Sunday, October 20
Ruston, LA
1:00 pm CT
Rice University
-181,70 CUSA
3
at
0
Louisiana Tech
-119,15 CUSA
1
2
3
F
Rice
25
25
25
3
Louisiana Tech
15
14
19
0
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
No. 19 Owls Ride Momentum to Ninth Straight Win
10/20/2019 4:38:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RUSTON, La. – The No. 19 Rice Owls volleyball team remained unbeaten in Conference USA with a sweep (25-15, 25-14, 25-19) at Louisiana Tech on Sunday afternoon, the team's ninth straight win overall.
Rice (18-1, 7-0) recorded their eighth straight sweep and extended their school record of sets without a loss to 25 in a row.
Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon led all players with 17 kills (.375) while senior middle blocker Grace Morgan and freshman outside hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer chipped in seven kills apiece.
The Owls tied a season-high with seven service aces and outhit the Lady Techsters, .337 to .147. Seniors Lee Ann Cunningham and Tabitha Brown tied for the team lead with 10 digs apiece while senior setter Adria Martinez dished out 22 assists.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
Postgame Reaction…
"I'm really proud of our team for bringing a lot of energy and focus today. It was a tough travel weekend but we showed the ability to maintain focus and execute well. I'm very pleased with the balance we had today and our serving. We're excited to get back home and play in front of our home crowd Sunday."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Lennon led the way with five kills in the opening set as Rice hit .387 as a team with 17 kills on 31 attacks to defeat Tech, 25-15. Rice gained an early 8-3 lead and never looked back, eventually opening up an advantage as large as 20-10.
Set 2
Rice broke open a 9-9 tie with a 12-2 run to grab control of the match and win set two, 25-14. The Owls recorded six aces in the game, two of which came from sophomore setter Carly Graham.
Set 3
Tech played Rice close in the final set but the Owls still prevailed, 25-19, behind six kills from Lennon. The Owls hit .353 as a team in the set and committed just four errors. Rice put the game away with a late 4-1 run, which included a pair of kills from Anota Adekunle and Kassidy Muse.
Up Next
The Owls return to Houston next weekend for just one match, a Sunday afternoon contest at 1 p.m. versus FIU in a rematch of last year's C-USA Championship.
Rice (18-1, 7-0) recorded their eighth straight sweep and extended their school record of sets without a loss to 25 in a row.
Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon led all players with 17 kills (.375) while senior middle blocker Grace Morgan and freshman outside hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer chipped in seven kills apiece.
The Owls tied a season-high with seven service aces and outhit the Lady Techsters, .337 to .147. Seniors Lee Ann Cunningham and Tabitha Brown tied for the team lead with 10 digs apiece while senior setter Adria Martinez dished out 22 assists.
Postgame Reaction…
"I'm really proud of our team for bringing a lot of energy and focus today. It was a tough travel weekend but we showed the ability to maintain focus and execute well. I'm very pleased with the balance we had today and our serving. We're excited to get back home and play in front of our home crowd Sunday."
Set 1
Lennon led the way with five kills in the opening set as Rice hit .387 as a team with 17 kills on 31 attacks to defeat Tech, 25-15. Rice gained an early 8-3 lead and never looked back, eventually opening up an advantage as large as 20-10.
Set 2
Rice broke open a 9-9 tie with a 12-2 run to grab control of the match and win set two, 25-14. The Owls recorded six aces in the game, two of which came from sophomore setter Carly Graham.
Set 3
Tech played Rice close in the final set but the Owls still prevailed, 25-19, behind six kills from Lennon. The Owls hit .353 as a team in the set and committed just four errors. Rice put the game away with a late 4-1 run, which included a pair of kills from Anota Adekunle and Kassidy Muse.
The Owls return to Houston next weekend for just one match, a Sunday afternoon contest at 1 p.m. versus FIU in a rematch of last year's C-USA Championship.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
LATech
Kills
45
28
Errors
13
14
Attempts
95
95
Hitting %
.337
.147
Points
57
34
Assists
41
26
Aces
7
0
Blocks
5
6
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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/ Women's Volleyball
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