Saturday, November 23
Houston, TX
2:30 pm CT
Rice University
26-2
3
vs
1
UTSA (Semifinals)
16-13
1
2
3
4
F
UTSA
25
22
16
12
1
Rice
12
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
No. 21 Owls Moving On to C-USA Championship
11/23/2019 6:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice to face No. 19 WKU on Sunday at 12 p.m.
HOUSTON – For a second straight season the No. 21 Rice Owls volleyball team will play in a Conference USA Championship title match following their 3-1 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners Saturday afternoon in the semifinals at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (26-2) gets an opportunity to defend their conference crown on Sunday (12 p.m.) versus No. 19 WKU after sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle and junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon put on masterful performances against the Roadrunners.
Adekunle recorded a match-high 19 kills with a .548 hitting clip while Lennon posted a monster double-double with 17 kills (.405) and 17 digs. In the process, Lennon surpassed 1,000 career digs.
Rice setters Adria Martinez (25 assists/10 digs) and Carly Graham (20 assists/10 digs) each recorded double-doubles in the victory while senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham led all players with 21 digs.
The Owls defeated UTSA (16-13) for a third time this season by outgaining the Roadrunners in total kills (57-45), hitting percentage (.333-.195), assists (55-44), digs (79-53), and team blocks (5.5-2.0).
The victory was Rice's 26th of the season, the most under head coach Genny Volpe, and tied with the 1984 team for third-most in program history.
Genny Volpe Postgame Reaction
"I'm really proud of our team. That was a tough match, UTSA played great. We had to bounce back after a poor start that they created for us with some really tough serving. I have a lot of respect for UTSA, they left everything on the floor. They played amazing defense and it was honestly inspirational to watch as a coach. We're just going to use this momentum into the championship tomorrow. Tomorrow will showcase how strong Conference USA is. To have two teams in the Top-25 battling for a conference championship is the way you want it to be. We want to play the best competition and earn that championship and we're going to give it our best and put it all out there on the floor. I expect nothing less from them."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
UTSA held Rice to just 12 points in the opening frame in a 25-12 victory. The Roadrunners jumped out to an 8-3 advantage and never looked back, limiting the Owls to just .083 percent hitting while UTSA hit .480 with a 91 percent sideout rate.
Set 2
Rice broke the set open midway through taking a 20-13 lead with a 6-2 run following a kill from Graham. The Owls led 23-14 before a mad dash by UTSA closed the gap to 23-22 but Adekunle recorded consecutive kills to give Rice a 25-22 match-tying victory. Adekunle led all players with six kills in the set while Lennon added four more.
Set 3
The Owls never trailed in a critical 25-16 set victory, and as a team hit .455 thanks to a seven-kill performance from Adekunle. Rice totaled 18 kills in the frame while tallying 27 digs and limiting UTSA to a .182 clip.
Set 4
Rice continued their offensive prowess by hitting a sizzling .441 on their way to the match-clinching 25-12 triumph. Lennon helped put the match away with seven kills while Adekunle chipped in five more. The Owls matched UTSA's sideout rate of 91 percent in the opening game.
Up Next
The Owls will take on the No. 19 WKU Lady Toppers in the C-USA Championship for the third time since 2014. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (26-2) gets an opportunity to defend their conference crown on Sunday (12 p.m.) versus No. 19 WKU after sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle and junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon put on masterful performances against the Roadrunners.
Adekunle recorded a match-high 19 kills with a .548 hitting clip while Lennon posted a monster double-double with 17 kills (.405) and 17 digs. In the process, Lennon surpassed 1,000 career digs.
Rice setters Adria Martinez (25 assists/10 digs) and Carly Graham (20 assists/10 digs) each recorded double-doubles in the victory while senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham led all players with 21 digs.
The Owls defeated UTSA (16-13) for a third time this season by outgaining the Roadrunners in total kills (57-45), hitting percentage (.333-.195), assists (55-44), digs (79-53), and team blocks (5.5-2.0).
The victory was Rice's 26th of the season, the most under head coach Genny Volpe, and tied with the 1984 team for third-most in program history.
"I'm really proud of our team. That was a tough match, UTSA played great. We had to bounce back after a poor start that they created for us with some really tough serving. I have a lot of respect for UTSA, they left everything on the floor. They played amazing defense and it was honestly inspirational to watch as a coach. We're just going to use this momentum into the championship tomorrow. Tomorrow will showcase how strong Conference USA is. To have two teams in the Top-25 battling for a conference championship is the way you want it to be. We want to play the best competition and earn that championship and we're going to give it our best and put it all out there on the floor. I expect nothing less from them."
Set 1
UTSA held Rice to just 12 points in the opening frame in a 25-12 victory. The Roadrunners jumped out to an 8-3 advantage and never looked back, limiting the Owls to just .083 percent hitting while UTSA hit .480 with a 91 percent sideout rate.
Set 2
Rice broke the set open midway through taking a 20-13 lead with a 6-2 run following a kill from Graham. The Owls led 23-14 before a mad dash by UTSA closed the gap to 23-22 but Adekunle recorded consecutive kills to give Rice a 25-22 match-tying victory. Adekunle led all players with six kills in the set while Lennon added four more.
Set 3
The Owls never trailed in a critical 25-16 set victory, and as a team hit .455 thanks to a seven-kill performance from Adekunle. Rice totaled 18 kills in the frame while tallying 27 digs and limiting UTSA to a .182 clip.
Set 4
Rice continued their offensive prowess by hitting a sizzling .441 on their way to the match-clinching 25-12 triumph. Lennon helped put the match away with seven kills while Adekunle chipped in five more. The Owls matched UTSA's sideout rate of 91 percent in the opening game.
The Owls will take on the No. 19 WKU Lady Toppers in the C-USA Championship for the third time since 2014. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
UTSA
RICE
Kills
45
57
Errors
16
14
Attempts
149
129
Hitting %
.195
.333
Points
56.0
68.5
Assists
44
55
Aces
9
6
Blocks
2.0
5.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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