Surging Owls trample Herd, Pirates
The volleyball team kicked off the weekend with a victory over East Carolina University to end a three-game losing streak and concluded it with a big win over Marshall University, giving the team its first 2-0 weekend since late September. Rice (16-8, 8-5 Conference USA) opened its weekend Friday evening against a struggling ECU (9-16, 2-11 C-USA) squad that has managed two paltry wins on the year. The Owls took care of business handily, dispatching their opponents in the minimum three sets (25-19, 25-17, 25-17).
Senior outside hitter Jenn McClean led the Rice attack, recording 18 kills. Junior setter Meredith Schamun skillfully directed the fast-paced offense the Owls like to run, notching 38 assists. Schamun's play in the two weekend games earned her C-USA Setter of the Week, the third time this season she has won the award.
Rice stayed focused and executed its game plan well against the Pirates, which resulted in a solid victory over an inferior opponent. The Owls have had trouble this season with small mistakes, and Head Coach Genny Volpe was pleased her team cut out those errors.
"What was great was our intensity and focus - that was really nice to see," Volpe said. "We practiced serving, passing and competing this week, and the things we've been working on in practice they did on the court."
With Friday's match behind them, Rice could focus on the tougher of their two weekend matches. Marshall (19-7, 7-5 C-USA) came into Saturday's game a half-game behind the Owls in the conference standings, but if they were hoping to gain on the Owls they were sorely disappointed, losing 32-30, 25-16, 25-19.
The two teams traded points throughout the first set before a Marshall kill knotted the score at 30. The Owls responded with a kill by senior outside hitter Jessie Boulavsky before an attack error by Marshall let Rice take the first frame.
Boulavsky led the Owls with seven kills during the first set and went on to record 13 kills for the match.
Rice rode the momentum of its first-set victory to a lopsided 25-16 win in the second set. An 8-1 run midway through the set gave the Owls an advantage they would not relinquish. Senior outside hitter Natalie Bogan, one of three players to notch double-digit kills, led Rice in the second set with five kills and finished the match with 11.
The Owls closed out the match by starting the third set on an 8-2 run. Schamun had eight assists during the set, giving her a match-high 37 assists for the three sets.
Junior libero Tracey Lam had 19 digs against Marshall, giving her 40 digs for the weekend. Lam continues to prove herself as one of the best diggers in the country, garnering her second-consecutive C-USA Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. Volpe felt Lam certainly deserved the award.
"Tracey was incredible all weekend, and she's starting to get more vocal," Volpe said. "She's owning her role on the court and becoming more aggressive, and I'm really enjoying her play."
While the Owls have struggled this season with closing out matches, Rice put away Marshall in the minimum number of sets while cutting out the small errors that have plagued them all season. Senior outside hitter Jenn McClean played exceptionally well, particularly in serve-receive, an area of the game in which the Owls have struggled this season. McClean's performance allowed Rice to stay in their system, where they are arguably the best offensive team in C-USA.
Rice's victory puts the Owls back into fifth in the conference, a half-game behind Southern Methodist University (18-8, 8-4 C-USA). Seeding will be crucial to Rice's postseason hopes, and with only three conference matches left, every match matters.
The team will get a chance to make a major statement when it faces third-place Tulane University (15-7, 10-3 C-USA) in New Orleans tonight. Rice has not defeated the Green Wave since 2005 and fell in a three-set defeat in early October.
The Owls conclude their weekend in El Paso, Texas, where they will take on University of Texas-El Paso. The Miners (10-16, 3-10 C-USA) currently sit 10th in the conference, and Rice has already defeated them once this season in a three-set sweep on Oct. 2.
While the Owls face a daunting task in beating one of the conference's best teams today, Bogan thinks the losing streak actually helps Rice.
"I think we'll probably be coming out as the underdog, which means they have more to lose," Bogan said. "I feel like we want it more than they do, and that will help us win.
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