Rice University
10-3, 9-0
North Texas
6-8, 2-5
Owls Hold off Mean Green in Five Set Thriller
3/7/2021 5:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice remains unbeaten in C-USA play
HOUSTON – In a match that saw 27 ties and 13 lead changes, the Rice Owls volleyball team prevailed over the North Texas Mean Green in five sets (22-25, 26-24, 25-20, 24-26, 15-9) to earn their ninth consecutive victory and remain unbeaten in Conference USA play.
The Owls (10-3, 9-0) recorded season-highs in kills (81), assists (75) and points (95.0) in the victory and Rice held the Mean Green to a .220 hitting percentage. Three Owls recorded double-figure kills, led by a season-high 26 kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon. The Katy, Texas native also set a career-high with 25 digs and added three blocks for a total of 27.5 points.
Junior middle blocker Anota Adekunle was an unstoppable force in the middle, tallying a career-high 23 kills while hitting .444 and also contributed six blocks for 28.5 points. Sophomore pin Ellie Bichelmeyer also established career-highs in both kills (16) and total attacks (42).
Junior setter Carly Graham achieved her fifth double-double of the season with a career-high 66 assists to go along with 10 digs. The 66 assists were the most by an Owl in the last six years.
Adding to the Owls stellar defensive performance was junior libero Elizabeth LaBue, who set a season-high with 24 digs.
POSTGAME REACTION
Rice Head Coach Genny Volpe
"That was a seriously competitive match that easily could have gone either way so we feel very fortunate that we came out on top. I'm really proud of the team for maintaining their composure. There were times where we missed some opportunities and made a lot of errors that we've just got to clean up. North Texas was really strong defensively against us and came out attacking. They definitely set the tone of the match, which was our goal. But lucky for us we rallied around it, pulled together, and got some great contributions from everyone. Anota's performance today was All-American level and Nicole showed why she's a complete player every time she steps on the floor. This was a full team effort and we had to do a lot to win today and we're going to have to need to do the same thing tomorrow. We expect another dog fight and we're excited about the level of play that's happening in our league right now. It's exciting for Conference USA and this was just another example of that today."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
North Texas led for a majority of the opening set until the Owls rallied to go in front 21-20 on a combo block from Graham/Adekunle. However, the Mean Green outscored the Owls 5-1 the rest of the game to win 25-22. Lennon and Adekunle tallied six kills apiece in the loss while Graham dished out 15 assists. North Texas hit .406 as a team however, and took advantage of six Rice attack errors.
Set 2
Rice outlasted the Mean Green in a game that saw 11 ties and seven lead changes by securing the final two points to break a 24-24 tie on consecutive kills from Bichelmeyer to win 26-24. Lennon was unstoppable with nine kills on 15 attacks (.533) and Graham once again recorded 15 assists.
Set 3
The Owls used a 9-4 run to close of the frame and win 25-20 to take a 2-1 match lead. Lennon and Adekunle added four kills apiece and Rice held North Texas to a -.025 hitting percentage in the win, recording 6.0 team blocks.
Set 4
North Texas forced a fifth and decisive set by taking the fourth game, 26-24. Rhett Robinson totaled eight of her match-high 29 kills in the win and held off a Rice attack that included seven kills from Bichelmeyer.
Set 5
Rice never trailed in the final frame, and the Owls used a balanced attack with three kills apiece from Lennon, Adekunle, and freshman Danyle Courtley to win 15-9. The Owls outhit the Mean Green .304-.188 in the set.
Up Next
The Owls and Mean Green will tangle yet again tomorrow, March 8 at 1 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
