
No. 21 Volleyball Continues Dominance with Straight Set Victory over North Texas
11/4/2022 9:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON, Texas – The No. 21 Rice Owls volleyball team kept its strong play going with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-18) victory over North Texas, Friday night at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Owls have swept the last four matches and have won 13 straight sets, its longest stretch this year.
Rice (21-2, 11-0) picked up its 12th sweep of the year and held the Mean Green to .109 hitting, the 18th time it held its opponents under .200, The Owls hit .347, led by a career-best .692 (10-of-13) from senior Satasha Kostelecky. Fifth-year senior Anota Adekunle hit .368 on 9-for-19 kills while junior Danyle Courtley was 10-of-22 and hit .318.
Fifth year setter Carly Graham led all players with 37 assists, and junior libero Nia McCardell added a match-high 13 digs.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach, Genny Volpe
"I was very pleased with our composure and execution both on offense and defense overall. I thought the middles worked very hard to get open defensively and Nia (McCardell) did a great job of controlling the back row. We are continuing to focus on how we play and doing the little things right. We were not always clean, but the focus was there and we will get better if we continue to keep that growth mindset."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The teams went back-and-forth through the first six points before North Texas went on a 5-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and force a Rice timeout. The Mean Green increased its lead to 12-6, but the Owls stormed back, going on a 6-0 run to tie the match. The teams traded points before Rice took its first lead of the match on kills from Sahara Maruska and Kostelecky. UNT cut the lead to one, but Rice closed the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-17. Kostelecky was a perfect six-for-six hitting and Courtley hit .500 (5-for-8).
Second Set
North Texas jumped out to a 6-3 lead. Rice cut it to 9-8 before the Mean Green scored four of the next five points. UNT extended its lead to 17-12, but a 6-0 run gave the Owls an 18-17 lead. North Texas twice regained the lead, but with it leading 20-19, Rice closed the set on a 6-1 run to win 25-21. Adekunle hits .429 in the set and Bichelmeyer hit .400.
Third Set
The teams battled throughout in a set that saw 14 ties. Neither team led by more than two points for the majority of the set. With it tied at 16, a kill by Graham sent the Owls on a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 lead. The teams traded points, but Kostelecky's 10th kill of the match closed it out as the Owls won, 25-18. Rice hit .484 in the set and held the Mean Green to just .139.
UP NEXT
The Owls close its home schedule this Sunday, Nov. 6, when they host Louisiana Tech on their annual Senior Day at 1 p.m.
-RiceOwls.com-
The Owls have swept the last four matches and have won 13 straight sets, its longest stretch this year.
Rice (21-2, 11-0) picked up its 12th sweep of the year and held the Mean Green to .109 hitting, the 18th time it held its opponents under .200, The Owls hit .347, led by a career-best .692 (10-of-13) from senior Satasha Kostelecky. Fifth-year senior Anota Adekunle hit .368 on 9-for-19 kills while junior Danyle Courtley was 10-of-22 and hit .318.
Fifth year setter Carly Graham led all players with 37 assists, and junior libero Nia McCardell added a match-high 13 digs.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach, Genny Volpe
"I was very pleased with our composure and execution both on offense and defense overall. I thought the middles worked very hard to get open defensively and Nia (McCardell) did a great job of controlling the back row. We are continuing to focus on how we play and doing the little things right. We were not always clean, but the focus was there and we will get better if we continue to keep that growth mindset."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The teams went back-and-forth through the first six points before North Texas went on a 5-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and force a Rice timeout. The Mean Green increased its lead to 12-6, but the Owls stormed back, going on a 6-0 run to tie the match. The teams traded points before Rice took its first lead of the match on kills from Sahara Maruska and Kostelecky. UNT cut the lead to one, but Rice closed the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-17. Kostelecky was a perfect six-for-six hitting and Courtley hit .500 (5-for-8).
Second Set
North Texas jumped out to a 6-3 lead. Rice cut it to 9-8 before the Mean Green scored four of the next five points. UNT extended its lead to 17-12, but a 6-0 run gave the Owls an 18-17 lead. North Texas twice regained the lead, but with it leading 20-19, Rice closed the set on a 6-1 run to win 25-21. Adekunle hits .429 in the set and Bichelmeyer hit .400.
Third Set
The teams battled throughout in a set that saw 14 ties. Neither team led by more than two points for the majority of the set. With it tied at 16, a kill by Graham sent the Owls on a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 lead. The teams traded points, but Kostelecky's 10th kill of the match closed it out as the Owls won, 25-18. Rice hit .484 in the set and held the Mean Green to just .139.
UP NEXT
The Owls close its home schedule this Sunday, Nov. 6, when they host Louisiana Tech on their annual Senior Day at 1 p.m.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
UNT
Rice
Kills
34
48
Errors
22
13
Attempts
110
101
Hitting %
.109
.347
Points
41
54
Assists
34
44
Aces
3
1
Blocks
4
5
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02