Friday, January 29
Dallas, TX
5:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
at
SMU
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Owls Set for Matches at SMU
1/28/2021 10:17:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m.
Matches 3/4 | Rice Owls (1-1) at SMU Mustangs (0-0) | Friday/Saturday, Jan. 29/30, 5/2 p.m.
Location: Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum)
Video Streams: ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Rice leads, 24-11 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 3-1, 8/25/17)
HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team heads north this weekend for a showdown against the SMU Mustangs. Rice is coming off a 1-1 weekend against the Houston Cougars while SMU will be making their spring debut after their previously scheduled matches vs. North Texas were postponed. Rice has dominated the all-time series against the Mustangs, 24-11, and the two teams will be meeting for the first time since 2017 when the Owls defeated SMU 3-1 at Moody Coliseum just days prior to Hurricane Harvey.
The defending American Athletic Conference West Division champion SMU Mustangs were picked to win their division again this season. SMU had three players elected to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference team: setter Lily Heim, outside hitter Rachel Woulfe, and outside hitter Hannah Jacobs.
NOTES
Location: Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum)
Video Streams: ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Rice leads, 24-11 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 3-1, 8/25/17)
HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team heads north this weekend for a showdown against the SMU Mustangs. Rice is coming off a 1-1 weekend against the Houston Cougars while SMU will be making their spring debut after their previously scheduled matches vs. North Texas were postponed. Rice has dominated the all-time series against the Mustangs, 24-11, and the two teams will be meeting for the first time since 2017 when the Owls defeated SMU 3-1 at Moody Coliseum just days prior to Hurricane Harvey.
The defending American Athletic Conference West Division champion SMU Mustangs were picked to win their division again this season. SMU had three players elected to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference team: setter Lily Heim, outside hitter Rachel Woulfe, and outside hitter Hannah Jacobs.
NOTES
- Rice is currently receiving 6 votes in the latest AVCA Top-25 rankings, released on Jan. 26.
- Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon currently ranks fourth in the NCAA among active players in career kills (1,448) sixth in kills per set (4.08), and seventh in both total attacks (3,738) and attacks per set (10.77).
- Six different Owls made their Rice debut last weekend, including freshmen Danyle Courtley, Sahara Maruska, Nia McCardell and Izzy Rawlings.
- Coming off a season in which they won 27 matches, the Owls were picked to win the Conference USA West Division in this year's Coaches' Poll.
- After this weekend the Owls return home for the start of Conference USA play when they host Louisiana Tech, Feb. 7-8.
- Rice 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.
- Rice returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team and will be incorporating six newcomers.
- Genny Volpe is in her 17th season with the Owls and is the school's all-time leader in totals wins (314) and winning percentage (.632). She notched her ninth, 20-plus win season for the Owls in 2019.
- The Owls have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons and last year compiled the second-most wins in program history (27-4), while turning in a 13-1 mark in conference play. In 2019 the Owls entered the Top 25 at No. 22 in September, reaching as high as No. 17 and coming in at No. 24 in the final poll.
- The top four teams in each division will qualify for the C-USA Volleyball Championship. Southern Miss will host the eight-team, single-elimination tournament April 1-3 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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