Preview | Owls Face San Diego at NCAA Tournament in Austin

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Women's Volleyball

vs Florida

Dec 5

4 PM

Dallas, Texas

Match 26 | Rice Owls (19-6, 12-0) vs. San Diego Toreros (20-7, 14-4)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 2, 4 p.m. (CT)
Location: Austin, Texas (Gregory Gymnasium)
Video Streams: Thursday (San Diego-ESPN+) | Friday (Texas/Sacred Heart-Longhorn Network)
Live Stats: v s. San Diego
Series vs. San Diego: Rice leads, 1-0 (Last Meeting: Rice won (3-0), 9/4/87)
Series vs. Texas: Texas leads, 37-2 (Last Meeting: Texas won (3-0), 9/22/21)
Series vs. Sacred Heart: Never Met

NOTES

Rice is back in the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive season, the last three of which have come via an at-large bid. This will be the Owls' seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history and the fifth via an at-large bid. All seven appearances have come under current head coach Genny Volpe. This past spring the Owls were removed from the NCAA Tournament in Omaha before their opening round match against North Carolina A&T due to COVID-19 policies. The team has used the hashtag #UnfinishedBusiness this season.
The Owls are one of only three programs in the state of Texas to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four season, joining Texas and Baylor. Additionally, Rice is one of just 21 programs across Division I to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons -- as is their first round opponent San Diego.
After starting the season 0-3 against a rigorous non-conference schedule, the Owls have gone 19-3 and completed their second straight 12-0 Conference USA season to win their second consecutive C-USA West Division title.
Rice played a daunting non-conference schedule this fall by facing three teams currently ranked in the AVCA Top-10 and four in the Top-25: No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 6 Baylor, and No. 19 Oregon. Additionally, the Owls faced NCAA Tournament participants South Carolina and WKU this season.
One more victory would give the Owls 20 wins on the season for the 10th time under Volpe and the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
The Owls are receiving votes for a 12th straight week this season in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll.
Rice ranks 24th in the most recent RPI rankings.
The Owls had five players honored with C-USA Postseason Awards. Senior setter Carly Graham was named the Setter of the Year for a second straight season and earned a spot on the First Team along with senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon and senior middle blocker Anota Adekunle. Junior right side Ellie Bichelmeyer was a Second Team selection while freshman middle blocker Shaylee Shore earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
Dating back to 2014 the Owls are 92-20 (.821) in Conference USA play, which includes a 47-3 (.940) record the last three seasons. Rice has won 26 consecutive C-USA regular season contests dating back to the 2019 season.
Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon ranks third among active NCAA Division I players in career kills with 2,120, trailing only Baylor's Yossiana Pressley (2,341) and Utah's Dani Drews (2,232). Lennon and Pressley are the only active players in NCAA Division I with over 2,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. This season Lennon ranks 20th in the NCAA in kills per set (4.47) and 25th in points per set (4.94). She is currently one of 10 finalists for the national Senior CLASS Award.
Senior setter Carly Graham ranks 11th in the NCAA in assists per set (11.20) and is a big reason why the Owls rank 6th in the NCAA in both kills per set (14.37) and assists per set (13.31). In addition, the Rice offense is 12th in the country in hitting percentage (.284).
Senior middle blocker Anota Adekunle is once again having an efficient offensive season and ranks 17th in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.407). Adekunle is Rice's all-time leader in hitting percentage (.407), a mark that ranks fifth in the country among active NCAA Division I players. Adekunle also leads the Owls in total blocks (90) and blocks per set (1.08).
Rice returned 14 letterwinners and all six starters, along with their libero, from last season's championship team.
Head Coach Genny Volpe is in her 18th season with the Owls and is the school's all-time leader in total wins (348) and winning percentage (.638).

-RiceOwls.com-

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