Rice University
-81,00 CUSA
Texas Tech
8-1,0-0Big 12
Owls Knock Out Texas Tech in Five Sets
9/11/2022 6:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice improves to 8-1 on the season
HOUSTON – In a match that featured 31 ties and 14 four lead changes, it was the Rice Owls volleyball team who prevailed in a five-set thriller (17-25, 25-21, 25-15, 18-25, 15-12) Sunday afternoon over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Rice improved to 8-1 on the season while handing Texas Tech (8-1) their first loss of the season. The Owls also bumped their record to 2-1 in five-set matches this season.
The Owls prevailed by in large part to a tremendous defensive effort, totaling a season-high 102 digs while holding the Red Raiders to a hitting clip of .178. Junior libero Nia McCardell, who has won the past two Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week awards, recorded a career-high 36 digs to tie former Owl Nicci Yarber (1989) for the third-most digs by an Owl in a single match.
In addition to McCardell's performance, junior outside hitter Sahara Maruska added a career-high 23 digs while freshmen Darby Harris and Gaby Mansfield each had 11 digs. Rice has now held opponents to a hitting percentage of .200 or less in eight of nine matches this season.
Offensively the Owls were led by junior outside hitter Danyle Courtley, who totaled 16 kills on 44 attacks (.295) while senior right side Ellie Bichelmeyer added 14 kills on 31 attacks (.290) and Anota Adekunle chipped in 12 kills on 25 attacks (.280).
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm just really proud of our resilience today. Texas Tech is a great team and it was a battle from start to finish. We had a great crowd and I hope we can pack Tudor next weekend for two more quality teams in Creighton and Kansas State."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Red Raiders hit .310 as a team in the opening game and led from start to finish with a 25-17 victory. Courtley posted four kills for the Owls but Rice hit just .158 as a team while Tech totaled 15 kills to just two attack errors.
Second Set
Looking to avoid an 0-2 hole, Rice rallied from an 18-16 deficit to win 25-21 with a 9-3 close. During the frame, Rice switched to a 6-2 with Harris controlling the offense and it seemed to provide a spark. Courtley added five more kills in the set while sophomore Lola Foord added three kills off the bench, as did Maruska. The Owls limited the Red Raiders to a .089 hitting percentage in the game.
Third Set
Rice won the all-important tie-breaking third set with a 25-15 victory, separating from the Red Raiders after a 12-11 deficit with a 9-0 run. During that stretch, Bichelmeyer totaled four kills including three straight to provide some cushion for the Owls.
Fourth Set
Tech pulled away mid-set to win 25-18 as both teams struggled to get their respective offenses going. Bichelmeyer and Adekunle had three kills apiece but Rice hit just .111.
Fifth Set
After falling behind 6-4, the Owls used a 4-0 run to gain an 8-6 edge. Later on with Rice leading 12-11, Adekunle single-handedly put the match away with consecutive kills and then a solo block to win 15-12 and send Tudor Fieldhouse into pandemonium.
UP NEXT
The Owls continue their seven-match homestand next weekend when they welcome in both Kansas State (Sept. 16-6 p.m.) and currently No. 17 ranked Creighton (Sept. 18-1 p.m.).
-RiceOwls.com-
