Rice University
16-7,10-3AAC
Tulane
6-19,2-11AAC
Nia McCardell Hits Career Milestone as Owls Down Green Wave, 3-1
11/3/2023 9:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Senior libero eclipses 1,500 career digs
HOUSTON, Texas — Senior libero Nia McCardell surpassed 1,500 career digs and Rice defeated Tulane, 3-1 (25-20, 12-25, 25-18, 25-14) on Friday night at the Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Owls (16-7, 10-3 AAC) hit .248 with 51 kills on 48 assists and recorded five service aces. Defensively, Rice posted 63 digs and six total blocks. The Owls held the Green Wave to .211 hitting with 50 kills.
With another 15 digs, McCardell brought her career total to 1,514 total digs, ranking fifth all-time in Rice history. Senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley led the Owls with 17 kills while hitting .317. Graduate senior right side hitter Emilia Weske posted 15 kills on .273 hitting along with 15 digs and a team-high two service aces. Sophomore setter Darby Harris posted another double-double with 34 assists and a team-best 21 digs. Graduate senior middle blocker Satasha Kostelecky led Rice with three total blocks.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Offensively, we were okay. I feel like we can have more balance and I think that would have helped a lot… We just have to be cleaner tomorrow. We have to make sure we're playing defense the way that I know that we can. I think we were scrappy but we could've been a little stronger in that area to allow us to score in transition a little bit more. I think Tulane played very well. They played hard and we're going to have to step it up tomorrow."
Head Coach Genny Volpe On Nia McCardell
"Nia's value to the team, it's kind of hard to put into words. She's just extremely important in a lot of areas. Her steadiness. She takes a lot of responsibility. That's what I really love about her is that she's never really satisfied with her performance. She's trying to be better. She's trying to analyze her game throughout the game and put herself in the best position to dig balls and pass balls. She's serving a lot tougher as we get later into the season. She's really stepping up as a leader in serve-receive. She was super scrappy today and they hit a ton of balls in her area. Overall, the elevation of our program, a lot of that is because of (Nia). She's done a really good job for us over the years."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Building off their momentum from a 3-0 sweep of Temple last week, Rice jumped out to an immediate 5-0 in the opening set. The visiting Green Wave battled back to tie the set at seven apiece and create a back-and-forth battle for much of the set. A pair of 3-0 bursts late in the set delivered the match's first point to Rice. The Owls hit .256 in the opening stanza en route to the 25-20 win.
Second Set
The second set again went back-and-forth in the opening stages as neither team led by more than two points early on. With the set tied at eight, Tulane went on a 9-0 run to take control of the set, ultimately winning, 25-12.
Third Set
In a suddenly tense situation, the Owls responded by never trailing in the third set. Rice survived several ties and maintained a slim lead for much of the set. After Tulane trimmed the deficit to a single point at 19-18, the Owls blitzed the Green Wave with a 6-0 run to close out the set for a 25-18 victory. Rice hit .316 for the third set, their highest mark of the night, and recorded 16 kills on 15 assists.
Fourth Set
The Green Wave jumped in front first to start the fourth set, leading by as many as five points at 10-5. The Owls erased the deficit and built a lead of their own with a 17-2 run to take a 22-12 advantage, ultimately wrapping up the set, 25-14, for the four-set victory. The Owls held the Green Wave to .024 hitting and recorded four total blocks in the final set.
UP NEXT
Rice concludes its four-match home stand by hosting a second match versus Tulane (6-19, 2-11 AAC) on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. (CT).
