Saturday, November 17
Huntington, WV
11 a.m. CT
Rice University
23-6
3
vs
1
(5) North Texas
16-16
1
2
3
4
F
North Texas
20
26
20
21
1
Rice
25
24
25
25
3
Photo by: Adam Gue
Owls Earn Trip to C-USA Championship Match
11/17/2018 2:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
First serve set for 11 a.m. (CT) on ESPN+
HUNTINGTON, W.V. – For the fourth time in program history the Rice Owls volleyball team punched their ticket to the title match of the C-USA Championships with a 3-1 victory (25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21) over sixth-seeded North Texas Saturday afternoon.
Rice (23-6) outhit the Mean Green (16-16) by a .252-.185 margin and recorded more kills (61-57) and digs (82-72).
Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Lennon continued her stellar tournament play with a match-high 22 kills and 13 digs and was joined in double-figure kills by Anota Adekunle (14 kills/.480) and Grace Morgan (12 kills/.500).
Rice setters Adria Martinez (24 assists/13 digs) and Carly Graham (22 assists/12 digs) each recorded double-doubles in the victory while libero Lee Ann Cunningham (23 digs) and outside hitter Shelby Livingstone (14 digs) cleaned up the defensive end of the floor.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
Postgame Reaction…
"I'm really proud of this team. That was a great match and test against a phenomenal North Texas team. I thought we matched up really well against each other. It was very competitive from the start to the finish and a battle at the net. We were very scrappy and did a good job of digging to our targets. This is such a competitive team and this program means a lot to them. Competition is our stage and we want all our hard work to pay off."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Rice rallied from an early 7-4 deficit to take the lead for good at 12-11 on a kill from Kassidy Muse. Lennon recorded seven kills in the frame and Rice hit .256 as a team while limiting the Mean Green to a .167 clip. The Owls would hang on to win 25-20 following consecutive kills from Lennon and Adekunle.
Set 2
North Texas evened the match 1-1 with a 26-24 win over the Owls in set two, rallying from a 24-23 deficit to score the game's final three points. Rice had dug themselves out of a 15-9 deficit with a 9-4 run to briefly take the lead but North Texas hit a match-high .298 for the frame.
Set 3
The Owls never trailed in a 25-20 set three victory, hitting .405 as a team. Rice also took advantage of nine North Texas attack errors in the win.
Set 4
Rice clinched the match with a 25-21 triumph, holding off a late Mean Green comeback with a 4-2 close. The Owls led 19-11 but North Texas closed the gap to 21-19 before a service error ended the momentum. Rice then put the match away with consecutive kills from Livingstone and Lennon.
UP NEXT
The Owls will face the winner of FIU/Southern Miss in the championship match of the C-USA Tournament, which will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18 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 (23-6) outhit the Mean Green (16-16) by a .252-.185 margin and recorded more kills (61-57) and digs (82-72).
Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Lennon continued her stellar tournament play with a match-high 22 kills and 13 digs and was joined in double-figure kills by Anota Adekunle (14 kills/.480) and Grace Morgan (12 kills/.500).
Rice setters Adria Martinez (24 assists/13 digs) and Carly Graham (22 assists/12 digs) each recorded double-doubles in the victory while libero Lee Ann Cunningham (23 digs) and outside hitter Shelby Livingstone (14 digs) cleaned up the defensive end of the floor.
Postgame Reaction…
"I'm really proud of this team. That was a great match and test against a phenomenal North Texas team. I thought we matched up really well against each other. It was very competitive from the start to the finish and a battle at the net. We were very scrappy and did a good job of digging to our targets. This is such a competitive team and this program means a lot to them. Competition is our stage and we want all our hard work to pay off."
Set 1
Rice rallied from an early 7-4 deficit to take the lead for good at 12-11 on a kill from Kassidy Muse. Lennon recorded seven kills in the frame and Rice hit .256 as a team while limiting the Mean Green to a .167 clip. The Owls would hang on to win 25-20 following consecutive kills from Lennon and Adekunle.
Set 2
North Texas evened the match 1-1 with a 26-24 win over the Owls in set two, rallying from a 24-23 deficit to score the game's final three points. Rice had dug themselves out of a 15-9 deficit with a 9-4 run to briefly take the lead but North Texas hit a match-high .298 for the frame.
Set 3
The Owls never trailed in a 25-20 set three victory, hitting .405 as a team. Rice also took advantage of nine North Texas attack errors in the win.
Set 4
Rice clinched the match with a 25-21 triumph, holding off a late Mean Green comeback with a 4-2 close. The Owls led 19-11 but North Texas closed the gap to 21-19 before a service error ended the momentum. Rice then put the match away with consecutive kills from Livingstone and Lennon.
The Owls will face the winner of FIU/Southern Miss in the championship match of the C-USA Tournament, which will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18 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
NT
RICE
Kills
57
61
Errors
24
20
Attempts
178
163
Hitting %
.185
.252
Points
70.0
72.0
Assists
52
59
Aces
5
4
Blocks
8.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
22
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
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