Volleyball Picked to Win C-USA West Division
1/14/2021 1:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Adekunle, Lennon named to Preseason Team
DALLAS – Following the greatest season in program history, the Rice Owls volleyball team was picked to win the West division in Conference USA this spring, according to a poll conducted by the league's coaches.
Last season the Owls went 27-4 and finished the season ranked No. 21 following their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, a sweep of Oklahoma to advance to the Round of 32.
Rice also placed senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon and junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle on this year's 12-person C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team.
Lennon enters her senior season following a 2019 campaign in which she earned AVCA and VolleyballMag.com All-American honors. The three-time C-USA First Teamer set career-highs last season in kills (505), kills per set (4.81), hitting percentage (.288), digs per set (3.45) and total points (552.0). Lennon set a league record by being named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week seven times and was selected to the AVCA All-Region Team. She led Rice with 20 double-doubles and had 20 or more kills eight times.
Adekunle, who also garnered AVCA and VolleyballMag.com All-American Honorable Mention honors, ranked sixth in the NCAA last season in hitting percentage with a Rice single-season record .425 clip. During conference action last season Adekunle ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.462), kills per set (3.60), and was sixth in blocks per set (1.11). An AVCA All-Region and C-USA First Teamer last year, Adekunle amassed 340 kills from the middle and total 92 blocks.
The Owls open the season next week when they play at Houston on Friday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. They will then host the Cougars on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.
2020-21 C-USA Volleyball Preseason Team
Anota Adekunle, Rice
Paige Briggs, WKU
Ciara Debell, Marshall
Nadia Dieudonne, WKU
Kayla Henley, Middle Tennessee
Cheyenne Jones, UTEP
Nicole Lennon, Rice
Lauren Matthews, WKU*
Fiorella Murillo, FIU
Sydney Nemtuda, Florida Atlantic
Rhett Robinson, North Texas
Sydne Rowan, Charlotte
*C-USA Preseason Player of the Year
2020-21 C-USA Volleyball Preseason Poll
East
1. WKU
2. Marshall
3. Florida Atlantic
4. Charlotte
5. Middle Tennessee
6. FIU
7. Old Dominion
West
1. Rice
2. North Texas
3. UTSA
4. UTEP
5. UAB
6. Louisiana Tech
7. Southern Miss
Last season the Owls went 27-4 and finished the season ranked No. 21 following their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, a sweep of Oklahoma to advance to the Round of 32.
Rice also placed senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon and junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle on this year's 12-person C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team.
Lennon enters her senior season following a 2019 campaign in which she earned AVCA and VolleyballMag.com All-American honors. The three-time C-USA First Teamer set career-highs last season in kills (505), kills per set (4.81), hitting percentage (.288), digs per set (3.45) and total points (552.0). Lennon set a league record by being named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week seven times and was selected to the AVCA All-Region Team. She led Rice with 20 double-doubles and had 20 or more kills eight times.
Adekunle, who also garnered AVCA and VolleyballMag.com All-American Honorable Mention honors, ranked sixth in the NCAA last season in hitting percentage with a Rice single-season record .425 clip. During conference action last season Adekunle ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.462), kills per set (3.60), and was sixth in blocks per set (1.11). An AVCA All-Region and C-USA First Teamer last year, Adekunle amassed 340 kills from the middle and total 92 blocks.
The Owls open the season next week when they play at Houston on Friday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. They will then host the Cougars on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.
2020-21 C-USA Volleyball Preseason Team
Anota Adekunle, Rice
Paige Briggs, WKU
Ciara Debell, Marshall
Nadia Dieudonne, WKU
Kayla Henley, Middle Tennessee
Cheyenne Jones, UTEP
Nicole Lennon, Rice
Lauren Matthews, WKU*
Fiorella Murillo, FIU
Sydney Nemtuda, Florida Atlantic
Rhett Robinson, North Texas
Sydne Rowan, Charlotte
*C-USA Preseason Player of the Year
2020-21 C-USA Volleyball Preseason Poll
East
1. WKU
2. Marshall
3. Florida Atlantic
4. Charlotte
5. Middle Tennessee
6. FIU
7. Old Dominion
West
1. Rice
2. North Texas
3. UTSA
4. UTEP
5. UAB
6. Louisiana Tech
7. Southern Miss
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Players Mentioned
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