-0 run with a kill and a pair of aces as Rice seemed to take control with an 8-3 lead. The Pirates rebounded with a 6-0 run of their on and the race to the finish was on. After seven ties and six lead changes, East Carolina broke the final 13-13 tie with consecutive points to win.
"Give credit to ECU," said Volpe. "They never gave up, and they played to win."
The Pirates' Kelley Weinert led all hitters with 22 kills, and Peyton Thompson was next with 13.
With the loss, the Owls fall to 10-14 on the year and 5-7 in conference play. Rice returns to the road next weekend, facing Tulane at New Orleans on Friday and UTEP in El Paso on Sunday.
