Friday, September 7
Waco, TX
3:00 pm CT
Rice University
6-2
3
vs
0
UTRGV
5-4
1
2
3
F
Rice
25
25
25
3
UTRGV
17
22
18
0
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Owls Sweep UTRGV at Baylor Classic
9/7/2018 5:09:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice to face No. 15 Baylor on Saturday at 7 p.m.
By Kenny Bybee (kab10@rice.edu)
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls volleyball team bounced back from a tough loss earlier in the week with a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-22, 25-18) over UTRGV on day one of the Baylor Classic at the Ferrell Center.
Rice (6-2) limited UTRGV (5-4) to a .048 hitting percentage and forced the Vaqueros in to 25 attack errors, which included 12.0 team blocks from the Owls.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
"We had solid energy today. I think our serving kept UTRGV out of system quite a bit, which helped us get ahead. We will need a little more balance to our attack and a higher team kill percentage tomorrow against a very solid Baylor team. We definitely have the pieces and I'm excited to see us get back out and compete tomorrow."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
The Owls actually fell behind 5-0 to UTRGV but after a timeout Rice responded in a big way by going on a 15-3 run to take control of the set and the match. A 9-0 run, all with Adria Martinez serving, included a pair of kills from Lennon, who had seven in the frame. A 6-2 run towards the end of the set resulted in the 25-17 victory following a combo block from Lennon/Anota Adekunle.
Set 2
UTRGV gave Rice a fight in the second stanza, pulling even at 17-17 late. Then with Rice clinging to a 21-20 advantage, a pair of Vaqueros errors gave Rice a 23-20 cushion and then Lennon added a late kill, followed by a block from Adekunle to seal a 25-22 win.
Set 3
Rice led for a vast majority of the final frame despite falling behind 5-2 early. A 9-1 Rice run, which included three kills from senior Shelby Livingstone, put the Owls ahead for good and they would never look back en route to a 25-18 match-clinching win.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Lennon posted her third double-double of the season with 14 kills (.310) and 10 digs, while also tying Grace Morgan for a team-high seven blocks.
• Rice posted 12.0 team blocks, which set a season-high for three sets and marked the second time this season the Owls recorded 10 or more team blocks. Freshman Anota Adekunle played a big role in that department with a season-high five swats.
• Setters Carly Graham (16 assists) and Adria Martinez (14 assists) combined for 30 assists (10.0 per set).
• Three Owls hit .300 or better, including a .417 performance from Morgan, who ranks third in C-USA in hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
The Owls take on No. 15 Baylor on Saturday at 7 p.m. from Waco. The match will be streamed for free via the Baylor Volleyball Facebook account. For more information and links, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com and @RiceVolleyball on Twitter.
-RiceOwls.com-
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls volleyball team bounced back from a tough loss earlier in the week with a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-22, 25-18) over UTRGV on day one of the Baylor Classic at the Ferrell Center.
Rice (6-2) limited UTRGV (5-4) to a .048 hitting percentage and forced the Vaqueros in to 25 attack errors, which included 12.0 team blocks from the Owls.
"We had solid energy today. I think our serving kept UTRGV out of system quite a bit, which helped us get ahead. We will need a little more balance to our attack and a higher team kill percentage tomorrow against a very solid Baylor team. We definitely have the pieces and I'm excited to see us get back out and compete tomorrow."
Set 1
The Owls actually fell behind 5-0 to UTRGV but after a timeout Rice responded in a big way by going on a 15-3 run to take control of the set and the match. A 9-0 run, all with Adria Martinez serving, included a pair of kills from Lennon, who had seven in the frame. A 6-2 run towards the end of the set resulted in the 25-17 victory following a combo block from Lennon/Anota Adekunle.
Set 2
UTRGV gave Rice a fight in the second stanza, pulling even at 17-17 late. Then with Rice clinging to a 21-20 advantage, a pair of Vaqueros errors gave Rice a 23-20 cushion and then Lennon added a late kill, followed by a block from Adekunle to seal a 25-22 win.
Set 3
Rice led for a vast majority of the final frame despite falling behind 5-2 early. A 9-1 Rice run, which included three kills from senior Shelby Livingstone, put the Owls ahead for good and they would never look back en route to a 25-18 match-clinching win.
• Lennon posted her third double-double of the season with 14 kills (.310) and 10 digs, while also tying Grace Morgan for a team-high seven blocks.
• Rice posted 12.0 team blocks, which set a season-high for three sets and marked the second time this season the Owls recorded 10 or more team blocks. Freshman Anota Adekunle played a big role in that department with a season-high five swats.
• Setters Carly Graham (16 assists) and Adria Martinez (14 assists) combined for 30 assists (10.0 per set).
• Three Owls hit .300 or better, including a .417 performance from Morgan, who ranks third in C-USA in hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
The Owls take on No. 15 Baylor on Saturday at 7 p.m. from Waco. The match will be streamed for free via the Baylor Volleyball Facebook account. For more information and links, be sure to visit www.RiceOwls.com and @RiceVolleyball on Twitter.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
RICE
UTRGV
Kills
38
31
Errors
14
25
Attempts
106
125
Hitting %
.226
.048
Points
55.0
40.0
Assists
35
29
Aces
5
3
Blocks
12.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
7
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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