Owls to Open C-USA Play vs. LA Tech

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Women's Volleyball

vs #3 Seed Tulsa

Nov 23

12 PM

Tampa, Fla.

Matches 5/6 | Rice Owls (1-3) vs. Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (0-7) | Sunday/Monday, Feb. 7/8, 2/2 p.m.
Location: Tudor Fieldhouse
Video Streams: CUSAtv (Sunday) | CUSAtv (Monday)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series: Rice leads, 16-3 (Last Meeting: Rice Won 3-0, 10/20/19)

HOUSTON - The Rice volleyball team returns to action this weekend when they host the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters for a pair of matches to begin Conference USA action. The Owls have dominated the all-time series vs. Tech, having won 16 of 19 including a 3-0 sweep in 2019. Rice has dropped three straight matches after winning their season opener against Houston. The Lady Techsters enter Sunday looking for their first win having dropped seven straight between the fall and spring seasons.

NOTES

Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon currently ranks second in the NCAA among active players in career kills (1,492), fifth in kills per set (4.12), and third in both total attacks (3,945).
Through four matches, Lennon currently ranks third in the NCAA in points per set (5.81) and is sixth in both kills per set (5.00) and attacks per set (13.00).
Freshman Nia McCardell is second among all C-USA players in total digs (70) and fifth in digs per set (4.38). The Missouri City, Texas native compiled 33 digs last Friday at SMU, which were tied for the ninth-most by an Owl in school history and the second-most by a Rice freshman. Only Tracey Lam (35 digs in 2007) posted more digs by a Rice freshman.
Junior setter Carly Graham ranks second among all C-USA setters in both total assists (166) and assists per set (10.38).
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.
Lennon enters her senior season following a 2019 campaign in which she earned AVCA and VolleyballMag.com All-American honors. The three-time C-USA First Teamer set career-highs last season in kills (505), kills per set (4.81), hitting percentage (.288), digs per set (3.45) and total points (552.0). Lennon set a league record by being named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week seven times and was selected to the AVCA All-Region Team. She led Rice with 20 double-doubles and had 20 or more kills eight times.
Adekunle, who also garnered AVCA and VolleyballMag.com All-American Honorable Mention honors, ranked sixth in the NCAA last season in hitting percentage with a Rice single-season record .425 clip. During conference action last season Adekunle ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.462), kills per set (3.60), and was sixth in blocks per set (1.11). An AVCA All-Region and C-USA First Teamer last year, Adekunle amassed 340 kills from the middle and total 92 blocks.
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-

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Anota Adekunle

Carly Graham

Nicole Lennon

Nia McCardell

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