Friday, October 21
Houston, TX
6:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-182,80 CUSA
3
vs
0
FIU
-516,26 CUSA
1
2
3
F
FIU
11
19
16
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Owls Down FIU in Straight Sets
10/21/2022 8:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Houston, Texas – The No. 21 Rice Owls volleyball team moved to 8-0 in Conference USA with a convincing, 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-16), straight set victory over FIU, Friday night at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (18-2, 8-0) picked up its ninth sweep of the year and held the Panthers to just .051 hitting. The Owls had its second-best hitting day of the year, hitting .365 for the match, led by fifth-year senior Anota Adekunle, who had a match-high 10 kills on just 12 attempts for a .833 hitting percentage, the fourth-best in school history. Junior Danyle Courtley also hit a career-high .538 on eight kills.
Rice totaled 11 blocks, the fourth time this year it hit double-digits, and took advantage of 23 FIU errors. Fifth year setter Carly Graham led all players with 26 assists and added 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season, and junior libero Nia McCardell added 10 digs.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach, Genny Volpe
"It was great to see our team focus on how we play the entire match. We were solid at the net with our block and defensively we made some strong plays as well. Our offense provided balance and it was good to see so many attackers contribute today."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice came out strong, scoring seven of the first nine points. After trading points, Rice rattled of five straight to take a 14-4 lead. FIU pulled within eight at 19-11, but the Owls scored the final six points of the set to take it, 25-11, their second largest set win of the year. The Owls hit .345 while holding the Panthers to just -.098.
Second Set
Rice again started out quick, scoring the first four points. FIU cut it to 10-8, but the Owls scored six of the next seven points. After the teams went back-and-forth, Rice took a 20-15 lead and wouldn't let the Panthers any closer as they closed it out with consecutive kills by Adekunle and Lola Foord to win 25-19. The Owls hit .423 for the set, let by Adekunle, who was a perfect five-for-five.
Third Set
Rice fell behind for the first time in the match, as FIU took an early 3-1 lead. But, it didn't last long. After scoring three straight points to take a 4-3 advantage, the set was closely contested, as the Owls took a five-point lead. FIU cut the deficit to 15-12, but Rice closed out the set on a 10-4 run to seal the victory with a 25-16 win. Adekunle and Courtley combined for eight kills in the set as Rice hit .333 while holding the Panthers to .029.
UP NEXT
The Owls return to the court next Friday, Oct. 28, when they travel to San Antonio to face UTSA at 6 p.m..
Rice (18-2, 8-0) picked up its ninth sweep of the year and held the Panthers to just .051 hitting. The Owls had its second-best hitting day of the year, hitting .365 for the match, led by fifth-year senior Anota Adekunle, who had a match-high 10 kills on just 12 attempts for a .833 hitting percentage, the fourth-best in school history. Junior Danyle Courtley also hit a career-high .538 on eight kills.
Rice totaled 11 blocks, the fourth time this year it hit double-digits, and took advantage of 23 FIU errors. Fifth year setter Carly Graham led all players with 26 assists and added 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season, and junior libero Nia McCardell added 10 digs.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach, Genny Volpe
"It was great to see our team focus on how we play the entire match. We were solid at the net with our block and defensively we made some strong plays as well. Our offense provided balance and it was good to see so many attackers contribute today."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice came out strong, scoring seven of the first nine points. After trading points, Rice rattled of five straight to take a 14-4 lead. FIU pulled within eight at 19-11, but the Owls scored the final six points of the set to take it, 25-11, their second largest set win of the year. The Owls hit .345 while holding the Panthers to just -.098.
Second Set
Rice again started out quick, scoring the first four points. FIU cut it to 10-8, but the Owls scored six of the next seven points. After the teams went back-and-forth, Rice took a 20-15 lead and wouldn't let the Panthers any closer as they closed it out with consecutive kills by Adekunle and Lola Foord to win 25-19. The Owls hit .423 for the set, let by Adekunle, who was a perfect five-for-five.
Third Set
Rice fell behind for the first time in the match, as FIU took an early 3-1 lead. But, it didn't last long. After scoring three straight points to take a 4-3 advantage, the set was closely contested, as the Owls took a five-point lead. FIU cut the deficit to 15-12, but Rice closed out the set on a 10-4 run to seal the victory with a 25-16 win. Adekunle and Courtley combined for eight kills in the set as Rice hit .333 while holding the Panthers to .029.
UP NEXT
The Owls return to the court next Friday, Oct. 28, when they travel to San Antonio to face UTSA at 6 p.m..
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
FIU
Rice
Kills
28
41
Errors
23
10
Attempts
99
85
Hitting %
.051
.365
Points
33
56
Assists
27
38
Aces
2
4
Blocks
3
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballRice vs. Central Arkansas Highlights
Sunday, August 31
Volleyball Exhibition vs. Houston Post-Match Press Conference
Sunday, August 24
VB Thea Carter Kick Save vs. Wichita State
Monday, August 18
2024 Night of the Owl End of Year Recap
Thursday, April 25