Tuesday, September 6
Houston, TX
6:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-51,00 CUSA
3
vs
0
McNeese
1-6,0-0Southland
1
2
3
F
McNeese
15
13
17
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Owls Take Care of McNeese in Home Opener
9/6/2022 9:28:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Kostelecky records career-high 11 kills in win
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls volleyball team used a suffocating defense to take down the McNeese Cowgirls in three sets (25-15, 25-13, 25-17) Tuesday evening in the home opener at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (5-1) bounced back from a tough five-set loss at No. 18 Oregon over the weekend by holding McNeese (1-6) to a .053 hitting percentage and just 23 total kills.
Offensively the Owls were led by senior middle blocker Satasha Kostelecky, who totaled a match and career-high 11 kills on 18 attacks (.611) while adding three blocks. Junior Danyle Courtley chipped in 10 kills while fifth year senior Anota Adekunle (8 kills-.571) and senior Ellie Bichelmeyer (7 kills-.467) each had efficient nights.
Fifth year senior setter Carly Graham recorded her third double-double (31 assists/12 digs) in her last four matches while junior libero Nia McCardell totaled 20 digs, her third match this season with 20-plus digs.
The sweep was the Owls fourth this season and they've now won 17 out of 22 sets played this season.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"It was great to get back out on the court and compete right after the Oregon trip. I was proud of how our team started the match with a sense of urgency and kept that throughout the match. It was great to see Ellie get some great opportunities tonight and for Satasha to find her offensive rhythm as well. Nia continues to run the floor defensively which is helping us a lot in transition."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Graham orchestrated a Rice offense that hit .341 in the opening game by recording 14 assists on 19 kills as the Owls established the middle of the net with six kills from Adekunle and four kills by Courtley. The Owls outscored the Cowgirls 18-8 down the stretch to win 25-15.
Second Set
Rice allowed just seven kills in a 25-13 victory as the Owls won despite recording just 10 kills of their own. McNeese committed seven attack errors and Izzy Rawlings gave the Owls a boost with four service aces.
Third Set
Bichelmeyer had her most productive set of the season by totaling seven kills on 15 attacks while Kostelecky added five more kills in a 25-17 match-clinching victory by the Owls. Rice closed out the game on a 12-6 run, punctuated by the final point of the match on a kill from freshman middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana.
UP NEXT
Rice continues their seven-match homestand this weekend when they welcome in Brown (Friday-6 p.m.), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Saturday-3 p.m.), and Texas Tech (Sunday-2 p.m.) for the Rice Adidas Invitational I.
Rice (5-1) bounced back from a tough five-set loss at No. 18 Oregon over the weekend by holding McNeese (1-6) to a .053 hitting percentage and just 23 total kills.
Offensively the Owls were led by senior middle blocker Satasha Kostelecky, who totaled a match and career-high 11 kills on 18 attacks (.611) while adding three blocks. Junior Danyle Courtley chipped in 10 kills while fifth year senior Anota Adekunle (8 kills-.571) and senior Ellie Bichelmeyer (7 kills-.467) each had efficient nights.
Fifth year senior setter Carly Graham recorded her third double-double (31 assists/12 digs) in her last four matches while junior libero Nia McCardell totaled 20 digs, her third match this season with 20-plus digs.
The sweep was the Owls fourth this season and they've now won 17 out of 22 sets played this season.
"It was great to get back out on the court and compete right after the Oregon trip. I was proud of how our team started the match with a sense of urgency and kept that throughout the match. It was great to see Ellie get some great opportunities tonight and for Satasha to find her offensive rhythm as well. Nia continues to run the floor defensively which is helping us a lot in transition."
First Set
Graham orchestrated a Rice offense that hit .341 in the opening game by recording 14 assists on 19 kills as the Owls established the middle of the net with six kills from Adekunle and four kills by Courtley. The Owls outscored the Cowgirls 18-8 down the stretch to win 25-15.
Second Set
Rice allowed just seven kills in a 25-13 victory as the Owls won despite recording just 10 kills of their own. McNeese committed seven attack errors and Izzy Rawlings gave the Owls a boost with four service aces.
Third Set
Bichelmeyer had her most productive set of the season by totaling seven kills on 15 attacks while Kostelecky added five more kills in a 25-17 match-clinching victory by the Owls. Rice closed out the game on a 12-6 run, punctuated by the final point of the match on a kill from freshman middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana.
Rice continues their seven-match homestand this weekend when they welcome in Brown (Friday-6 p.m.), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Saturday-3 p.m.), and Texas Tech (Sunday-2 p.m.) for the Rice Adidas Invitational I.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
McN
Rice
Kills
23
45
Errors
17
12
Attempts
113
126
Hitting %
.053
.262
Points
32
58
Assists
18
35
Aces
1
6
Blocks
8
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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