Rice University
Tulane
PREVIEW: Volleyball Looks to Bounce Back Against Tulane, at Temple
10/24/2024 10:25:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Location: Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Series: Rice leads, 18-13
Last Meeting: Rice won, 3-2 (Sept. 27, 2024)
Match 19 | Rice Owls at Temple Owls | Sunday, October 27 | 12 p.m. CT
Location: Philadelphia, Pa. (McGonigle Hall)
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Series: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: Rice won, 3-0 (Oct. 29, 2023)
HOUSTON - After a week to rest and reset, the Rice Owls volleyball team returns to action on Friday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse, taking on the Tulane Green Wave, before traveling to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Temple Owls on Sunday afternoon.
TOP OF THE PACK
Rice was voted as the favorite in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since joining the conference. The Owls earned eight of the 12 available first place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team).
WE'RE NUMBER ONE
Rice led the nation in digs per set with 18.56 in 2023. Houston Christian, Rice's first opponent of the season, was sixth in the nation in the same category with 17.75 digs per set. Texas State was ranked 51st in the category with 15.85 digs per set.
IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Since 2014, Rice has compiled a 123-30 (.813) record in conference play, including a 68-11 (.882) mark in the
previous five seasons.
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
Rice has earned at least one AAC weekly honor in five of seven week of awards. After week one, the Owls had three honorees in Nia McCardell (DPOTW), Savannah Skopal (SOTW), and Lademi Ogunlana (honorable mention). Week two saw Cindy Tchouangwa earn an honorable mention, & week four saw her win offensive POTW. Week five saw Tchouangwa earn another honorable mention while week six saw Samarah Hill and Gaby Mansfield nab honorable mentions. Week seven saw Ogunlana and Tchouangwa both take honorable mentions.
VERY MINDFUL, VERY DEMI-URE
Middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana cemented herself in the Rice history books against East Carolina as the first player ever to post a 1.000 hitting percentage with 10+ attempts. Ogunlana went 11/11 against the Pirates.
RIDING THE WAVE
Rice and Tulane meet for the second and final time in the regular season. In the first meeting of the season, Rice held on in New Orleans to take a 3-2 victory over the Green Wave to open up AAC play. Since then, Rice has ranked no lower than second in the conference (currently second with a 6-2 record) while Tulane has remained in the mix in the middle ranks of the conference (currently tied for seventh with FAU and Memphis at 4-4). Rice owns a 13-7 home record against the Green Wave.
COMING UP
Fifth year defensive specialist and libero Nia McCardell is only 30 digs away from posting 2,000 digs in her career at Rice. McCardell is already third all-time in school history with 1,970 digs, and would be just the third player in program history to register 2,000 digs (1. Tracey Lamb, 07-10, 2,399, 2. Daniela Arenas, 11-14, 2,162).
HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2018, the Owls have protected their home court, holding a 71-11 (.866) mark. In fact, since 2014, they are 115-23 (.833). Rice has been even better on their home court against conference opponents, having won 30 of its last 32 home conference matches dating back to the 2020-21 spring season. Since the 2015 season, Rice is 60-4 (.937) in conference home matches.
