Preview | Owls Host McNeese in Home Opener

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Women's Volleyball

vs #8 Seed UTSA

Nov 21

10 AM

Match 6 | vs. McNeese Cowgirls (1-5) | Tuesday, Sept. 6, 6 p.m.
Location: Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Buy Tickets: RiceOwls.com
Promotions: $5 Tuesday tickets - Rice College attendance challenge - Spike Ball giveaway
Video Stream: CUSAtv
Live Stats: S idearm
Series: Rice leads, 10-1; Last Meeting: Rice won 3-0 (9/17/21)

SETTING THE SCENE
The Owls (4-1) make their long-awaited home debut on Tuesday when they host the McNeese Cowgirls at 6 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice is coming off of a 1-1 performance at the Oregon Invitational, sweeping UC Davis before nearly upsetting No. 18 Oregon, eventually falling five sets.

McNeese (1-5) went 1-3 at last weekend's SFA Invitational, picking up a 3-2 win over Tulsa in the process. The Cowgirls are hitting just .101 as a team while senior opposite hitter Kendall Glueck leads the team with 73 kills.

RICE NOTES

The Owls are receiving votes (27) in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll for a third consecutive week.
For the second time in as many weeks, Rice junior libero Nia McCardell was selected the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. McCardell, from Missouri City, Texas, continued her stellar early season play along the Owls backline by amassing 47 digs across eight sets (5.87 per set) as the Owls went 1-1 at the Oregon Invitational. In Rice's 3-2 loss to the No. 18 Ducks, McCardell collected a season-high 32 digs, the second-most by a C-USA player this season and the second-most in her career. McCardell also totaled 15 digs in Rice's sweep of UC Davis. McCardell ranks 38th in the NCAA this season in digs per set (4.89).
Last Saturday, Rice fifth year middle blocker Anota Adekunle became the 16th player in program history to reach the 1,000 career kills milestone.
Rice's 101 team digs last Saturday at Oregon were the seventh-most by a team in the NCAA this season.
Fifth year seniors Carly Graham (setter) and Anota Adekunle (middle blocker), along with senior right side Ellie Bichelmeyer were all named to the C-USA Preseason Team on Wednesday.
Rice has appeared in the NCAA Tournament four consecutive seasons, the last three of which have come via an at-large bid. Last season the Owls swept San Diego in the opening round of the tournament to advance to the Round of 32 for the second time in the last three seasons.
The Owls are one of only three programs in the state of Texas to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons, joining Texas and Baylor. Additionally, Rice is one of just 21 programs across Division I to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons.
Rice finished last season with an RPI ranking of 23.
Dating back to 2014 the Owls are 92-20 (.821) in Conference USA play, which includes a 47-3 (.940) record the last three seasons. Rice has won 26 consecutive C-USA regular season contests dating back to the 2019 season.
Senior setter Carly Graham ranked 14th in the NCAA in assists per set (11.10) last season and was a big reason why the Owls ranked 5th in the NCAA in both kills per set (14.38). In addition, the Rice offense was 9th in the country in hitting percentage (.287).
Rice returns eight letterwinners and four starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team.

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