Saturday, August 28
Columbia, SC
9:00 A.M. CT
Rice University
0-2
1
at
3
South Carolina
2-0
1
2
3
4
F
Rice
24
25
23
20
1
South Carolina
26
14
25
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Gamecocks Edge No. 23 Owls at Carolina Classic
8/28/2021 12:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice hosts No. 14 Oregon in home opener on Sept. 2
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Less than 16 hours after a heartbreaking loss to No. 9 Pittsburgh, the No. 23 ranked Rice Owls volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 23-25, 20-25) decision to host South Carolina on day two of the Carolina Classic.
Rice (0-2) received a match-high 16 kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon in the loss while junior right side Ellie Bichelmeyer contributed 11 kills (.308). Junior setter Carly Graham dished out 40 assists and three Owls posted double-figure digs, led by 16 from freshman Nia McCardell.
In a match that saw 28 ties and 10 lead changes, the Owls actually outhit the Gamecocks (2-0) by a margin of .257-.231 to go along with more digs (61-56). However, untimely miscues hurt the Owls as they totaled 11 service errors and 19 attack errors.
The Gamecocks had three players post double-digit kills, led by 15 from both Lauren McCutcheon (.517) and Kyla Manning (.190). South Carolina secured their second Top-25 victory in as many days after defeating No. 18 Washington St. in five sets on Friday.
Postgame Reaction- Head Coach Genny Volpe
"We knew we would need to be sharp early this morning after a very quick turnaround from last night's match. In some ways we were, and others we were not. The small details made a difference today so we will get back in the gym and clean some things up. I'm glad we opened with such a strong tournament as I believe we can compete with anybody in the country. We just need to get cleaner in some areas, which I'm confident we will."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Panthers broke a 23-23 tie by scoring three of the game's next four points to win 26-24. Lennon tied the set 24-24 but a Rice service error followed by an attack error clinched the game for the Panthers. Bichelmeyer posted five kills on six attacks (.833) in the frame while Satasha Kostelecky also contributed four kills for the Owls. There were 10 ties in the game and Rice outhit South Carolina, .243-.194, but committed five service errors.
Second Set
Like on Friday, the Owls bounced back after a set one loss thanks to a dominating defensive performance. Rice limited the Panthers to a hitting clip of -.138 and totaled 5.0 team blocks, including three solo rejections, in a 25-14 match-tying win. The Owls broke a 12-12 tie by outscoring the Panthers 13-2 the rest of the way.
Third Set
Despite six more kills from Lennon, South Carolina held on for a 25-23 victory to regain the match lead. The game saw eight ties and five lead changes but it was the Gamecocks that ended the frame on a 6-4 run. The Owls had pulled to within 23-22 after a kill from Elizabeth LaBue before the Gamecocks added two more points sandwiched around a strike from Danyle Courtley.
Fourth Set
The Gamecocks never trailed en route to a 25-20 match-clinching victory as they hit .441 for the set with three players totaling four or more kills. Lennon added another five kills for the Owls on 11 attacks but Rice was never able to get closer than a 22-20 deficit.
UP NEXT
The Owls return to Houston for their home-opening Rice Adidas Invitational I in which they'll host both No. 14 Oregon (Thursday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m.) and SMU (Saturday, Sept. 4, 1 p.m.). Both matches will be streamed on CUSAtv. Single match tickets are on sale HERE.
Rice (0-2) received a match-high 16 kills from senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon in the loss while junior right side Ellie Bichelmeyer contributed 11 kills (.308). Junior setter Carly Graham dished out 40 assists and three Owls posted double-figure digs, led by 16 from freshman Nia McCardell.
In a match that saw 28 ties and 10 lead changes, the Owls actually outhit the Gamecocks (2-0) by a margin of .257-.231 to go along with more digs (61-56). However, untimely miscues hurt the Owls as they totaled 11 service errors and 19 attack errors.
The Gamecocks had three players post double-digit kills, led by 15 from both Lauren McCutcheon (.517) and Kyla Manning (.190). South Carolina secured their second Top-25 victory in as many days after defeating No. 18 Washington St. in five sets on Friday.
"We knew we would need to be sharp early this morning after a very quick turnaround from last night's match. In some ways we were, and others we were not. The small details made a difference today so we will get back in the gym and clean some things up. I'm glad we opened with such a strong tournament as I believe we can compete with anybody in the country. We just need to get cleaner in some areas, which I'm confident we will."
First Set
The Panthers broke a 23-23 tie by scoring three of the game's next four points to win 26-24. Lennon tied the set 24-24 but a Rice service error followed by an attack error clinched the game for the Panthers. Bichelmeyer posted five kills on six attacks (.833) in the frame while Satasha Kostelecky also contributed four kills for the Owls. There were 10 ties in the game and Rice outhit South Carolina, .243-.194, but committed five service errors.
Second Set
Like on Friday, the Owls bounced back after a set one loss thanks to a dominating defensive performance. Rice limited the Panthers to a hitting clip of -.138 and totaled 5.0 team blocks, including three solo rejections, in a 25-14 match-tying win. The Owls broke a 12-12 tie by outscoring the Panthers 13-2 the rest of the way.
Third Set
Despite six more kills from Lennon, South Carolina held on for a 25-23 victory to regain the match lead. The game saw eight ties and five lead changes but it was the Gamecocks that ended the frame on a 6-4 run. The Owls had pulled to within 23-22 after a kill from Elizabeth LaBue before the Gamecocks added two more points sandwiched around a strike from Danyle Courtley.
Fourth Set
The Gamecocks never trailed en route to a 25-20 match-clinching victory as they hit .441 for the set with three players totaling four or more kills. Lennon added another five kills for the Owls on 11 attacks but Rice was never able to get closer than a 22-20 deficit.
The Owls return to Houston for their home-opening Rice Adidas Invitational I in which they'll host both No. 14 Oregon (Thursday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m.) and SMU (Saturday, Sept. 4, 1 p.m.). Both matches will be streamed on CUSAtv. Single match tickets are on sale HERE.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
RICE
SC
Kills
54
56
Errors
19
22
Attempts
136
147
Hitting %
.257
.231
Points
69.0
68.0
Assists
46
51
Aces
6
3
Blocks
9.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02