Rice University
Tulane
PREVIEW: Volleyball Opens Conference Play at Tulane, vs. UTSA
9/26/2024 3:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Location: New Orleans, La. (Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse)
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Series: Rice leads, 17-13
Last Meeting: Rice won, 3-1 (Nov. 4, 2023)
Match 11 | Rice Owls vs. UTSA Roadrunners | Sunday, September 29 | 1 p.m. CT
Location: Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
Series: Rice leads, 31-7
Last Meeting: Rice won, 3-0 (Sept. 30, 2023)
HOUSTON - The Rice Owls volleyball team prepares to open American Athletic Conference play with a pair of matches, opening conference play at Tulane on Friday, September 27, before returning home for the conference home opener against UTSA on Sunday, September 29.
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 117-28 (.807) record in conference play, including a 62-9 (.873) mark in the previous five seasons. In its last 59 conference matches, the Owls have only dropped eight matches.
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
Rice has earned at least one AAC weekly honor in three of the first four weeks of the season. 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.
STARTING STRONG
Rice finishes non-conference play with a winning record for the third-straight season. Counting 2021, where the Owls finished 5-5 in non-conference play, it is the fourth-consecutive season the Owls have finished non-conference play without a losing record. Since 2015, Rice has finished non-con play with a losing record only once (2020-21).
PEAK PER-FORMANCE
Rice has been in the top three in the AAC stat reports in kills per set, assists per set, and digs per set all season thus far.
HOT WAVE
Tulane enters the match-up as one of the hottest teams in the AAC. After posting a 6-25 record a year ago, the Green Wave has already surpassed that win total with an 8-4 record after non-conference play. The Green Wave are also on a five-match win streak, and holds a 5-1 record on their home court.
SKOPAL SETS THE STAGE
Freshman setter Savannah Skopal has been on an impressive run to start the season, posting 300 assists in just nine matches, averaging 33.3 assists a match and an impressive 9.38 assists per set. In her first match, she posted 61 assists, the most by an Owl in a season opener since 2016 (Taylor Nelson, 54, vs. Cal Poly).
