Sunday, November 4
Houston, TX
1:00 p.m. CT
Rice University
21-4, 12-0
3
vs
1
UAB
13-14, 5-8
1
2
3
4
F
UAB
18
13
25
21
1
Rice
25
25
19
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Ring It Up! Owls Claim C-USA Regular Season Title
11/4/2018 4:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Volleyball wins 15th straight, sweeps UAB on Senior Day
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls volleyball team secured their first Conference USA regular season title in program history with a 3-1 (25-18, 25-13, 19-25, 25-21) victory over the UAB Blazers Sunday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse, adding to the school record winning streak with their 15th consecutive win.
Rice (21-4, 12-0) clinched the No. 1 seed in the C-USA Championship tournament, which will run Nov. 16-18 in Huntington, W.V., hosted by Marshall University.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
On emotions after clinching C-USA title…
"I'm just really proud of the team and all the work they've put in so far and for the team they are. It's a special group of young women who have put in a lot of work, even prior to the season to get to this point. Even as we're celebrating on the court they're talking about how to be better the next time we play. They know this wasn't our cleanest match, but it's inspiring to have a team that truly aspires to be better tomorrow than they were today."
On the Owls never settling…
"I think we have some returners who have been close and they understand that if we're not putting our foot on the gas at all times, focused every single day in practice; if we're not driven off the court, they understand that you won't have the championship season you want to have if you falter in any way. They've learned from past experiences and they really want it. We've got young players who have come from winning programs and they have that mindset, and they're extremely positive and fun to be around."
On winning on Senior Day for Shelby Livingstone and McKay Kyle…
"To be able to do it for two seniors who have gone through so much, I know the team really wanted it for them because they're such special people. They've always put the team first and give their heart and soul every single day. They're an inspiration to our younger players and to me as well. It was really special and fun, and we won't forget that."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Junior outside hitter Tori Woogk posted four kills and the Rice defense held UAB to a .086 hitting percentage in a 25-18 set one victory. The Owls trailed early, 7-2, but outscored the Blazers 23-16 the rest of the way.
Set 2
Rice recorded just eight kills but posted a 78 percent sideout rate in a dominating 25-13 set two victory. Grace Morgan had five blocks in the set and was part of a defense that held UAB to a .091 clip.
Set 3
UAB hit a match-high .349 while the Owls hit just .188 in a 25-19 setback to the Blazers. Abby Carlile led all players with five kills to force a fourth set.
Set 4
The Owls bounced back with a match-clinching 25-21 victory behind six kills from Woogk, who led the team with 13 for the match. Junior libero Lee Ann Cunningham collected six digs in the set.
MATCH NOTES
• The Owls 15-match win streak is a school record, besting the previous mark of 12 established in 1995.
• The Owls' 21-4 record is the second-best 25-match start in program history. Rice went 22-3 through 25 matches in 2004.
• Rice is 12-0 in C-USA play for the first time in school history. There have been four teams to go undefeated in C-USA play since 1995; Louisville (12-0, 1995), Louisville (13-0, 2004), Tulsa (20-0, 2010), and WKU (14-0, 2016)
• Lennon (10 kills/19 digs) has registered 10 or more kills in 19 consecutive matches and has a double-double in 11 of her last 12 matches overall. Her 16 double-doubles this season leads the Owls.
• Junior setter Adria Martinez collected her ninth double-double of the season (22 assists/12 digs).
• Sunday marked the final home match for seniors McKay Kyle and Shelby Livingstone, who were honored prior to the match in a ceremony.
UP NEXT
The Owls close out the C-USA season next weekend when they travel to the state of Florida for a pair of road matches. Rice takes on Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Nov. 8 (6 p.m. CT) before traveling to FIU on Sunday, Nov. 8 for a 12 p.m. (CT) first serve. For ticket information, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com and follow @RiceVolleyball on Twitter for more information.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (21-4, 12-0) clinched the No. 1 seed in the C-USA Championship tournament, which will run Nov. 16-18 in Huntington, W.V., hosted by Marshall University.
On emotions after clinching C-USA title…
"I'm just really proud of the team and all the work they've put in so far and for the team they are. It's a special group of young women who have put in a lot of work, even prior to the season to get to this point. Even as we're celebrating on the court they're talking about how to be better the next time we play. They know this wasn't our cleanest match, but it's inspiring to have a team that truly aspires to be better tomorrow than they were today."
On the Owls never settling…
"I think we have some returners who have been close and they understand that if we're not putting our foot on the gas at all times, focused every single day in practice; if we're not driven off the court, they understand that you won't have the championship season you want to have if you falter in any way. They've learned from past experiences and they really want it. We've got young players who have come from winning programs and they have that mindset, and they're extremely positive and fun to be around."
On winning on Senior Day for Shelby Livingstone and McKay Kyle…
"To be able to do it for two seniors who have gone through so much, I know the team really wanted it for them because they're such special people. They've always put the team first and give their heart and soul every single day. They're an inspiration to our younger players and to me as well. It was really special and fun, and we won't forget that."
Set 1
Junior outside hitter Tori Woogk posted four kills and the Rice defense held UAB to a .086 hitting percentage in a 25-18 set one victory. The Owls trailed early, 7-2, but outscored the Blazers 23-16 the rest of the way.
Set 2
Rice recorded just eight kills but posted a 78 percent sideout rate in a dominating 25-13 set two victory. Grace Morgan had five blocks in the set and was part of a defense that held UAB to a .091 clip.
Set 3
UAB hit a match-high .349 while the Owls hit just .188 in a 25-19 setback to the Blazers. Abby Carlile led all players with five kills to force a fourth set.
Set 4
The Owls bounced back with a match-clinching 25-21 victory behind six kills from Woogk, who led the team with 13 for the match. Junior libero Lee Ann Cunningham collected six digs in the set.
• The Owls 15-match win streak is a school record, besting the previous mark of 12 established in 1995.
• The Owls' 21-4 record is the second-best 25-match start in program history. Rice went 22-3 through 25 matches in 2004.
• Rice is 12-0 in C-USA play for the first time in school history. There have been four teams to go undefeated in C-USA play since 1995; Louisville (12-0, 1995), Louisville (13-0, 2004), Tulsa (20-0, 2010), and WKU (14-0, 2016)
• Lennon (10 kills/19 digs) has registered 10 or more kills in 19 consecutive matches and has a double-double in 11 of her last 12 matches overall. Her 16 double-doubles this season leads the Owls.
• Junior setter Adria Martinez collected her ninth double-double of the season (22 assists/12 digs).
• Sunday marked the final home match for seniors McKay Kyle and Shelby Livingstone, who were honored prior to the match in a ceremony.
The Owls close out the C-USA season next weekend when they travel to the state of Florida for a pair of road matches. Rice takes on Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Nov. 8 (6 p.m. CT) before traveling to FIU on Sunday, Nov. 8 for a 12 p.m. (CT) first serve. For ticket information, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com and follow @RiceVolleyball on Twitter for more information.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
UAB
RICE
Kills
46
54
Errors
21
21
Attempts
142
145
Hitting %
.176
.228
Points
56.0
72.0
Assists
45
48
Aces
1
9
Blocks
9.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ 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