Friday, November 5
Houston, TX
6:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
16-5, 11-0
3
vs
0
UTSA
8-15, 5-6
1
2
3
F
UTSA
13
19
11
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Push Win Streak to 11 Straight on Senior Night
11/5/2021 8:36:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Bichelmeyer ties career-high with 16 kills in sweep of UTSA
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls Volleyball team continued their magical Conference USA season with their 11th consecutive victory Friday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse, sweeping the UTSA Roadrunners 25-13, 25-19, 25-11 on a night where Nicole Lennon, Elizabeth LaBue and Tia Grippo were honored in a pre-match ceremony.
Rice (16-5, 11-0) will now head into tomorrow's match with the Roadrunners looking to complete a second straight undefeated conference season after going 12-0 in the Spring.
On Friday, sophomore Ellie Bichelmeyer turned in a season-best performance by tying her career-high with 16 kills while hitting a sensational .519 on 27 attacks. Lennon joined her in double-figure kills with 11 (.385) while also collecting 14 digs for her team-leading 12th double-double of the season. Junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle also chipped in nine kills (.529) as the Owls hit a breath-taking .407 as a team.
Rice junior Carly Graham spearheaded the Owls' performance on Friday with 46 assists (15.3 per set) to go along with 13 digs for her 11th double-double of the year. LaBue totaled a match-high 18 digs on the night, one off her season-high.
The Owls limited UTSA (8-15, 5-6) to a .053 hitting percentage and Rice held a 75 percent sideout rate for the match.
UP NEXT
The Owls and Roadrunners will face off again tomorrow at 2 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse in the regular season finale as the Owls try to complete their second straight season with an undefeated record in Conference USA. The match will be streamed on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (16-5, 11-0) will now head into tomorrow's match with the Roadrunners looking to complete a second straight undefeated conference season after going 12-0 in the Spring.
On Friday, sophomore Ellie Bichelmeyer turned in a season-best performance by tying her career-high with 16 kills while hitting a sensational .519 on 27 attacks. Lennon joined her in double-figure kills with 11 (.385) while also collecting 14 digs for her team-leading 12th double-double of the season. Junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle also chipped in nine kills (.529) as the Owls hit a breath-taking .407 as a team.
Rice junior Carly Graham spearheaded the Owls' performance on Friday with 46 assists (15.3 per set) to go along with 13 digs for her 11th double-double of the year. LaBue totaled a match-high 18 digs on the night, one off her season-high.
The Owls limited UTSA (8-15, 5-6) to a .053 hitting percentage and Rice held a 75 percent sideout rate for the match.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Owls dominated the opening set by hitting .607 as a team as they led from start to finish in a 25-13 victory. Rice dominated possession with an 85 percent sideout rate with a balanced offensive attack. Lennon (6 kills), Bichelmeyer (5 kills), and Adekunle (4 kills) all took turns capitalizing on the offensive end while Graham distributed 17 assists.
Second Set
Rice had to dig out of a 9-6 hole but eventually found their footing thanks to a 10-2 run en route to a 25-19 win. Bichelmeyer and Lennon added four more kills apiece while Sahara Maruska also added four kills as Rice outhit the Roadrunners .317-.146. Lennon also added six digs on the defensive end and Graham added 15 more assists on Rice's 17 team kills.
Third Set
The Owls broke a 7-7 tie by outscoring the Roadrunners 18-4 the rest of the way to clinch the match with a 25-11 put-away victory. Graham achieved a double-double in just the set with 14 assists and 11 digs as the Owls locked in defensively by holding UTSA to a -.067 hitting clip. Bichelmeyer was the hot hand in the frame offensively with seven kills on 13 attacks as she hit .462 in the game.
First Set
The Owls dominated the opening set by hitting .607 as a team as they led from start to finish in a 25-13 victory. Rice dominated possession with an 85 percent sideout rate with a balanced offensive attack. Lennon (6 kills), Bichelmeyer (5 kills), and Adekunle (4 kills) all took turns capitalizing on the offensive end while Graham distributed 17 assists.
Second Set
Rice had to dig out of a 9-6 hole but eventually found their footing thanks to a 10-2 run en route to a 25-19 win. Bichelmeyer and Lennon added four more kills apiece while Sahara Maruska also added four kills as Rice outhit the Roadrunners .317-.146. Lennon also added six digs on the defensive end and Graham added 15 more assists on Rice's 17 team kills.
Third Set
The Owls broke a 7-7 tie by outscoring the Roadrunners 18-4 the rest of the way to clinch the match with a 25-11 put-away victory. Graham achieved a double-double in just the set with 14 assists and 11 digs as the Owls locked in defensively by holding UTSA to a -.067 hitting clip. Bichelmeyer was the hot hand in the frame offensively with seven kills on 13 attacks as she hit .462 in the game.
UP NEXT
The Owls and Roadrunners will face off again tomorrow at 2 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse in the regular season finale as the Owls try to complete their second straight season with an undefeated record in Conference USA. The match will be streamed on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
UTSA
RICE
Kills
24
51
Errors
18
7
Attempts
114
108
Hitting %
.053
.407
Points
28.0
57.0
Assists
22
48
Aces
3
1
Blocks
1.0
5.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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