Friday, November 16
Huntington, WV
11 a.m. CT
Rice University
22-6
3
vs
0
(8) Charlotte
16-15
1
2
3
F
Charlotte
12
16
23
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Adam Gue
Owls Sweep Charlotte, Advance to C-USA Semis
11/16/2018 1:52:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
First serve scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday
HUNTINGTON, W.V. – The top-seeded Rice Owls volleyball earned a trip to the Conference USA Championship semifinals with a sweep (25-12, 25-16, 25-23) over No. 8 Charlotte Friday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center.
Rice (22-6) will face the winner of No. 4 Florida Atlantic/No. 5 North Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT).
The Owls posted their highest hitting percentage (.339) in their last 11 matches with four players hitting .300 or better. C-USA Player of the Year Nicole Lennon led all players with 12 kills while C-USA First-Team selection Grace Morgan added 10 kills while hitting .333. Junior Tori Woogk (9 kills, .438) and freshman Anota Adekunle (8 kills, .667) also had highly efficient offensive performances for the Owls.
Setters Adria Martinez (21 assists) and Carly Graham (20 assists) combined for 41 assists on the Owls' 51 kills.
Defensively Rice limited Charlotte (16-15) to just a .214 hitting clip with junior libero Lee Ann Cunningham collecting a match-high 22 digs.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
Postgame Reaction…
"We're excited to come out with the win, especially in three sets which is important in tournament play. Charlotte started out not like the team that we know but then they did later in the match. That's a tough team and we feel very fortunate to come out with the win."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Rice led start to finish in the opening set, opened up a near insurmountable 15-3 lead and never looked back. The Owls hit .324 for the frame and Lennon led the way with five kills. On the flipside the 49ers were held to a .000 hitting percentage in Rice's 25-12 victory.
Set 2
Just as in set one, the Owls never trailed in set two and rolled to a 25-16 win. Rice was even more efficient offensively, hitting .432 and adding three aces. The Owls used a 7-1 run midway through the set to take a 20-10 lead.
Set 3
Charlotte scored the first four points of the set and held a 22-20 lead late before Rice responded with a 5-1 run to clinch the match with a 25-23 victory. During the final stretch Lennon posted two kills and then recorded the winning point with an ace.
UP NEXT
The Owls will face the winner of Florida Atlantic/North Texas in the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. (CT). To keep tabs on all things Rice Volleyball, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com and follow @RiceVolleyball on Twitter for more information.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (22-6) will face the winner of No. 4 Florida Atlantic/No. 5 North Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT).
The Owls posted their highest hitting percentage (.339) in their last 11 matches with four players hitting .300 or better. C-USA Player of the Year Nicole Lennon led all players with 12 kills while C-USA First-Team selection Grace Morgan added 10 kills while hitting .333. Junior Tori Woogk (9 kills, .438) and freshman Anota Adekunle (8 kills, .667) also had highly efficient offensive performances for the Owls.
Setters Adria Martinez (21 assists) and Carly Graham (20 assists) combined for 41 assists on the Owls' 51 kills.
Defensively Rice limited Charlotte (16-15) to just a .214 hitting clip with junior libero Lee Ann Cunningham collecting a match-high 22 digs.
Postgame Reaction…
"We're excited to come out with the win, especially in three sets which is important in tournament play. Charlotte started out not like the team that we know but then they did later in the match. That's a tough team and we feel very fortunate to come out with the win."
Set 1
Rice led start to finish in the opening set, opened up a near insurmountable 15-3 lead and never looked back. The Owls hit .324 for the frame and Lennon led the way with five kills. On the flipside the 49ers were held to a .000 hitting percentage in Rice's 25-12 victory.
Set 2
Just as in set one, the Owls never trailed in set two and rolled to a 25-16 win. Rice was even more efficient offensively, hitting .432 and adding three aces. The Owls used a 7-1 run midway through the set to take a 20-10 lead.
Set 3
Charlotte scored the first four points of the set and held a 22-20 lead late before Rice responded with a 5-1 run to clinch the match with a 25-23 victory. During the final stretch Lennon posted two kills and then recorded the winning point with an ace.
The Owls will face the winner of Florida Atlantic/North Texas in the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. (CT). To keep tabs on all things Rice Volleyball, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com and follow @RiceVolleyball on Twitter for more information.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
CHA
RICE
Kills
35
51
Errors
13
12
Attempts
103
115
Hitting %
.214
.339
Points
40.0
65.0
Assists
33
47
Aces
0
8
Blocks
5.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02