Friday, October 29
Birmingham, AL
6:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
at
UAB
Owls Travel to UAB for Final Road Series
10/27/2021 11:06:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Rice has won 8 consecutive matches
Matches 19/20 | Rice Owls (13-5, 8-0) at UAB Blazers (9-11, 4-4)
Dates: Friday/Saturday, Oct. 29/30, 6/1 p.m.
Location: Birmingham, AL (Bartow Arena)
Video Stream: Friday (CUSAtv) | Saturday (CUSAtv)
Live Stats: Friday (Sidearm) | Saturday (Sidearm)
Series: Rice leads, 19-6 (Last Meeting: Rice won (3-0), 2/22/21)
SETTING THE SCENE
The Owls (13-5, 8-0) enter this weekend on an eight-match winning streak as they sit atop the C-USA West Division standings. Rice has won 24 of 28 sets played within league play and are hitting .332 as a team over their last eight matches with nearly 14.21 kills per set.
Rice owns a 19-6 lead in the all-time series against the Blazers and have won the previous eight meetings.
UAB has dropped three of their last four matches and are led by junior outside hitter Fernanda Maida, who ranks fourth in the NCAA in kills per set (4.99) and is sixth in the country in points per set (5.52). She also ranks third in the NCAA in attacks per set (13.39). As a team the Blazers rank sixth in C-USA in hitting percentage (.226) but rank just 13th in opponents hitting percentage (.229).
NOTES
Dates: Friday/Saturday, Oct. 29/30, 6/1 p.m.
Location: Birmingham, AL (Bartow Arena)
Video Stream: Friday (CUSAtv) | Saturday (CUSAtv)
Live Stats: Friday (Sidearm) | Saturday (Sidearm)
Series: Rice leads, 19-6 (Last Meeting: Rice won (3-0), 2/22/21)
SETTING THE SCENE
The Owls (13-5, 8-0) enter this weekend on an eight-match winning streak as they sit atop the C-USA West Division standings. Rice has won 24 of 28 sets played within league play and are hitting .332 as a team over their last eight matches with nearly 14.21 kills per set.
Rice owns a 19-6 lead in the all-time series against the Blazers and have won the previous eight meetings.
UAB has dropped three of their last four matches and are led by junior outside hitter Fernanda Maida, who ranks fourth in the NCAA in kills per set (4.99) and is sixth in the country in points per set (5.52). She also ranks third in the NCAA in attacks per set (13.39). As a team the Blazers rank sixth in C-USA in hitting percentage (.226) but rank just 13th in opponents hitting percentage (.229).
NOTES
- The Owls are receiving votes for a ninth straight week this season in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll.
- Rice ranks 25th in the most recent RPI rankings, tops among all C-USA programs.
- Dating back to 2014 the Owls are 88-20 (.814) in Conference USA play, which includes a 43-3 (.934) record the last three seasons. Rice has won 22 consecutive C-USA regular season contests dating back to the 2019 season.
- The Owls currently rank in the Top-25 in the country in four different statistical areas: kills per set (6th-14.37), assists per set (7th-13.29), hitting percentage (13th-.279), and digs per set (22nd-16.75).
- Last weekend senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon eclipsed 2,000 career kills and is now one of just three active NCAA Division I players to accomplish the feat. In addition, Lennon is the only player in the country with both 2,000 career kills and over 1,000 career digs.
- This season Lennon ranks 21st in the NCAA in kills per set (4.36) and is 27th in points per set (4.85).
- Junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle ranks 8th in the NCAA this season in hitting percentage (.434) and has hit .400 or better in seven consecutive matches. Adekunle continues to rank fourth among all active NCAA Division I players in career hitting percentage (.412).
- Junior setter Carly Graham leads C-USA in assists per set (11.02), which ranks 15th in the NCAA.
- During C-USA play the Owls have four players that rank in the Top-10 in hitting percentage: Adekunle (2nd-.481), Shaylee Shore (5th-.394), Ellie Bichelmeyer (6th-.371), and Lennon (7th-.364).
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/RS
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