Rice University
South Florida
NOTES - Volleyball Set for Regular Season Finale at South Florida
11/20/2023 4:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UP NEXT
Rice (18-10, 12-6 AAC) heads to Tampa, Florida, to conclude the regular season at South Florida (18-11, 12-6 AAC) on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 11:30 a.m. (CT). The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY
As a team, the Owls currently lead the nation in digs per set with 18.64. They are also 13th in the nation in total attacks per set (37.35) and 14th in opponent hitting percentage (.159). Senior libero Nia McCardell leads the American and is 27th in the country in digs per set (4.90). Senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley is fourth in the AAC in kills per set (3.63) and sixth in points per set (3.93). During conference play, graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske ranks third in the conference in points per set (4.67) and fourth in kills per set (4.05). Sophomore setter Darby Harris ranks sixth in the AAC during conference play with 9.44 assists per set.
CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
Graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske was named to the AAC Honor Roll last week. Weske recorded a pair of double-doubles and led the team in kills last week as the Owls earned a split at home against Wichita State. Weske averaged 4.56 kills per set across the two matches, totaling 41 kills on a .284 hitting percentage. Across 116 total attempts, Weske recorded only eight attacking errors. The product of Potsdam, Germany, also added 22 digs, three blocks and two service aces. Weske was also a perfect 1.000 on 13 receiving attempts.
MAJOR MILESTONE
With her first dig in Rice's first matchup against Tulane, senior libero Nia McCardell recorded her 1,500th dig in her four-year career as an Owl. McCardell is only the fifth Owl ever to reach the 1,500-dig plateau and currently sits in fourth place on the all-time career digs list at Rice with 1,612. McCardell trails Lee Ann Cunningham (1,665), Daniela Arenas (2,162) and Tracey Lam (2,399).
RECORD CHASERS
The Owls are chasing several team season records down the stretch. Rice's current total of 106 solo blocks ranks second all-time in program history. The Owls trail only the mark set by the 1989 of 114 solo blocks. Additionally, with 2,013 digs so far this season, the Owls are bearing down on the top-10 season totals for digs in program history. The 2017 team holds the 10th spot on the all-time list for the Owls with 2,052 digs, while the 2006 squad holds the all-time record with 2,353 digs.
HOT STREAKS
Senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley has eclipsed 10 kills in 12 consecutive matches, hitting .230 with 193 kills over that span for an average of 3.64 kills per set. In the past six matches, graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske has led the Owls with 113 kills, including a career-high 28 kills in Rice's first match at North Texas. Weske is hitting .252 and averaging 4.19 kills per set in the past four contests.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST
The Owls and Bulls have faced off only three times previously, most recently in 2000 as part of the Inntowner Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin. Rice won both matches at neutral sites within the series, while USF won the lone match hosted by either school, winning 3-0 in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 17, 1986.
SPREAD IT AROUND
Five different Owls have led the team in kills this season on at least one occasion. Senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley leads the team with 12 matches as Rice's leading killer. Graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske ranks second with 10 times leading the team in kills, with senior outside hitter Sahara Maruska close behind with four matches leading the team. Junior right side hitter Lola Foord and freshman outside hitter Cindy Tchouangwa have each led the Owls in kills one time this season.
ICYMI
Rice split a pair of matches last weekend at home versus Wichita State. Graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske recorded a pair of double-doubles and led the team in kills, averaging 4.56 kills per set across the two matches and totaling 41 kills on a .284 hitting percentage. Weske added 22 digs and two aces on the weekend. Senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley tallied 32 kills on a .227 hitting percentage, while senior outside hitter Sahara Maruska posted 27 kills alongside 24 digs and two aces. Junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Knobbe led the team with 12 total blocks. Sophomore setter Darby Harris posted another pair of double-doubles, now totalling 19 on the year, and posted a total of 100 assists and 38 digs. Senior libero Nia McCardell led the Owls with 51 digs. As a team, Rice hit .218 across the two matches with 123 kills on 121 assists. Rice also held Wichita State to a .189 hitting percentage for the weekend. The Owls registered 19 total blocks and 186 digs in the two matches against the Shockers.
CAREER MARKS
Several Owls recorded career-best marks last week in Rice's pair of home matches against Wichita State. On Friday, junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Knobbe tied her career-high of eight blocks. Knobbe followed the performance up on Saturday by setting a new career-high with four digs. Sophomore middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana had a career day on Saturday as well, setting a new career-high of 12 attempts and tying her previous top marks of three blocks and 7.0 total points. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Johnson tied her career-highs with one ace and two digs. Sophomore defensive specialist tied her career-high of two assists. Lastly, senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley tied her career-best mark of four blocks.
DOUBLE DOWN
Six Owls have recorded double-doubles in their career. Sophomore setter Darby Harris leads Rice this season with 19 double-doubles, comprising her career total. Harris has recorded a double-double in 16 of her past 19 matches. Senior outside hitter Sahara Maruska holds the lead in career double-doubles among current Owls, registering 22 in her career, including 10 this season. Graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske has registered nine double-doubles in her time at Rice in addition to four double-doubles while at USC. Senior setter Izzy Rawlings recorded her first two double-doubles in her career earlier this season (FGCU, Long Island) and senior defensive specialist Nia McCardell also recorded her first career double-double against Charlotte. Senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley notched her second career double-double earlier this season against SMU.
HANDLING THE PEER PRESSURE
Dating back to 2014 the Owls are 117-27 (.813) in conference play, which includes a 62-8 (.886) record over the last five seasons. Rice has won 51 of their last 58 matches in conference play.
THEIR REPUTATION PRECEDES THEM
Graduate student Emilia Weske (right side) and seniors Danyle Courtley (outside hitter), Nia McCardell (libero) and Sahara Maruska (outside hitter) were all named to the American Preseason Team. The four members were the most of any school in the AAC and the most Owls on a preseason all-conference team since also placing four on the 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA team.
The Owls were picked to finish second in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll behind SMU, receiving six first place votes.
DANCING FEVER
Rice has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons. Last season the Owls defeated Colorado in the opening round of the tournament to advance to the Round of 32 for the third time in the last four 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 five seasons, joining Texas and Baylor. Additionally, Rice is one of just 18 programs across Division I to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
MEASURING UP
The Owls are 15-14 against Power 5 schools dating back to 2019 and have recorded five Top-25 victories during that stretch.
When the Owls defeated then-No. 22 USC on Aug. 26, it was their 10th win against a ranked opponent, with nine of them coming with Head Coach Genny Volpe at the helm. This season, Rice has also faced top-25 ranked teams in Stanford, Texas and Baylor.
HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2018, the Owls have protected their home court, holding a 68-10 (.872) mark. In fact, since 2014, they are 112-22 (.836). Rice has been even better on their home court against conference opponents, having won 29 of its last 31 home conference matches dating back to the 2020-21 spring season. Since the 2015 season, Rice is 59-4 (.937) in conference home matches.
BEEN HERE BEFORE
Rice returned nine letterwinners and four starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team.
FOREIGN TOUR
In June Rice completed an 11-day tour through Brazil, Rice's first foreign tour since visiting Italy in 2019. The Owls played five matches against national and professional teams while visiting Sao Paulo, Rio de Janiero, Saquarema and Arraial do Cabo.
OWLS IN THE RICE INVITATIONAL
The Owls swept the Rice Invitational, defeating both Houston Christian and Atlantic Sun preseason favorite Florida Gulf Coast in straight sets. Rice has won 10 consecutive matches in the Invite dating back to 2021 and 23 of 24 dating back to 2017.
