Friday, August 31
Houston, TX
6:30 pm CT
Rice University
3-1
3
vs
1
South Carolina
4-1
1
2
3
4
F
South Carolina
18
12
25
24
1
Rice
25
25
11
26
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Owls Defeat South Carolina in Home Opener
8/31/2018 9:26:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Lennon leads the way with 16 kills
HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team made quite the impression in front of a raucous Tudor Fieldhouse Friday evening, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks in four sets (25-18, 25-12, 11-25, 26-24) in the home opener.
The match was the first of three for the Owls (3-1) this weekend at the Rice Adidas Invitational I.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
"I'm very proud of the team for locking it down in four sets. It was getting a little tight there at the end and we were making some mistakes. It wasn't too pretty but we grinded it out. I thought we stayed aggressive tonight and that was probably the biggest difference between our last match at Tech. If we keep focused on the process and keep doing that, and not worry about the end result, then good things will happen. Nicole did a great job of executing when she had gaps and one-on-one situations and even a couple times where she went right over the top of the block. I think the fact that we established the middle pretty early in the match and our pass was on, combined with our setters ability to, helped."
On the big student turnout and home atmosphere: "Our team loves playing in front of the students. It shows so much connection between the them and our team and the support they're providing. Just like at the soccer games and football games, it's good to know that everyone has our back in the gym."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Rice pulled away from a 13-13 tie by outscoring the Gamecocks 12-5 the rest of the way for a 25-18 victory. The Owls hit .308 in the set while holing South Carolina to a clip of .098. Livingstone paced the Owls with four kills and an ace in the frame.
Set 2
The Owls most dominant set was in game two, where they used a staggering 13-0 run to close out a 25- 12 victory, all with Adria Martinez serving. Rice was unstoppable on the offensive end, hitting .526 while the Gamecocks were at -.040. Lennon posted seven kills in the game alone.
Set 3
South Carolina turned the tide on the Owls with a 25-11 win behind a 14-2 run.
Set 4
In a set that saw 10 ties and four lead changes, it was the Owls who prevailed 26-24 with a match-clinching victory. Rice trailed South Carolina 21-18 but a 6-1 run catapulted the Owls in front, 24-22. After the Gamecocks tied it 24-24, South Carolina committed a service error and a combo block from Tori Woogk and Anota Adekunle sealed the final point and win.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Lennon had a splendid offensive performance for the Owls, totaling a team-high 16 kills on 31 attacks (.419) to go along with seven digs. Lennon will enter Saturday seven kills shy of 500 for her career.
• Senior outside hitter Shelby Livingstone just missed out on a double-double with nine kills and 12 digs, as did freshman setter Carly Graham (17 assists/8 digs) in her first career start and senior setter Adria Martinez (16 assists/9 digs).
• The Owls recorded a season-high eight service aces, including three each from junior libero Lee Ann Cunningham and Martinez.
• Rice's 43 kills were a season-low but the Owls still managed to hit a respectable .268 and limited the Gamecocks to just a .175 hitting percentage.
• In total, there were 28 ties and 10 lead changes between the Owls and South Carolina.
UP NEXT
Rice returns to action tomorrow for a pair of matches at the Rice Adidas Invitational I, starting with Liberty at 11 a.m. The Owls will then play in the nightcap at 7 p.m. versus Houston Baptist. For more information on the six-match tournament, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com for times and ticket information.
-RiceOwls.com-
The match was the first of three for the Owls (3-1) this weekend at the Rice Adidas Invitational I.
"I'm very proud of the team for locking it down in four sets. It was getting a little tight there at the end and we were making some mistakes. It wasn't too pretty but we grinded it out. I thought we stayed aggressive tonight and that was probably the biggest difference between our last match at Tech. If we keep focused on the process and keep doing that, and not worry about the end result, then good things will happen. Nicole did a great job of executing when she had gaps and one-on-one situations and even a couple times where she went right over the top of the block. I think the fact that we established the middle pretty early in the match and our pass was on, combined with our setters ability to, helped."
On the big student turnout and home atmosphere: "Our team loves playing in front of the students. It shows so much connection between the them and our team and the support they're providing. Just like at the soccer games and football games, it's good to know that everyone has our back in the gym."
Set 1
Rice pulled away from a 13-13 tie by outscoring the Gamecocks 12-5 the rest of the way for a 25-18 victory. The Owls hit .308 in the set while holing South Carolina to a clip of .098. Livingstone paced the Owls with four kills and an ace in the frame.
Set 2
The Owls most dominant set was in game two, where they used a staggering 13-0 run to close out a 25- 12 victory, all with Adria Martinez serving. Rice was unstoppable on the offensive end, hitting .526 while the Gamecocks were at -.040. Lennon posted seven kills in the game alone.
Set 3
South Carolina turned the tide on the Owls with a 25-11 win behind a 14-2 run.
Set 4
In a set that saw 10 ties and four lead changes, it was the Owls who prevailed 26-24 with a match-clinching victory. Rice trailed South Carolina 21-18 but a 6-1 run catapulted the Owls in front, 24-22. After the Gamecocks tied it 24-24, South Carolina committed a service error and a combo block from Tori Woogk and Anota Adekunle sealed the final point and win.
• Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Lennon had a splendid offensive performance for the Owls, totaling a team-high 16 kills on 31 attacks (.419) to go along with seven digs. Lennon will enter Saturday seven kills shy of 500 for her career.
• Senior outside hitter Shelby Livingstone just missed out on a double-double with nine kills and 12 digs, as did freshman setter Carly Graham (17 assists/8 digs) in her first career start and senior setter Adria Martinez (16 assists/9 digs).
• The Owls recorded a season-high eight service aces, including three each from junior libero Lee Ann Cunningham and Martinez.
• Rice's 43 kills were a season-low but the Owls still managed to hit a respectable .268 and limited the Gamecocks to just a .175 hitting percentage.
• In total, there were 28 ties and 10 lead changes between the Owls and South Carolina.
Rice returns to action tomorrow for a pair of matches at the Rice Adidas Invitational I, starting with Liberty at 11 a.m. The Owls will then play in the nightcap at 7 p.m. versus Houston Baptist. For more information on the six-match tournament, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com for times and ticket information.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
SC
RICE
Kills
45
43
Errors
23
13
Attempts
126
112
Hitting %
.175
.268
Points
64.0
60.0
Assists
42
41
Aces
11
8
Blocks
8.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
MB
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