Tuesday, February 16
Hattiesburg, MS
10:00 A.M. CT
Rice University
-53,40 CUSA
3
at
0
Southern Miss
-54,02 CUSA
1
2
3
F
Rice
25
25
25
3
Southern Miss.
16
16
12
0
Owls Defeat Southern Miss for Fourth Straight Win
2/16/2021 12:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice has won 12 consecutive sets
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Rice Owls volleyball team won their fourth consecutive match and ran their set winning streak to 12 straight with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-12) victory at Southern Miss on Tuesday morning. The match was originally scheduled for Monday afternoon but was postponed a day due to incoming inclement weather.
Rice (5-3, 4-0) remained unbeaten in Conference USA behind a balanced attack, led by 11 kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon. The Katy, Texas native also added 10 digs and was one of four Owls with 10 or more digs.
Sophomore right side hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer stuffed the box score with nine kills, eight digs, and six blocks while junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle also added nine kills while hitting .615.
Sophomore middle blocker Satasha Kostelecky (8 blocks) combined with Adekunle (3 blocks) to be a force in the middle and helped lead the Owls to 12.0 team blocks. Junior setter Carly Graham picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 11 digs while orchestrating a Rice offense that hit .396.
Junior transfer Elizabeth LaBue and freshman Nia McCardell each collected 11 digs and LaBue registered her 1,000th career collegiate dig.
The Rice defense shined again by holding the Golden Eagles (5-4, 0-2) to a .029 hitting percentage while totaling 59 digs.
Postgame Reaction from Rice Head Coach Genny Volpe
"We were very pleased with how the team performed this weekend. There were distractions with the weather, delays, etc. and they kept their focus the entire time. Our hitting efficiency was strong and the things we have been working on in practice are improving."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
The Owls erased an early 6-3 deficit to win the opening frame, 25-16. Lennon paced the Owls with six kills in the set and Rice hit .333 as a team. Rice pulled away from the Golden Eagles by closing the game on a 9-3 run.
Set 2
Rice used a 6-0 run after falling behind 4-3 to take control of the set before eventually winning, 25-16. Bichelmeyer totaled four kills in the frame while Adekunle added three kills. The Owls outhit the Golden Eagles .364-.000 in the set and committed just two attacking errors.
Set 3
The Owls put together their best set for last by hitting .500 in the final game, recording 17 kills on 28 attacks (.500) while keeping USM at a -.107 clip for a 25-12 win.
Up Next
The Owls return home to host UAB (4-3, 3-1) Feb. 21-22 at Tudor Fieldhouse. Both matches will be streamed on CUSAtv.
Rice (5-3, 4-0) remained unbeaten in Conference USA behind a balanced attack, led by 11 kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon. The Katy, Texas native also added 10 digs and was one of four Owls with 10 or more digs.
Sophomore right side hitter Ellie Bichelmeyer stuffed the box score with nine kills, eight digs, and six blocks while junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle also added nine kills while hitting .615.
Sophomore middle blocker Satasha Kostelecky (8 blocks) combined with Adekunle (3 blocks) to be a force in the middle and helped lead the Owls to 12.0 team blocks. Junior setter Carly Graham picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 11 digs while orchestrating a Rice offense that hit .396.
Junior transfer Elizabeth LaBue and freshman Nia McCardell each collected 11 digs and LaBue registered her 1,000th career collegiate dig.
The Rice defense shined again by holding the Golden Eagles (5-4, 0-2) to a .029 hitting percentage while totaling 59 digs.
"We were very pleased with how the team performed this weekend. There were distractions with the weather, delays, etc. and they kept their focus the entire time. Our hitting efficiency was strong and the things we have been working on in practice are improving."
Set 1
The Owls erased an early 6-3 deficit to win the opening frame, 25-16. Lennon paced the Owls with six kills in the set and Rice hit .333 as a team. Rice pulled away from the Golden Eagles by closing the game on a 9-3 run.
Set 2
Rice used a 6-0 run after falling behind 4-3 to take control of the set before eventually winning, 25-16. Bichelmeyer totaled four kills in the frame while Adekunle added three kills. The Owls outhit the Golden Eagles .364-.000 in the set and committed just two attacking errors.
Set 3
The Owls put together their best set for last by hitting .500 in the final game, recording 17 kills on 28 attacks (.500) while keeping USM at a -.107 clip for a 25-12 win.
The Owls return home to host UAB (4-3, 3-1) Feb. 21-22 at Tudor Fieldhouse. Both matches will be streamed on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
RICE
USM
Kills
45
22
Errors
9
19
Attempts
91
104
Hitting %
.396
.029
Points
59.0
27.0
Assists
43
20
Aces
2
1
Blocks
12.0
4.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
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