Wednesday, September 20
Houston, TX
6 p.m.
Rice University
7-4,1-0AAC
3
vs
0
UAB
2-11,0-1AAC
1
2
3
F
UAB
23
12
20
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Sweep Blazers in AAC Debut
9/20/2023 8:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – The Rice volleyball team picked up right where they left off to end non-conference play by sweeping UAB 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-20) Wednesday night at Tudor Fieldhouse in the team's debut in the American Athletic Conference. With the win, Rice moves to 7-4 (1-0 AAC).
The Owls finished the match with a .300 hitting percentage while holding UAB to a .150 percentage. Danyle Courtley (.333 attack percentage) and Sahara Maruska (.364 attack percentage) led the way for the Owls, both recording nine kills, with Maruska adding two aces.
Emilia Weske added another eight kills for Rice while Satasha Kostelecky finished with seven kills with a .417 attack percentage while also recording a block. Darby Harris recorded a team-high 17 assists while also adding eight digs and an ace while Izzy Rawlings finished with 12 assists, four digs and a kill. Nia McCardell ended with a match-leading 11 digs, while adding three assists and an ace.
Rice had more kills (41-38), aces (4-2), blocks (5-4), assists (33-32) and digs (44-42) than UAB.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"It's always good to win in three straight sets, especially at home. I was most pleased with our balanced attack, which is something we have been working on. I think we could've cleaned up our defense especially early on in the match. We were a little bit flat, so we will need to fix that moving forward."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
After a McCardell ace opened the set 3-0 for Rice, UAB clawed back to take a 10-7 lead. After trading points, another 3-0 run by the Blazers gave them a 17-13 advantage, forcing an Owl timeout. UAB followed the timeout with an error, with Maruska providing a kill on the following point to bring Rice within two. UAB answered with two more points to extend the lead back to four at 19-15. The Owls responded with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 20-20, forcing a UAB timeout. After UAB grabbed a point following the timeout, an ace followed by a kill by Maruska put the Owls in front 22-21. Tied at 23-23, Lola Foord slammed one down to give the Owls set point, with a UAB error on the following attack giving the Owls the opening set.
Set Two
After UAB grabbed an early 6-5 lead to open the second set, the Owls used a 7-1 run to take control of the set. The Blazers traded several points to get within five at 14-9, but a UAB error ignited a 7-0 run for the Owls ending with back-to-back kills by Courtley. Four Owls hit .500 in the set as the Owls jumped out front with a 2-0 set lead.
Set Three
The Owls jumped out front 5-3 to open the set thanks to kills from Weske and Maruska. After trading points, a 3-0 run by UAB brought the Blazers within one, but Courtley was there again to stop the run and provide a cushion for Rice. With the Blazers within two at 19-17, Courtley kickstarted a 5-0 run for the Owls to put the set out of reach and secure Rice's first conference win.
UP NEXT
The Owls will continue AAC play on Saturday and Sunday on the road against Tulsa. Saturday's match will be at 3 p.m.
The Owls finished the match with a .300 hitting percentage while holding UAB to a .150 percentage. Danyle Courtley (.333 attack percentage) and Sahara Maruska (.364 attack percentage) led the way for the Owls, both recording nine kills, with Maruska adding two aces.
Emilia Weske added another eight kills for Rice while Satasha Kostelecky finished with seven kills with a .417 attack percentage while also recording a block. Darby Harris recorded a team-high 17 assists while also adding eight digs and an ace while Izzy Rawlings finished with 12 assists, four digs and a kill. Nia McCardell ended with a match-leading 11 digs, while adding three assists and an ace.
Rice had more kills (41-38), aces (4-2), blocks (5-4), assists (33-32) and digs (44-42) than UAB.
"It's always good to win in three straight sets, especially at home. I was most pleased with our balanced attack, which is something we have been working on. I think we could've cleaned up our defense especially early on in the match. We were a little bit flat, so we will need to fix that moving forward."
Set One
After a McCardell ace opened the set 3-0 for Rice, UAB clawed back to take a 10-7 lead. After trading points, another 3-0 run by the Blazers gave them a 17-13 advantage, forcing an Owl timeout. UAB followed the timeout with an error, with Maruska providing a kill on the following point to bring Rice within two. UAB answered with two more points to extend the lead back to four at 19-15. The Owls responded with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 20-20, forcing a UAB timeout. After UAB grabbed a point following the timeout, an ace followed by a kill by Maruska put the Owls in front 22-21. Tied at 23-23, Lola Foord slammed one down to give the Owls set point, with a UAB error on the following attack giving the Owls the opening set.
Set Two
After UAB grabbed an early 6-5 lead to open the second set, the Owls used a 7-1 run to take control of the set. The Blazers traded several points to get within five at 14-9, but a UAB error ignited a 7-0 run for the Owls ending with back-to-back kills by Courtley. Four Owls hit .500 in the set as the Owls jumped out front with a 2-0 set lead.
Set Three
The Owls jumped out front 5-3 to open the set thanks to kills from Weske and Maruska. After trading points, a 3-0 run by UAB brought the Blazers within one, but Courtley was there again to stop the run and provide a cushion for Rice. With the Blazers within two at 19-17, Courtley kickstarted a 5-0 run for the Owls to put the set out of reach and secure Rice's first conference win.
The Owls will continue AAC play on Saturday and Sunday on the road against Tulsa. Saturday's match will be at 3 p.m.
Team Stats
UAB
Rice
Kills
38
41
Errors
21
11
Attempts
113
100
Hitting %
.150
.300
Points
44.0
50.0
Assists
32
33
Aces
2
4
Blocks
4
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballRS
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