Sunday, September 25
Ruston, LA
1:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-121,20 CUSA
3
at
0
Louisiana Tech
-79,11 CUSA
1
2
3
F
Rice
25
25
25
3
Louisiana Tech
17
18
15
0
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Volleyball Wins Eighth Straight
9/25/2022 3:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
No. 23 Owls sweep LA Tech on the road
RUSTON, La. – The No. 23 Rice Owls volleyball team pushed their winning streak to eight straight with a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-18, 25-15) Sunday afternoon at Louisiana Tech.
Rice (12-1, 2-0) notched their eighth sweep of the season by holding LA Tech (7-9, 1-1) to just a .106 hitting percentage and 26 kills across three sets. The Owls have now held eight straight opponents below .200 hitting and 12 of 13 matches overall. Rice entered the match ranked 25th in the NCAA in opponents hitting percentage (.156). Junior libero Nia McCardell, who ranks ninth in the NCAA in digs per set, led the Owls with 14 digs.
On the offensive side of things, Rice had three players record double-figure kills with Anota Adekunle (.600) and Sahara Maruska (.229) totaling 11 kills apiece. Ellie Bichelmeyer contributed 10 kills to become the third Owl in double-figures.
Fifth-year setter Carly Graham orchestrated the Rice offense with 35 assists and totaled seven digs, eclipsing 1,000 career digs in the process.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach, Genny Volpe
"Overall I was pleased with how we followed our game plan and executed defensively. Our middles were very effective today as well, which was great to see. I thought LA Tech played solid defense and forced some extended rallies, which made us work very hard for our points."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
After a slow start the Owls found their footing midway through the game, eventually winning 25-17. Rice hit just .118 for the set but the Owls limited the Lady Techsters to just seven kills and Adekunle gave the team a boost with three service aces.
Second Set
Rice cruised to a 25-18 victory behind a hitting clip of .359 with 17 kills. Adekunle was unstoppable with seven kills on nine attacks and Bichelmeyer added four more kills. Rice never trailed in the game.
Third Set
The Owls put the match away with a 25-15 victory, outhitting the Lady Techsters by a margin of .351-.114. Maruska led all players with five kills in the game and the Rice defense made life tough on their opponent, allowing just eight kills.
UP NEXT
The Owls will look to continue their winning ways next weekend with a pair of C-USA matches. Rice will travel to North Texas on Friday, Sept. 30 for a 6 p.m. first serve on ESPN+. The Owls will then return home to host Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.
Rice (12-1, 2-0) notched their eighth sweep of the season by holding LA Tech (7-9, 1-1) to just a .106 hitting percentage and 26 kills across three sets. The Owls have now held eight straight opponents below .200 hitting and 12 of 13 matches overall. Rice entered the match ranked 25th in the NCAA in opponents hitting percentage (.156). Junior libero Nia McCardell, who ranks ninth in the NCAA in digs per set, led the Owls with 14 digs.
On the offensive side of things, Rice had three players record double-figure kills with Anota Adekunle (.600) and Sahara Maruska (.229) totaling 11 kills apiece. Ellie Bichelmeyer contributed 10 kills to become the third Owl in double-figures.
Fifth-year setter Carly Graham orchestrated the Rice offense with 35 assists and totaled seven digs, eclipsing 1,000 career digs in the process.
"Overall I was pleased with how we followed our game plan and executed defensively. Our middles were very effective today as well, which was great to see. I thought LA Tech played solid defense and forced some extended rallies, which made us work very hard for our points."
First Set
After a slow start the Owls found their footing midway through the game, eventually winning 25-17. Rice hit just .118 for the set but the Owls limited the Lady Techsters to just seven kills and Adekunle gave the team a boost with three service aces.
Second Set
Rice cruised to a 25-18 victory behind a hitting clip of .359 with 17 kills. Adekunle was unstoppable with seven kills on nine attacks and Bichelmeyer added four more kills. Rice never trailed in the game.
Third Set
The Owls put the match away with a 25-15 victory, outhitting the Lady Techsters by a margin of .351-.114. Maruska led all players with five kills in the game and the Rice defense made life tough on their opponent, allowing just eight kills.
The Owls will look to continue their winning ways next weekend with a pair of C-USA matches. Rice will travel to North Texas on Friday, Sept. 30 for a 6 p.m. first serve on ESPN+. The Owls will then return home to host Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
LATech
Kills
46
26
Errors
13
13
Attempts
127
123
Hitting %
.260
.106
Points
57
31
Assists
44
25
Aces
7
2
Blocks
4
3
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
3
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
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