Tuesday, March 23
Austin, TX
4:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-144,120 CUSA
3
at
2
No. 2 Texas
20-1,14-0Big 12
1
2
3
4
5
F
Rice
10
25
25
14
15
3
Texas
25
16
23
25
13
2
Owls Stun No. 2 Texas in Austin
3/23/2021 8:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice defeats Longhorns for a second straight meeting
AUSTIN – Been there, done that.
After not defeating the Texas Longhorns in volleyball in 36 consecutive tries, the Rice Owls volleyball team ran their active winning streak over the current No. 2 ranked team in the NCAA to two in a row with a thrilling five-set victory (10-25, 25-16, 25-23, 14-25, 15-13) in Austin Tuesday afternoon.
History did indeed repeat itself as the Owls (14-4, 12-0) handed the Longhorns (20-1, 14-0) their second loss in a row in the series between the two programs after defeating Texas back on Sept. 18, 2019 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Heading into play on Tuesday the Owls were coming off a heartbreaking five-set loss to No. 6 Baylor last Friday but a matchup against the Longhorns was another opportunity to sharpen their skills prior to the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls did that and then some, adding to their stellar resume following an undefeated conference season.
Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon led the way offensively for the Owls with 18 kills (.214) to go along with 14 digs for her 10th double-double of the season while junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle helped provide a 1-2 punch with 12 kills on 19 attacks (.579).
Junior setter Carly Graham recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 32 assists and 12 digs while freshman Sahara Maruska (13 digs), junior Elizabeth LaBue (12 digs), and sophomore Satasha Kostelecky (6 blocks) provided defensive stability.
Logan Eggleston led all players with 21 kills for the Longhorns but Texas committed 13 costly service errors on the day.
Postgame Reaction – Rice Head Coach Genny Volpe
"That was one of the most exciting matches I've ever been a part of. Texas is such a quality team with so many weapons and very-well coached. They gave us a lot to handle and we just battled so hard and found a way to win. I think I'm most impressed by how we didn't let a very poor start affect us the rest of the match. It took a full team effort and it took a lot of contributions. I'm just super proud of the team today."
Senior Outside Hitter Nicole Lennon
"I'm so proud of these girls for playing our hearts out. We played as a true team and every single person on and off the court did their job to the fullest. After Baylor, we gained some confidence in ourselves and what we can do, and that confidence shone today. We are so thankful to play great teams like Baylor and Texas so that we have the opportunity to prove ourselves, and we got to do that today. I'm so excited to see what this team will continue to do this season."
Junior Middle Blocker Anota Adekunle
"This feeling is like no other. I love this team not only for the way we fight but for the way we play for each other. I believe each time we step on the court we show just what the game of volleyball is about, and that's teamwork. We weren't satisfied with coming off a close match with Baylor. We knew there was still work to be done and we came into this match with the mindset to fight to the very end."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
The Owls got out to a rough start, losing the opening frame 25-10 after getting outhit .464-.000. Rice committed six attack errors in the frame while recording just six kills.
Set 2
Rice bounced back with an impressive showing in the second game, one in which they led throughout and won 25-16. Lennon totaled four kills while freshmen Danyle Courtley and Maruska added three kills apiece. Graham dished out 10 assists as the Owls hit .323 and held the Longhorns to a .156 clip.
Set 3
The Owls rallied from a 19-17 deficit to win a critical third set, 25-23. Lennon was unstoppable, totaling nine kills on 12 attacks (.667) to go along with seven digs and Adekunle added four more kills in the victory.
Set 4
Texas evened things back up with a 25-14 triumph as they held down the Rice offense to just six kills and a .040 hitting percentage. The Longhorns totaled five service aces and had a 93 percent sideout rate.
Set 5
In a game that saw eight ties and five lead changes, it was the Owls who made the final push as they closed on a 6-1 run to win the set 15-13 and the match, 3-2. Rice trailed 12-9 but following a timeout they recorded three consecutive combo blocks (Kostelecky involved in all of them) to take a 13-12 advantage. After a set-tying kill from Eggleston, Lennon gave the Owls back the lead for good with her 18th kill of the day and then Rice won the match on an attack error by Eggleston.
Up Next
The Owls will be a No. 1 seed at the Conference USA Championship tournament, which will be held April 1-3 in Hattiesburg, Miss.
After not defeating the Texas Longhorns in volleyball in 36 consecutive tries, the Rice Owls volleyball team ran their active winning streak over the current No. 2 ranked team in the NCAA to two in a row with a thrilling five-set victory (10-25, 25-16, 25-23, 14-25, 15-13) in Austin Tuesday afternoon.
History did indeed repeat itself as the Owls (14-4, 12-0) handed the Longhorns (20-1, 14-0) their second loss in a row in the series between the two programs after defeating Texas back on Sept. 18, 2019 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Heading into play on Tuesday the Owls were coming off a heartbreaking five-set loss to No. 6 Baylor last Friday but a matchup against the Longhorns was another opportunity to sharpen their skills prior to the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls did that and then some, adding to their stellar resume following an undefeated conference season.
Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon led the way offensively for the Owls with 18 kills (.214) to go along with 14 digs for her 10th double-double of the season while junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle helped provide a 1-2 punch with 12 kills on 19 attacks (.579).
Junior setter Carly Graham recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 32 assists and 12 digs while freshman Sahara Maruska (13 digs), junior Elizabeth LaBue (12 digs), and sophomore Satasha Kostelecky (6 blocks) provided defensive stability.
Logan Eggleston led all players with 21 kills for the Longhorns but Texas committed 13 costly service errors on the day.
"That was one of the most exciting matches I've ever been a part of. Texas is such a quality team with so many weapons and very-well coached. They gave us a lot to handle and we just battled so hard and found a way to win. I think I'm most impressed by how we didn't let a very poor start affect us the rest of the match. It took a full team effort and it took a lot of contributions. I'm just super proud of the team today."
Senior Outside Hitter Nicole Lennon
"I'm so proud of these girls for playing our hearts out. We played as a true team and every single person on and off the court did their job to the fullest. After Baylor, we gained some confidence in ourselves and what we can do, and that confidence shone today. We are so thankful to play great teams like Baylor and Texas so that we have the opportunity to prove ourselves, and we got to do that today. I'm so excited to see what this team will continue to do this season."
Junior Middle Blocker Anota Adekunle
"This feeling is like no other. I love this team not only for the way we fight but for the way we play for each other. I believe each time we step on the court we show just what the game of volleyball is about, and that's teamwork. We weren't satisfied with coming off a close match with Baylor. We knew there was still work to be done and we came into this match with the mindset to fight to the very end."
Set 1
The Owls got out to a rough start, losing the opening frame 25-10 after getting outhit .464-.000. Rice committed six attack errors in the frame while recording just six kills.
Set 2
Rice bounced back with an impressive showing in the second game, one in which they led throughout and won 25-16. Lennon totaled four kills while freshmen Danyle Courtley and Maruska added three kills apiece. Graham dished out 10 assists as the Owls hit .323 and held the Longhorns to a .156 clip.
Set 3
The Owls rallied from a 19-17 deficit to win a critical third set, 25-23. Lennon was unstoppable, totaling nine kills on 12 attacks (.667) to go along with seven digs and Adekunle added four more kills in the victory.
Set 4
Texas evened things back up with a 25-14 triumph as they held down the Rice offense to just six kills and a .040 hitting percentage. The Longhorns totaled five service aces and had a 93 percent sideout rate.
Set 5
In a game that saw eight ties and five lead changes, it was the Owls who made the final push as they closed on a 6-1 run to win the set 15-13 and the match, 3-2. Rice trailed 12-9 but following a timeout they recorded three consecutive combo blocks (Kostelecky involved in all of them) to take a 13-12 advantage. After a set-tying kill from Eggleston, Lennon gave the Owls back the lead for good with her 18th kill of the day and then Rice won the match on an attack error by Eggleston.
The Owls will be a No. 1 seed at the Conference USA Championship tournament, which will be held April 1-3 in Hattiesburg, Miss.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
UT
Kills
50
59
Errors
23
20
Attempts
133
150
Hitting %
.203
.260
Points
62
82
Assists
42
50
Aces
3
13
Blocks
9
10
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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