Friday, October 18
Huntington, WV
5:00 pm CT
Rice University
-171, 60 CUSA
3
at
0
Marshall
-127, 33 CUSA
1
2
3
F
Rice
25
25
25
3
Marshall
22
20
20
0
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Volleyball Picks Up Eighth Straight Win, Sweeps Marshall
10/18/2019 7:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Owls set school record by winning 22nd consecutive set
HUNTINGTON, WV – The No. 19 Rice Owls volleyball team established a program record by extending their consecutive sets win streak to 22 straight, sweeping the Marshall Thundering Herd on Friday for the team's eighth consecutive win overall.
Rice (17-1, 6-0) continued their best start in school history by breaking the 1987 team's record for most consecutive set wins (21) despite recording their second-lowest hitting percentage (.179) of the season. The Owls held Marshall (12-7, 3-3) to a .106 hitting clip of their own, the seventh straight match limiting an opponent below a .200 attack percentage.
Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon picked up her team-leading 11th double-double (23 kills-14digs) of the season and her sixth match of the season with 20 or more kills (third in a three-set match). Sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle, the reigning C-USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week, also contributed double-digit kills (13).
Defensively, senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham led all players with 24 digs while graduate transfer Tabitha Brown totaled 15 helpers. Rice totaled a three-set season-high 73 digs on the night.
Senior setter Adria Martinez fell just short of a double-double, totaling 27 assists and nine digs.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
Postgame Reaction…
"That was a hard-fought road victory. We haven't been on the road in a while and Marshall really tested us tonight with their block, resiliency, and scrappiness. I thought Lee Ann (Cunningham) really carried our backcourt tonight and continued to show that she is one of the best liberos in the nation. I'm very proud of how we fought together and maintained our composure."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Rice had to rally late to pull off a 25-22 victory in the opening frame, one that saw 13 ties and two lead changes. With the game tied 22-22, Rice reeled off three unanswered points on consecutive kills from Lennon, Tori Woogk, and Grace Morgan. Lennon nearly recorded her double-double just in the first set, totaling eight kills and nine digs. The Owls limited Marshall to just eight kills in the set while posting 20 kills of their own.
Set 2
An 11-2 run midway thru set two helped the Owls pull away for a 25-20 victory and gave Rice a commanding 2-0 match lead. The Owls hit a match-best .250 in the set with 15 kills on 40 attacks as Adekunle contributed four kills in the win.
Set 3
The Owls followed the same script in game three, turning a once 6-4 deficit into a 15-7 advantage with a 11-1 run. During that stretch, Adekunle totaled four kills while Lennon helped put the match away with eight kills throughout the set.
Up Next
The Owls continue their road trip on Sunday when they travel to Louisiana Tech for a 1 p.m. match. That contest can be seen on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (17-1, 6-0) continued their best start in school history by breaking the 1987 team's record for most consecutive set wins (21) despite recording their second-lowest hitting percentage (.179) of the season. The Owls held Marshall (12-7, 3-3) to a .106 hitting clip of their own, the seventh straight match limiting an opponent below a .200 attack percentage.
Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon picked up her team-leading 11th double-double (23 kills-14digs) of the season and her sixth match of the season with 20 or more kills (third in a three-set match). Sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle, the reigning C-USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week, also contributed double-digit kills (13).
Defensively, senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham led all players with 24 digs while graduate transfer Tabitha Brown totaled 15 helpers. Rice totaled a three-set season-high 73 digs on the night.
Senior setter Adria Martinez fell just short of a double-double, totaling 27 assists and nine digs.
Postgame Reaction…
"That was a hard-fought road victory. We haven't been on the road in a while and Marshall really tested us tonight with their block, resiliency, and scrappiness. I thought Lee Ann (Cunningham) really carried our backcourt tonight and continued to show that she is one of the best liberos in the nation. I'm very proud of how we fought together and maintained our composure."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Rice had to rally late to pull off a 25-22 victory in the opening frame, one that saw 13 ties and two lead changes. With the game tied 22-22, Rice reeled off three unanswered points on consecutive kills from Lennon, Tori Woogk, and Grace Morgan. Lennon nearly recorded her double-double just in the first set, totaling eight kills and nine digs. The Owls limited Marshall to just eight kills in the set while posting 20 kills of their own.
Set 2
An 11-2 run midway thru set two helped the Owls pull away for a 25-20 victory and gave Rice a commanding 2-0 match lead. The Owls hit a match-best .250 in the set with 15 kills on 40 attacks as Adekunle contributed four kills in the win.
Set 3
The Owls followed the same script in game three, turning a once 6-4 deficit into a 15-7 advantage with a 11-1 run. During that stretch, Adekunle totaled four kills while Lennon helped put the match away with eight kills throughout the set.
The Owls continue their road trip on Sunday when they travel to Louisiana Tech for a 1 p.m. match. That contest can be seen on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
RICE
MAR
Kills
52
31
Errors
26
17
Attempts
145
132
Hitting %
.179
.106
Points
58.0
46.0
Assists
49
28
Aces
2
2
Blocks
4.0
13.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
23
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
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