Friday, August 25
Houston, TX
6 p.m.
Rice University
1-0,0-0AAC
3
vs
1
Southern Miss
0-1,0-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Miss.
25
14
21
18
1
Rice
22
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Joe Buvid
No. 23 Rice Defeats Southern Miss in Season Opener
8/25/2023 9:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – The No. 23 Rice Owls volleyball team shook off early season jitters to defeat Southern Miss, 3-1 (22-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-18), Friday night at Tudor Fieldhouse in both team's season opener.
Rice outhit the Golden Eagles, .245-to-.149. In her first match on South Main, graduate student right side hitter Emilia Weske led the Owls with 17 kills on 38 attacks, hitting a match-high .342 while adding 12 digs for her fifth career double-double, while senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley added 11 kills.
Sophomore setter Darby Harris recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 22 assists while adding 10 digs.
The Owls also got efficient performances from sophomore middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana (6 kills/.857 hitting) and freshman outside hitter Cindy Tchouangwa (9 kills).
Defensively, senior libero Nia McCardell and freshman defensive specialist Campbell Love added 16 and 12 digs, respectively.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Southern Miss came out and played a great match. We had to fight extremely hard to get the win tonight. I'm proud of the entire team effort and thought we had some players come off the bench and make a huge impact."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice came out strong, jumping out to an early 7-3 lead. But USM quickly began to assert itself, going on a 13-5 run to take a 16-12 lead and force a Rice timeout. Two straight Owl points cut the deficit to two, but USM extended its lead out to five. With Southern Miss leading 24-19, Rice staved off three match points, pulling within 24-22 before a service error gave USM the 25-22 victory. Courtley led the Owls with five kills and USM outhit the Owls, .178-to-.100.
Second Set
Rice put the first set behind them, notching four of the first five points. After the Golden Eagles tied it at seven, Rice stepped up its play, outscoring them 12-to-3. USM brought it within 21-14, but four straight points gave the Owls the 25-14 win. Rice outhit Southern Miss, .385-to-.147, led by Courtley (3 kills/.600 hitting).
Third Set
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that saw 14 ties and eight lead changes. After Rice led 5-3, Southern Miss scored four of the next five points to take the lead. Rice retook the lead at 11-10, but USM again scored four of five before leading 18-17. But the Owls came right back with six of seven points to lead 23-19. USM cut it to two, but the Owls closed it out with a pair of points. The Owls hit .457 for the set, led by Weske who dominated with a .818 hitting percentage behind nine kills on 11 attempts.
Fourth Set
After an early battle, Rice slowly began to take control of the final set. With the Golden Eagles leading 11-10, Rice went on a 10-2 run to take its largest lead, 20-13. USM cut it to 23-18 before Rice finished it off. Tchouangwa led all players with four kills.
UP NEXT
The Owls close its season-opening weekend tomorrow at 6 p.m., in a battle of ranked teams when it welcomes No. 22 USC to Tudor Fieldhouse.
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice outhit the Golden Eagles, .245-to-.149. In her first match on South Main, graduate student right side hitter Emilia Weske led the Owls with 17 kills on 38 attacks, hitting a match-high .342 while adding 12 digs for her fifth career double-double, while senior outside hitter Danyle Courtley added 11 kills.
Sophomore setter Darby Harris recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 22 assists while adding 10 digs.
The Owls also got efficient performances from sophomore middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana (6 kills/.857 hitting) and freshman outside hitter Cindy Tchouangwa (9 kills).
Defensively, senior libero Nia McCardell and freshman defensive specialist Campbell Love added 16 and 12 digs, respectively.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Southern Miss came out and played a great match. We had to fight extremely hard to get the win tonight. I'm proud of the entire team effort and thought we had some players come off the bench and make a huge impact."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice came out strong, jumping out to an early 7-3 lead. But USM quickly began to assert itself, going on a 13-5 run to take a 16-12 lead and force a Rice timeout. Two straight Owl points cut the deficit to two, but USM extended its lead out to five. With Southern Miss leading 24-19, Rice staved off three match points, pulling within 24-22 before a service error gave USM the 25-22 victory. Courtley led the Owls with five kills and USM outhit the Owls, .178-to-.100.
Second Set
Rice put the first set behind them, notching four of the first five points. After the Golden Eagles tied it at seven, Rice stepped up its play, outscoring them 12-to-3. USM brought it within 21-14, but four straight points gave the Owls the 25-14 win. Rice outhit Southern Miss, .385-to-.147, led by Courtley (3 kills/.600 hitting).
Third Set
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that saw 14 ties and eight lead changes. After Rice led 5-3, Southern Miss scored four of the next five points to take the lead. Rice retook the lead at 11-10, but USM again scored four of five before leading 18-17. But the Owls came right back with six of seven points to lead 23-19. USM cut it to two, but the Owls closed it out with a pair of points. The Owls hit .457 for the set, led by Weske who dominated with a .818 hitting percentage behind nine kills on 11 attempts.
Fourth Set
After an early battle, Rice slowly began to take control of the final set. With the Golden Eagles leading 11-10, Rice went on a 10-2 run to take its largest lead, 20-13. USM cut it to 23-18 before Rice finished it off. Tchouangwa led all players with four kills.
UP NEXT
The Owls close its season-opening weekend tomorrow at 6 p.m., in a battle of ranked teams when it welcomes No. 22 USC to Tudor Fieldhouse.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
USM
Rice
Kills
48
53
Errors
26
18
Attempts
148
143
Hitting %
.149
.245
Points
58.0
72.0
Assists
48
46
Aces
3
8
Blocks
7
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballRS
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