Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Friday, March 29, 2024 — Houston, TX

Marie Walsh


NEWS 1/31/13 6:00pm

Just keep drinking at Reef happy hour

Having heard from several people that Reef, the chic seafood restaurant in Midtown, had an incredible happy hour menu, I figured it was my civic duty as a college happy hour columnist to investigate such claims. 



SPORTS 9/6/12 7:00pm

Volleyball downs Sam Houston, heads to Ole Miss

Last Friday, Rice University's volleyball team took on Louisiana State University at the Tiger Classic Invitational that was moved from Baton Rouge to Rice due to complications stemming from Hurricane Isaac hitting the Gulf Coast. "Playing these matches is the most important thing, and the fact that we could host the event is amazing," Head Coach Genny Volpe said. "I cannot thank the people in the athletic department enough, mainly the facilities crew for helping make this happen. With football's home opener, they have been working so hard to prepare for that. So, their cooperation is very much appreciated. I'm so happy the other schools could work it out and make it down to Houston." Rice played LSU at 10 a.m. on Friday and later went on to play Purdue University at 5 p.m. in Fox Gym. Purdue, currently ranked at an impressive No. 7 in the nation, served as a formidable opponent for the Owls. Volpe made it clear prior to the start of the invitational that the focus would first be directed toward LSU. "By playing the four matches we have played so far, we have learned a lot about ourselves," Volpe said. "We have learned that we have moments of top-25 performances, and then lose our focus at times during the match." The Owls lost to LSU 3-0. The game against Purdue was close but the Owls trailed 3-2 by the end. Despite Purdue's national standing, Rice held its own and proved itself a formidable opponent. Strong performances in this game came from seniors Nancy Cole and Laurie McNamara, juniors Mariah Riddlesprigger and Megan Murphy, and sophomores Jillian Humphrey, Daniela Arenas and Lizzy Bache.Cole, who is well on her way to reaching a 1,000-kill milestone, added excitement to the game as she led the team with 15 kills, leaving her 46 kills away from her goal. Murphy contributed 50 assists, which marked the first over-50 assist game for Rice in this season. This achievement by Murphy was no doubt the reason she was named to the All-Tournament team. Humphrey also set a season-high with 14 kills. The final match of the Invitational was against Washington University, and the Owls lost 3-0. "The team definitely feels like we can compete with the best in the country," Volpe said. "After the LSU loss, I challenged the team and some particular players to step up, and they did. Both matches against No. 7 Purdue and No. 12 Washington were eye openers, that we are able to compete at that level. We just need to learn how to sustain a high level of play throughout an entire match." The Owls later rebounded on Tuesday to beat Sam Houston State University 3-0. "I thought the team played relatively average, but still won in three straight sets," Volpe said about the victory. "That just tells me what we are capable of. Nancy Cole continues to shine and lead our offensive charge, and she did that against Sam Houston. Liz Bache is also improving and had a good solid match as well." Rice will travel to compete in Oxford, Miss. at the Magnolia Invitational hosted by The University of Mississippi. Rice will face off against The University of North Dakota on the first day of the invitational at 10 a.m. and Ole Miss later that night at 7 p.m. The final game of the Owls' weekend is tomorrow against Alabama A&M University at 10:30 a.m. For Nancy Cole, it is highly plausible that she will reach her collegiate career milestone this weekend at the Ole Miss Tournament. Currently, she is 21 kills away from that goal. "It is definitely a milestone that should be recognized by all, and I think it also shows how much of an impact she has had since her freshman year." Volpe said, "Not many players reach that number, and she is proving each and every day she is an elite player, amongst the best in the country." According to Volpe, fans should also expect to see considerable improvement in both serving and attention to detail. If these adjustments stick, the team could be primed for a hot streak beginning this weekend.


NEWS 8/30/12 7:00pm

Happily Hour After: Black Walnut

The second Monday of school was much like all others of its kind: unbearable. The sticky weather and thick air would force just about anyone to make the choice that I did: not allow the beginning of the week to commence as grimly as originally forecasted that morning.




SPORTS 4/19/12 7:00pm

Women's tennis drops close match against TCU

The women's tennis team certainly knows how to keep its fans on their toes. Last week, the team played Southern Methodist University on Saturday, April 14 and Texas Christian University on Sunday, April 15. The back-to-back games had two very different outcomes on the same weekend. Taking on SMU in Dallas, the Owls won 6-0. The teams competed in a strictly singles competition.


SPORTS 4/12/12 7:00pm

Women's Tennis sweeps away Texas Pan-American

The women's tennis team played their last home game of the season against the University of Texas-Pan American on April 7. The game was a great victory for Rice University after two difficult losses the week prior, the first in a close tie-breaking match against the University of Missouri, 4-3, and the second against Conference USA competitor University of Tulsa, 5-2. After last week's matches, Head Coach Elizabeth Schmidt was highly impressed with the team's perseverance in training.


SPORTS 4/4/12 7:00pm

Women's Tennis falls to Tulsa and Missouri

After a rush to the top 30 in the polls, the women's tennis team was brought back to Earth last weekend with a couple of tough losses at home. With the University of Missouri on Friday, Rice took the early doubles point as the Owls' were up 1-0. However, the Tigers roared back and took four of the six singles to come up with a huge upset against the Owls as they squeaked by with a score of 4-3. Even in the defeat, freshman Natalie Beazant nailed another win for the Owls as she won in a three-set thriller against Missouri's Nina Pantic.


SPORTS 3/29/12 7:00pm

Tennis ready for battle

It was a fantastic end to the week for the women's tennis team on Thursday, March 22. The Owls started the day off with a 6-1 victory against Texas State University at Jake Hess tennis stadium. Doubles pairs freshman Natalie Beazant and sophomore Dominique Harmath, senior Ana Guzman and junior Katie Gater, and sophomore Kimberly Anicete and freshman Stephanie Nguyen swept the doubles matches to gain an early 1-0 lead. They then won five out of their six singles matches to capture the victory by a score of 6-1. The Owls almost swept, but Gater dropped her match.