Saturday, September 21
Houston, TX
2:00 pm CT
Rice University
11-1
3
vs
0
TCU
5-5
1
2
3
F
TCU
17
18
20
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Tommy Lavergne
Owls Sweep TCU in Non-Conference Finale
9/21/2019 5:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls volleyball team put a bow on a memorable week at Tudor Fieldhouse with a straight sets win (25-17, 25-18, 25-20) over the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday afternoon, closing out non-conference action with the team's seventh sweep of the year and their second victory over a Big 12 opponent in the past four days.
After knocking off No. 3 Texas on Wednesday, the (RV) Owls (11-1) picked up right where they left off by outhitting TCU .365-.194 and outgaining the Horned Frogs (5-5) in kills (47-35), assists (45-33), digs (47-32) and points (53.0-40.0).
Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon (.484) and sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle (.435) each hit over .400 with Lennon leading all players with 19 kills couple with 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Adekunle joined Lennon in double-figure kills with 11 on 23 attacks.
Setters Adria Martinez (26 assists) and Carly Graham (14 assists) combined for 40 assists, an average of 13.3 assists per set.
The Owls posted a 78 percent sideout rate (44-of-56) compared to just 58 percent by the Horned Frogs.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
Postgame Reaction…
"I'm extremely proud of the team for staying grounded and focused. We talked about that after the emotional win on Wednesday. How were we going to respond? Even after a bit of a shaky start, the composure set in again and we refocused on the game plan. I'm proud of our response to such an emotional win. It's not easy to have this type of response and sweep a team that has a lot of great athletes. They came at us aggressive but we were ready."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
The Owls had a bit of an uphill climb in the opening frame, falling behind as much as 12-9 before finding their footing. An ensuing 16-5 run helped the Owls race out to a 25-17 victory behind eight kills from Lennon on 13 attacks. Adekunle chipped in another four kills on eight attacks and the Owls made life difficult on the TCU offense with 18 digs as a team.
Set 2
Rice led from start-to-finish in set two as Lennon (five kills) and Kassidy Muse (four kills) led the way offensively. The Owls hit .353 as a team and posted an 84 percent sideout rate on their way to a 25-18 victory.
Set 3
The Rice offense had their best performance of the day in the 25-20 match-sealing third set victory. Lennon (6 kills) and Adekunle (4 kills) both hit over .500 in the frame as Martinez dished out 10 assists to both high flyers in the victory. The Owls had just three errors on 30 attacks in the game.
Up Next
The Owls begin Conference USA play next Friday, Sept. 27 when they host UTEP at 6 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse.
-RiceOwls.com-
After knocking off No. 3 Texas on Wednesday, the (RV) Owls (11-1) picked up right where they left off by outhitting TCU .365-.194 and outgaining the Horned Frogs (5-5) in kills (47-35), assists (45-33), digs (47-32) and points (53.0-40.0).
Junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon (.484) and sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle (.435) each hit over .400 with Lennon leading all players with 19 kills couple with 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Adekunle joined Lennon in double-figure kills with 11 on 23 attacks.
Setters Adria Martinez (26 assists) and Carly Graham (14 assists) combined for 40 assists, an average of 13.3 assists per set.
The Owls posted a 78 percent sideout rate (44-of-56) compared to just 58 percent by the Horned Frogs.
Postgame Reaction…
"I'm extremely proud of the team for staying grounded and focused. We talked about that after the emotional win on Wednesday. How were we going to respond? Even after a bit of a shaky start, the composure set in again and we refocused on the game plan. I'm proud of our response to such an emotional win. It's not easy to have this type of response and sweep a team that has a lot of great athletes. They came at us aggressive but we were ready."
Set 1
The Owls had a bit of an uphill climb in the opening frame, falling behind as much as 12-9 before finding their footing. An ensuing 16-5 run helped the Owls race out to a 25-17 victory behind eight kills from Lennon on 13 attacks. Adekunle chipped in another four kills on eight attacks and the Owls made life difficult on the TCU offense with 18 digs as a team.
Set 2
Rice led from start-to-finish in set two as Lennon (five kills) and Kassidy Muse (four kills) led the way offensively. The Owls hit .353 as a team and posted an 84 percent sideout rate on their way to a 25-18 victory.
Set 3
The Rice offense had their best performance of the day in the 25-20 match-sealing third set victory. Lennon (6 kills) and Adekunle (4 kills) both hit over .500 in the frame as Martinez dished out 10 assists to both high flyers in the victory. The Owls had just three errors on 30 attacks in the game.
The Owls begin Conference USA play next Friday, Sept. 27 when they host UTEP at 6 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse.
-RiceOwls.com-
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Team Stats
TCU
RICE
Kills
35
47
Errors
15
12
Attempts
103
96
Hitting %
.194
.365
Points
40.0
53.0
Assists
33
45
Aces
0
3
Blocks
5.0
3.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
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