Sunday, September 29
Denton, TX
1:00 pm CT
Rice University
9-0
3
at
0
North Texas
7-6
1
2
3
F
Rice
28
27
25
3
North Texas
26
25
11
0
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Owls Win Fourth Straight, Sweep Mean Green
9/29/2019 4:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Lennon posts 22 kills in victory
DENTON, Texas – The No. 22 Rice Owls volleyball team earned a hard-fought sweep (28-26, 27-25, 25-11) at North Texas on Sunday afternoon, the team's third straight sweep and ninth of the season.
Rice (13-1, 2-0) rallied from late deficits in the first two sets before a commanding set three victory. The Owls outhit North Texas (7-7, 1-1) .277-.171 and outgained the Mean Green in kills (58-33), aces (5-1), assists (54-32) and digs (61-50).
Rice junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon led all players with 22 kills, her fifth 20-plus kills performance of the season. The Katy, Texas native also collected 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.
Freshman outside hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer contributed 10 kills while sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle added nine kills. Setters Adria Martinez (27) and Carly Graham (21) each posted 20-plus assists in the two-setter system while senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham led all players with 20 digs.
RICE HEAD COACH GENNY VOLPE
Postgame Reaction…
"It was a hard fought win today and it was great to see the team battle through some adversity. It's always nice to get a 3-0 road win in conference. We also want to thank all the fans that came to support us. We had a great cheering section there and it really helped. We are looking forward to playing back home on Friday against another in-state rival in UTSA. We hope to have a great home crowd."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Lennon set the tone for the day with a staggering 12 kills in the first set alone. North Texas held set point twice (25-24 and 26-25) but Rice prolonged the set both times before Adekunle recorded consecutive kills to win 28-26.
Set 2
Rice rallied once again in the second frame and yet again with North Texas holding set point. Down 25-24, Grace Morgan kept the set alive with a kill to tie things up 25-25. Morgan then combined with Bichelmeyer for a block to give the Owls a lead, followed by a set-winning block from Lennon.
Set 3
In set three the Owls hit .317 while holding North Texas to .000 and never trailed after taking a 6-5 lead. The Owls closed on an 8-1 run to win 25-11 in a set where Bichelmeyer had four kills.
Up Next
The Owls will be back in Houston next weekend for just one match when they host UTSA on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (13-1, 2-0) rallied from late deficits in the first two sets before a commanding set three victory. The Owls outhit North Texas (7-7, 1-1) .277-.171 and outgained the Mean Green in kills (58-33), aces (5-1), assists (54-32) and digs (61-50).
Rice junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon led all players with 22 kills, her fifth 20-plus kills performance of the season. The Katy, Texas native also collected 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.
Freshman outside hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer contributed 10 kills while sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle added nine kills. Setters Adria Martinez (27) and Carly Graham (21) each posted 20-plus assists in the two-setter system while senior libero Lee Ann Cunningham led all players with 20 digs.
Postgame Reaction…
"It was a hard fought win today and it was great to see the team battle through some adversity. It's always nice to get a 3-0 road win in conference. We also want to thank all the fans that came to support us. We had a great cheering section there and it really helped. We are looking forward to playing back home on Friday against another in-state rival in UTSA. We hope to have a great home crowd."
Set 1
Lennon set the tone for the day with a staggering 12 kills in the first set alone. North Texas held set point twice (25-24 and 26-25) but Rice prolonged the set both times before Adekunle recorded consecutive kills to win 28-26.
Set 2
Rice rallied once again in the second frame and yet again with North Texas holding set point. Down 25-24, Grace Morgan kept the set alive with a kill to tie things up 25-25. Morgan then combined with Bichelmeyer for a block to give the Owls a lead, followed by a set-winning block from Lennon.
Set 3
In set three the Owls hit .317 while holding North Texas to .000 and never trailed after taking a 6-5 lead. The Owls closed on an 8-1 run to win 25-11 in a set where Bichelmeyer had four kills.
The Owls will be back in Houston next weekend for just one match when they host UTSA on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
UNT
Kills
58
33
Errors
20
13
Attempts
137
117
Hitting %
.277
.171
Points
69
41
Assists
54
32
Aces
5
1
Blocks
6
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
22
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02