Friday, November 22
Houston, TX
5 pm CT
Rice University
25-2
3
vs
1
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UTEP (Quarterfinals)
13-15
1
2
3
4
F
UTEP
18
25
18
18
1
Rice
25
21
25
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Volleyball Advances to C-USA Semifinals
11/22/2019 8:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – Rice junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon recorded a match-high 22 kills to help lead the No. 21 Owls to a 3-1 victory (25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18) over the UTEP Miners in Friday's quarterfinals of the C-USA Championship at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Owls (25-2) matched the 2004 team with their 25th win of the season, tied for the most in the Genny Volpe era. Rice defeated the Miners (13-15) for the third time this season and the second time in a span of a week by matching their season-high in blocks (13.0), which was first set in the regular season finale at UTEP.
In addition to her 22 kills, Lennon tied senior teammate Tabitha Brown with a match-high 18 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle hit a blistering .478 with a 14 kills on 23 attacks while senior outside Tori Woogk added an additional eight kills. Senior middle blocker Grace Morgan gave the Owls a super all-around performance with seven kills (.467) and match-high nine blocks.
Rice setters Adria Martinez (25 assists) and Carly Graham (22 assists) helped guide an Owls' offense which hit .306 and committed only 13 errors on 134 attacks.
Genny Volpe Postgame Reaction
"UTEP really came to play. I felt like the last couple of times we played them they didn't have good matches against us, and I knew they could play much better. We needed to be more aggressive from the serving line to get them out of system, which we did periodically throughout the match. Our middles turned it on and made the difference. Also, Nicole did what she's done all year, producing consistently in and out of system. She added 18 digs and on some tough swings."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
The Owls notched 5.0 team blocks and held the Miners to a .086 hitting percentage in a 25-18 victory. Lennon got out to a hot start with five kills on seven attacks (.714) while Adekunle added three more kills. Rice never trailed in the frame and broke open a 13-13 tie by outscoring the Miners 12-5 the rest of the way.
Set 2
UTEP used a key 8-1 run midway through the frame to secure a 25-21 match-tying victory. The Owls outhit the Miners .242-.238 but UTEP added four aces and kept Rice at a 41 percent sideout rate. Lennon added six more kills in the set to go along with an ace.
Set 3
Rice rallied around the set two loss with an efficient offensive performance, hitting .400 with 17 kills and only three errors en route to a 25-18 victory. Lennon (6 kills), Adekunle (5 kills), and Woogk (3 kills) did most of the damage for the Owls while Brown collected seven digs on the defensive end.
Set 4
After a seesaw battle through the early stages of the set, Rice found its footing and took control of the frame with a 11-6 run to take a 23-16 lead. Adekunle (4 kills), Lennon (4 kills), and Woogk (3 kills) once again provided the offensive firepower and hit .333 as a team in the 25-18 win.
Up Next
The Owls will face the winner of Friday's North Texas/UTSA match in the semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
The Owls (25-2) matched the 2004 team with their 25th win of the season, tied for the most in the Genny Volpe era. Rice defeated the Miners (13-15) for the third time this season and the second time in a span of a week by matching their season-high in blocks (13.0), which was first set in the regular season finale at UTEP.
In addition to her 22 kills, Lennon tied senior teammate Tabitha Brown with a match-high 18 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle hit a blistering .478 with a 14 kills on 23 attacks while senior outside Tori Woogk added an additional eight kills. Senior middle blocker Grace Morgan gave the Owls a super all-around performance with seven kills (.467) and match-high nine blocks.
Rice setters Adria Martinez (25 assists) and Carly Graham (22 assists) helped guide an Owls' offense which hit .306 and committed only 13 errors on 134 attacks.
"UTEP really came to play. I felt like the last couple of times we played them they didn't have good matches against us, and I knew they could play much better. We needed to be more aggressive from the serving line to get them out of system, which we did periodically throughout the match. Our middles turned it on and made the difference. Also, Nicole did what she's done all year, producing consistently in and out of system. She added 18 digs and on some tough swings."
Set 1
The Owls notched 5.0 team blocks and held the Miners to a .086 hitting percentage in a 25-18 victory. Lennon got out to a hot start with five kills on seven attacks (.714) while Adekunle added three more kills. Rice never trailed in the frame and broke open a 13-13 tie by outscoring the Miners 12-5 the rest of the way.
Set 2
UTEP used a key 8-1 run midway through the frame to secure a 25-21 match-tying victory. The Owls outhit the Miners .242-.238 but UTEP added four aces and kept Rice at a 41 percent sideout rate. Lennon added six more kills in the set to go along with an ace.
Set 3
Rice rallied around the set two loss with an efficient offensive performance, hitting .400 with 17 kills and only three errors en route to a 25-18 victory. Lennon (6 kills), Adekunle (5 kills), and Woogk (3 kills) did most of the damage for the Owls while Brown collected seven digs on the defensive end.
Set 4
After a seesaw battle through the early stages of the set, Rice found its footing and took control of the frame with a 11-6 run to take a 23-16 lead. Adekunle (4 kills), Lennon (4 kills), and Woogk (3 kills) once again provided the offensive firepower and hit .333 as a team in the 25-18 win.
The Owls will face the winner of Friday's North Texas/UTSA match in the semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
UTEP
RICE
Kills
53
54
Errors
24
13
Attempts
160
134
Hitting %
.181
.306
Points
69.0
72.0
Assists
50
54
Aces
8
5
Blocks
8.0
13.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
21
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
9
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02