Sunday, February 28
San Antonio, TX
1:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
at
UTSA
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Preview | Owls Head South to Face Roadrunners
2/24/2021 2:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice has won six straight matches
Rice Owls (7-3, 6-0) at UTSA Roadrunners (3-7, 1-3)
Matches 11/12 | Sunday/Monday, Feb. 28/Mar. 1, 1/1 p.m.
Location: San Antonio, Texas (Convocation Center)
Video Streams: CUSAtv (Sunday) | CUSAtv (Monday)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Rice leads, 22-7 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 3-1, 11/23/19)
HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team will look to continue their winnings ways this weekend when they travel to San Antonio for a pair of matches against the Roadrunners. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Owls defeated the Roadrunners in the semifinals of the 2019 C-USA Championship. The West division-leading Owls and No. 20 WKU are the lone unbeaten teams remaining in C-USA with six matches remaining in the conference season. The Owls have reeled off six consecutive wins since starting league play and have yet to lose a set, winning 18 in a row.
UTSA has lost six of their last seven matches, including a pair of losses at UTEP earlier this week.
NOTES
Matches 11/12 | Sunday/Monday, Feb. 28/Mar. 1, 1/1 p.m.
Location: San Antonio, Texas (Convocation Center)
Video Streams: CUSAtv (Sunday) | CUSAtv (Monday)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Rice leads, 22-7 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 3-1, 11/23/19)
HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team will look to continue their winnings ways this weekend when they travel to San Antonio for a pair of matches against the Roadrunners. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Owls defeated the Roadrunners in the semifinals of the 2019 C-USA Championship. The West division-leading Owls and No. 20 WKU are the lone unbeaten teams remaining in C-USA with six matches remaining in the conference season. The Owls have reeled off six consecutive wins since starting league play and have yet to lose a set, winning 18 in a row.
UTSA has lost six of their last seven matches, including a pair of losses at UTEP earlier this week.
NOTES
- Rice junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle was selected the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.
- Defensively the Owls have limited their opponents to a hitting percentage .200 or lower in six matches this season, including five straight.
- Rice leads all of C-USA in total team blocks (81.0) and have posted 8.0 or more team blocks in five matches this season.
- The Owls rank 26th in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.273) and have hit .290 or better in four of their last five matches.
- Junior setter Carly Graham Graham ranks second among C-USA players in total assists (352) and is third in assists per game (10.35).
- Anota Adekunle ranks fourth in the NCAA among active players in career hitting percentage (.396).
- Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon currently ranks second in the NCAA among active players in career kills (1,558), sixth in kills per set (4.10), and third in total attacks (4,101).
- Through 10 matches, Lennon currently ranks 24th in the NCAA in points per set (5.06) and is 34th in kills per set (4.32).
- Freshman Nia McCardell is fourth among all C-USA players in total digs (138).
- Coming off a season in which they won 27 matches, the Owls were picked to win the Conference USA West Division in this year's Coaches' Poll.
- Lennon and junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle were named to this year's 12-person C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Rice returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team and will be incorporating six newcomers.
- The top four teams in each division will qualify for the C-USA Volleyball Championship. Southern Miss will host the eight-team, single-elimination tournament April 1-3 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02