Owls Set to Open Season at Red Raider Classic

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Women's Volleyball

vs UTSA

Oct 24

6 PM

Houston, Texas

Women's Volleyball

vs Tulane

Oct 26

1 PM

Houston, Texas

Women's Volleyball

at East Carolina

Oct 31

5 PM

Greenville, N.C.

Women's Volleyball

at Charlotte

Nov 2

12 PM

Women's Volleyball

vs North Texas

Nov 7

6 PM

Houston, Texas

Women's Volleyball

vs Florida Atlantic

Nov 9

1 PM

Houston, Texas

Women's Volleyball

at Wichita State

Nov 14

7 PM

Wichita, Kan.

Match 1 | vs. North Dakota | Friday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m.
Location: Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
Video Stream: N/A
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Tied 1-1 (Last Meeting: 2012)

Match 2 | vs. Northwestern St. | Friday, Aug. 24, 5 p.m.
Location: Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
Video Stream: N/A
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Rice leads 1-0 (Last Meeting: 1998)

Match 3 | at Texas Tech | Saturday, Aug. 25, 12 p.m.
Location: Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
Video Stream: TexasTechTV ($)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Texas Tech leads 26-10 (Last Meeting: 2016)

HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team opens the much-anticipated 2018 season this weekend with three matches at the Red Raider Classic, hosted by Texas Tech.

The season-opening match will take place Friday at 10 a.m. against a North Dakota team that went 30-8 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Later that day (5 p.m.) the Owls face Northwestern St. for the first time since 1998. Rice takes on host Texas Tech on Saturday (12 p.m.) against a Red Raiders squad that advanced to the title match of last year's NIVC. That match will be streamed on TexasTechTV (link above).

For fans planning to attend, general admission tickets are $5 and $3 for youth (ages 2-17). Tickets will be sold as all-day passes for Friday. Fans can buy online here or by contacting the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office at (806) 742-8324. The box office at United Supermarkets Arena will begin operating one hour prior to first serve of the Texas Tech matches.

NOTES

The Owls are coming off a 3-0 sweep over the Houston Cougars in an exhibition match held last Friday at Tudor Fieldhouse.
After recording a fourth-straight 20+ win season last year (21-10) and earning a trip to the NIVC Tournament, the Owls were picked to finish second in the Conference USA Preseason Poll.
Rice is 18-20 all-time in season openers.
The Owls return seven starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team and will be incorporating five newcomers.
Rice junior middle blocker Grace Morgan and sophomore outside hitter Nicole Lennon were each named to the 2018 Preseason All-Conference USA Team. Morgan earned a spot on the C-USA First Team in 2017 while Lennon was a Second Team selection and also earned Co-Freshman of the Year honors.
Rice head coach Genny Volpe is in her 15th season at the helm for the Owls and is the all-time wins leader (262) in school history. Under Volpe's guidance the Owls have won 20 or more matches in four consecutive seasons and seven times overall.
For the second time in as many years, Rice Volleyball's recruiting class has been received Highest Honorable Mention honors by the organization PrepVolleyball.com. The Owls were one of 25 recruiting classes that "just missed" the nation's top-30 classes. This year's class features middle blocker Anota Adekunle (Humble, Texas), setter Carly Graham (Conroe, Texas), libero Tia Grippo (Newport Beach, Calif.), outside hitter Hannah Lopez (San Antonio) and libero Isabel Wiatt (North Hollywood, California).

-RiceOwls.com-

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