Saturday, November 20
Norfolk, Va.
11:00 A.M. CT
Rice University
-195,130 CUSA
3
vs
0
Middle Tennessee (Semifinals)
-911,76 CUSA
1
2
3
F
Middle Tenn.
16
19
16
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: CUSA
Owls Moving on to C-USA Championship
11/20/2021 1:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Will face the winner of WKU/UTEP on Sunday at 10 a.m. (CT)
NORFOLK, Va. – For a fourth consecutive season, the Rice Owls volleyball team has punched their ticket to the Conference USA Championship match.
The Owls (19-5, 12-0) won their 14th consecutive match and advanced to the title match for the seventh time in program history and fifth in the last six seasons with a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-19, 25-16) over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Saturday afternoon in the C-USA semifinals.
Rice senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon posted another monster double-double with 19 kills (.514) and 14 digs and was part of an Owls' offense that hit .356 as a team. Senior setter Carly Graham distributed 36 assists (12.0 per set) while senior middle blocker Anota Adekunle contributed seven kills (.462) and recorded a match-high six blocks.
Defensively the Owls limited Middle Tennessee (9-11, 6-6) to a .174 hitting percentage and just 36 kills. Senior libero Elizabeth LaBue led all players with 17 digs.
The Owls will play the winner of WKU/UTEP in the C-USA Championship tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT).
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I think we showed today that we are locked in. That was an extremely efficient performance today. We are tough to beat when we execute at that level offensively. I'm really proud of this group but the work is not over. We have been really working to be in the position to win the C-USA Championship and look forward to tomorrow."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
After MT scored the game's first point the Owls responded with a 4-0 run and never looked back, winning the frame 25-16. Lennon led all players with six kills in the set while hitting .455. Adekunle also chipped in four kills and defensively held the Blue Raiders to a .105 hitting clip. LaBue collected eight digs in the frame while Adekunle contributed three blocks.
Second Set
The Owls led from start to finish en route to a 25-19 victory as they hit a sensational .400 with Lennon adding seven more kills. Graham distributed 12 assists in the win and freshman middle blocker Shaylee Shored totaled four kills.
Third Set
The Owls put the finishing touches on the sweep with a 25-16 victory. Rice ended the game on a 7-2 run and hit .333 for the set while holding the Blue Raiders to a .156 clip. Lennon added six more kills while Graham sealed the victory with three service aces.
UP NEXT
Rice will face the winner of WKU/UTEP in tomorrow's C-USA Championship with coverage starting at 10 a.m. (CT) on ESPN+. The winner will earn the C-USA automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Owls (19-5, 12-0) won their 14th consecutive match and advanced to the title match for the seventh time in program history and fifth in the last six seasons with a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-19, 25-16) over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Saturday afternoon in the C-USA semifinals.
Rice senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon posted another monster double-double with 19 kills (.514) and 14 digs and was part of an Owls' offense that hit .356 as a team. Senior setter Carly Graham distributed 36 assists (12.0 per set) while senior middle blocker Anota Adekunle contributed seven kills (.462) and recorded a match-high six blocks.
Defensively the Owls limited Middle Tennessee (9-11, 6-6) to a .174 hitting percentage and just 36 kills. Senior libero Elizabeth LaBue led all players with 17 digs.
The Owls will play the winner of WKU/UTEP in the C-USA Championship tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT).
"I think we showed today that we are locked in. That was an extremely efficient performance today. We are tough to beat when we execute at that level offensively. I'm really proud of this group but the work is not over. We have been really working to be in the position to win the C-USA Championship and look forward to tomorrow."
First Set
After MT scored the game's first point the Owls responded with a 4-0 run and never looked back, winning the frame 25-16. Lennon led all players with six kills in the set while hitting .455. Adekunle also chipped in four kills and defensively held the Blue Raiders to a .105 hitting clip. LaBue collected eight digs in the frame while Adekunle contributed three blocks.
Second Set
The Owls led from start to finish en route to a 25-19 victory as they hit a sensational .400 with Lennon adding seven more kills. Graham distributed 12 assists in the win and freshman middle blocker Shaylee Shored totaled four kills.
Third Set
The Owls put the finishing touches on the sweep with a 25-16 victory. Rice ended the game on a 7-2 run and hit .333 for the set while holding the Blue Raiders to a .156 clip. Lennon added six more kills while Graham sealed the victory with three service aces.
Rice will face the winner of WKU/UTEP in tomorrow's C-USA Championship with coverage starting at 10 a.m. (CT) on ESPN+. The winner will earn the C-USA automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
MTSU
Rice
Kills
36
45
Errors
17
8
Attempts
109
104
Hitting %
.174
.356
Points
42
59
Assists
36
41
Aces
5
5
Blocks
1
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB/RS
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