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Volleyball splits weekend series, prepares for postseason

By Kevin Mohanram     11/12/14 2:28pm

After a loss on Friday, Nov. 7, to the University of North Texas, the Rice University women’s volleyball team responded with a sweep of Louisiana Tech University. On Sunday, Nov. 9, the Owls took three sets (25-18, 25-14, 25-14) to improve to 21-7 overall and 11-3 in conference play.

The team was led by sophomore Leah Mikesky, who posted a double-double with a game-high 16 kills and 11 digs.aSophomore Sara Blasier also provided a season-high 42 assists coming back from injury, beating her own previous record of 41. 

After the 2013-14 season that saw the team go 11-19, the Owls are now ranked third in the Conference USA. Head Coach Genny Volpe said she attributes the change to the players’ determination and the leadership that emerged from last season.



“We do have a lot of returning starters from last year’s team, and I think the biggest thing that changed was our determination and our levels of confidence and focus,” Volpe said. “[Last season] was definitely disappointing, and we didn’t have the confidence and the level of focus and determination that we do this year. I think a lot of that is coming from some of the leaders on our team, like our seniors; they’ve just done a great job of leading this group.”

Mikesky also said the entire team’s mentality changed after last season.

“I feel like the whole atmosphere of the team has changed,” Mikesky said. “We are a lot more competent. We just know that we can win every game. If we play [well], we know we can play with anybody.”

The team is in the final stretch of the season, with only two home games left before the C-USA Tournament begins. Volpe said the team is focused on the end of the season, even with the tough loss against UNT. 

“We’ve talked a lot as a team about [how] it’s been a really good season for us, but it’s really about how you finish,” Volpe said. “So, we’re really trying to stay focused on doing the little things right. We took a step back [on Friday] against North Texas, but I think it was a good wake up call for the team. We’re one of the best teams in the conference, so people come after us pretty hard.”

The team’s next game is on Thursday, Nov. 13, against Marshall University. However, the last game of the season is the Owls’ Senior Day, on Saturday, Nov. 15 against the University of Texas, San Antonio. According to Mikesky, the game has significant implications for the conference standings.

“We’re playing UTSA, who is the undefeated conference leader right now,” Mikesky said. “We almost beat them at their [arena] last time, and they had a big crowd. We’re trying to pack Tudor and get as many people as we can to show our seniors our love and support and try and get this fanbase behind us so we can beat the undefeated leader of the conference.”

Volpe said she wants as many students as possible to come out and support the seniors and the team against UTSA. 

“The students should definitely come out and support this great group of seniors, who have been through a lot,” Volpe said. “They’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but this is probably the most exciting Rice volleyball team we’ve had in years and the seniors have been a big part of it ... We are competing against the number one team in the conference right now. It’s on senior day, so there’s gonna be high motivation factors on both sides of the net to play a fantastic volleyball match.”



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