Friday, December 3
Austin, Texas
8:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-207,120 CUSA
0
vs
3
No. 2 Texas (Second Round)
26-1,15-1Big 12
1
2
3
F
Rice
21
23
19
0
Texas
25
25
25
3
Owls Fall in Round of 32 to No. 2 Longhorns
12/4/2021 12:07:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Rice finishes season with 20 wins; advanced to Round of 32
AUSTIN – The Rice Owls volleyball team poured their heart and soul into their second round NCAA Tournament matchup with the No. 2 ranked Texas Longhorns, eventually falling in three competitive sets (21-25, 23-25, 19-25) Friday evening at Gregory Gymnasium in front of 4,322 fans.
Rice (20-7) was making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished with 20 wins in a season for the 10th time under Rice head coach Genny Volpe and the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Owls also advanced to the Round of 32 for the second time in the last three seasons.
Rice became the first team all season to hit .300 or better against the stingy Longhorns' defense, accumulating a .340 attack with 40 team kills. Texas came into the match ranked No. 22 in opponents hitting percentage (.162).
Rice had five players total five or more kills, including a team-best nine kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, who concluded her legendary career donning the Blue & Gray.
Senior middle blocker Anota Adekunle added eight kills (.538) while sophomore Sahara Maruska contributed seven kills (.333). Freshman middle blocker Shaylee Shore (.600) was among four Owls that hit .300 or better with six additional kills while senior setter Carly Graham totaled five kills (.444) to go along with 27 assists.
Texas (26-1, 15-1) hit .490 for the match with 53 kills on 96 attacks and received a match-high 18 kills from Skylar Fields.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm extremely proud of how we played. We executed at a really high level offensively against a really strong defensive team. All we ask of our players as coaches is that they are invested and free to compete and enjoy the competition because so much hard work goes into what they do. This team is truly invested and I think you can tell that and see it when we play. They inspire others and they inspire me. I can't say enough positive things about my team. We really wanted to win and it's unfortunate that we didn't but I think we met up with a really tough team in the second round."
Senior Outside Hitter Nicole Lennon on her Rice career
"It's really hard to put into words. I've had an amazing time. I've built character for sure. I think when I came in I wasn't emotionally tough. But as Genny tells me, I'm always good at bouncing back and I think I can take that into real life now and not let things get me down. I've made my best friends on this team and I'm so thankful for those relationships."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Owls fell behind 5-1 in front of the raucous crowd but quickly gained their composure and settled into a very competitive opening frame, pulling even at 15-15 on an ace from sophomore Izzy Rawlings. However, Texas outscored the Owls 7-4 down the stretch to win 25-21. The Longhorns outhit the Owls, .485-.385, and managed to hold on for the victory despite six service errors. Shore, Adekunle, Graham, and Maruska all had two kills apiece for the Owls while Fields posted six kills to pace the Longhorns.
Second Set
Rice displayed their grit in the second frame, nearly rallying from an 18-11 deficit before dropping a heartbreaker, 25-23. The Owls staved off set point three times before Fields was able to glance an attack off the fingertips of a Rice defender for the 25th point. Lennon totaled five kills in the game while Graham distributed 14 assists as Rice hit .378 as a team.
Third Set
The Owls' fight was on display until the very end as they played the Longhorns to 11 ties and four lead changes before Texas broke a 17-17 score with an 8-2 run to win 25-19. Fields tallied nine of Texas' 19 team kills and the Longhorns' .514 hitting clip proved too much to overcome despite three service aces from the Owls in the game.
Rice (20-7) was making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished with 20 wins in a season for the 10th time under Rice head coach Genny Volpe and the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Owls also advanced to the Round of 32 for the second time in the last three seasons.
Rice became the first team all season to hit .300 or better against the stingy Longhorns' defense, accumulating a .340 attack with 40 team kills. Texas came into the match ranked No. 22 in opponents hitting percentage (.162).
Rice had five players total five or more kills, including a team-best nine kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, who concluded her legendary career donning the Blue & Gray.
Senior middle blocker Anota Adekunle added eight kills (.538) while sophomore Sahara Maruska contributed seven kills (.333). Freshman middle blocker Shaylee Shore (.600) was among four Owls that hit .300 or better with six additional kills while senior setter Carly Graham totaled five kills (.444) to go along with 27 assists.
Texas (26-1, 15-1) hit .490 for the match with 53 kills on 96 attacks and received a match-high 18 kills from Skylar Fields.
"I'm extremely proud of how we played. We executed at a really high level offensively against a really strong defensive team. All we ask of our players as coaches is that they are invested and free to compete and enjoy the competition because so much hard work goes into what they do. This team is truly invested and I think you can tell that and see it when we play. They inspire others and they inspire me. I can't say enough positive things about my team. We really wanted to win and it's unfortunate that we didn't but I think we met up with a really tough team in the second round."
Senior Outside Hitter Nicole Lennon on her Rice career
"It's really hard to put into words. I've had an amazing time. I've built character for sure. I think when I came in I wasn't emotionally tough. But as Genny tells me, I'm always good at bouncing back and I think I can take that into real life now and not let things get me down. I've made my best friends on this team and I'm so thankful for those relationships."
First Set
The Owls fell behind 5-1 in front of the raucous crowd but quickly gained their composure and settled into a very competitive opening frame, pulling even at 15-15 on an ace from sophomore Izzy Rawlings. However, Texas outscored the Owls 7-4 down the stretch to win 25-21. The Longhorns outhit the Owls, .485-.385, and managed to hold on for the victory despite six service errors. Shore, Adekunle, Graham, and Maruska all had two kills apiece for the Owls while Fields posted six kills to pace the Longhorns.
Second Set
Rice displayed their grit in the second frame, nearly rallying from an 18-11 deficit before dropping a heartbreaker, 25-23. The Owls staved off set point three times before Fields was able to glance an attack off the fingertips of a Rice defender for the 25th point. Lennon totaled five kills in the game while Graham distributed 14 assists as Rice hit .378 as a team.
Third Set
The Owls' fight was on display until the very end as they played the Longhorns to 11 ties and four lead changes before Texas broke a 17-17 score with an 8-2 run to win 25-19. Fields tallied nine of Texas' 19 team kills and the Longhorns' .514 hitting clip proved too much to overcome despite three service aces from the Owls in the game.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
UT
Kills
40
53
Errors
7
6
Attempts
97
96
Hitting %
.340
.490
Points
49
65
Assists
30
51
Aces
7
7
Blocks
2
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB/RS
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