Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Wednesday, October 04, 2023 — Houston, TX

Sports


SPORTS 9/13/22 11:36pm

Soccer blown out by NCAA champs FSU to close non-conferences

The Rice soccer team ended non-conference play with a bang. That is, they were blown away by last season’s national champions, Florida State University, in a firm 5-0 loss in front of the home crowd. The game marked the end of the team’s non-conference matches, which saw them finish with a 2-6 record and a three game losing streak. Head coach Brian Lee, however, emphasized that their expectations have not changed from the beginning of the season.


SPORTS 9/10/22 12:29pm

Soccer to host defending champs Florida State on Sunday

The Rice soccer team will face a tough test this Sunday when they host the reigning national champions, No. 8 Florida State University. After starting their season 1-0-2, with the pair of draws coming against top-20 opponents, the Seminoles have won each of their last two games by a score of 5-0.


SPORTS 9/6/22 11:23pm

Soccer beats HBU, loses ‘Bayou Cup’ to UH

Airfare was kept to a minimum over the weekend, as the Rice soccer team played a pair of games against crosstown rivals. The Owls got their second win of the season last Thursday when they beat Houston Baptist University 1-0. On Sunday, the Owls fell to the University of Houston 3-1, in a match that should henceforth be referred to as the ‘Bayou Cup.’ According to head coach Brian Lee, the year is still young, and he’s enjoyed seeing newer players step up when they’ve been called on.


SPORTS 9/6/22 11:20pm

Volleyball loses five set back-and-forth battle with No. 18 Oregon

After receiving the 30th most votes in last week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, the Rice volleyball team narrowly missed an opportunity to cement their top-25 status in a  nail biting loss to No.18 University of Oregon . After winning the first set, the Owls fought off an Oregon comeback to force a fifth set, where they lost 15-11. Following the loss, head coach Genny Volpe said that she was pleased with the performance against such a high caliber team.


SPORTS 9/6/22 11:16pm

Pick 66: Tipped passes, turnovers and tackling woes doom Owls in opener against No. 14 USC

At least they might be the answer to a trivia question someday. The Rice football team lost their opener to No. 14 University of Southern California on Saturday by a score of 66-14. But if new Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leads the fallen powerhouse back to its former heights as is widely expected, maybe some lucky fan ten years from now will win a round of shots for the table by remembering that his first opponent was the Owls.


SPORTS 8/30/22 11:19pm

Volleyball wins three games in two days to open season

The Rice volleyball team didn’t let a double-header on Friday or an abysmal first set on Saturday phase them, as they started their season with three straight wins over the weekend at Louisiana State University’s Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. The team opened the tournament with a pair of sweeps before fighting back for a 3-2 win over LSU to close out the weekend. According to head coach Genny Volpe, while their offense is still a work in progress, the team was strong in all other facets of the game.


SPORTS 8/30/22 11:17pm

Collins breaks assist record as soccer gets first win of the year

It took just 29 minutes for Grace Collins to make Rice history on Sunday night. The graduate transfer who joined the Owls from Texas Christian University dished out a whopping four first-half assists, before adding one more in the second half to set a conference record as the Owls beat the University of the Incarnate Word 5-2 for their first win of the season.


SPORTS 8/30/22 11:16pm

Super Bowl hero C. J. Anderson mentors Rice RBs

With three minutes and 13 seconds left in Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos lined up in the I-formation on the two yard-line up 16-10 against the Carolina Panthers. Peyton Manning took the snap and handed it off to running back C.J. Anderson, who ran through Carolina Panthers All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly and used a second effort to reach the end zone and put the game away. 


SPORTS 8/30/22 11:15pm

Green machine: Owls’ Wiley quarterback set to start again

After practice Aug. 23, Rice football announced that No. 5 would be their QB1 for the start of the 2022 season. Wiley Green, an Irving, Texas native, who will start the Owls’ opener for the third time in his career, said that he is grateful for another opportunity in the starting role.


SPORTS 8/30/22 11:10pm

Football heads into make-or-break season

The Rice football team won just four games last year, their most since 2016. Head coach Mike Bloomgren, who is entering his fifth season leading the Owls and has an 11-31 record since taking over, said he hopes his squad can finally take the next step that they’ve appeared poised to make for years. 


SPORTS 8/23/22 11:32pm

Soccer star Schultz aims to put exclamation point on Rice career

If you’ve followed Rice soccer over the last four years, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the name Delaney Schultz. Since first stepping foot on the Rice campus, the fifth-year senior midfielder has left her mark on the soccer program, earning all-Conference honors three times and helping lead the team to the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA tournament. 



SPORTS 8/23/22 11:29pm

Volleyball looks to finally end streak of second place finishes

The Rice Owls’ women’s volleyball season ended in heartbreak last season when they fell to the then-ranked No. 2 University of Texas Longhorns in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. Despite getting knocked out of the tournament by their rival, the Owls were proud of their effort in putting up a competitive effort throughout the match against such a tough opponent, according to head coach Genny Volpe. 


SPORTS 8/23/22 11:24pm

Soccer leans on experience, newcomers as they look for bounce back season

The Rice soccer team walked into last year with mountain-high expectations. After entering the season ranked No. 22 in the country, fresh off of a Sweet 16 appearance the season before, the team was disappointed to finish their year in the first round of the C-USA tournament. But according to senior goalkeeper Bella Killgore, despite a frustrating end to last season, hopes are high within the team as they look to use last year’s struggles as motivation during this season. 


SPORTS 7/25/22 12:16pm

Garcia drafted by the Rays in the 14th round

Pitcher Roel Garcia became the latest Owl to turn pro on Tuesday when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in round 14 of the MLB Draft. According to Garcia, he barely remembers the moment he heard his name called because he was so overwhelmed with joy.


SPORTS 6/13/22 2:41pm

Forbes takes silver at NCAAs

On Thursday, sophomore distance runner Grace Forbes proved to the rest of the country what her Conference USA opponents and Rice teammates have known for years – she’s one of the fastest runners in the country. Competing at the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore. for the second consecutive year, Forbes, took second place in the 10,000-meter, the best finish by an Owl at the NCAAs in over a decade. According to Forbes, who missed the indoor season and the first month of the outdoor season due to extreme fatigue later diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder, the result was a testament to the work she’s put in to overcome an incredibly challenging year.


SPORTS 6/3/22 1:21pm

NCAA T&F prelims see five Owls qualify for championships, Forbes take gold

Five Owls will be heading to next week’s NCAA outdoor track and field championships, after qualifying at the NCAA West Preliminaries which ran May 25 through 28. Headlining the meet for Rice was sophomore distance-runner Grace Forbes, who took first place in the 10,000 meters for the second consecutive year. Forbes will be joined in Eugene, Ore., by sophomore thrower Tara Simpson-Sullivan, junior thrower Erna Gunnarsdottir, senior thrower James McNaney and sophomore vaulter Alex Slinkman. Jon Warren, head coach of the men’s track and field program, said that he was impressed not only by the five qualifiers, but by all 13 Owls who participated over the course of the week in Fayetteville, Ark.


SPORTS 5/22/22 10:09pm

Men's team takes third, women's takes fifth at C-USA T&F championships

The Conference USA outdoor track and field championships saw Rice’s men’s team place third with 121 points — their best conference championship performance since 2005 — and the women’s team place fifth with 88 points. According to men’s head coach Jon Warren, he was proud to see the work his team put in all season be on full display at the meet.


SPORTS 4/26/22 9:54pm

Women’s tennis bounced by reigning champion ODU in C-USA semis

After winning their first two matches of the Conference USA tournament, the No. 57 Rice women’s tennis team were knocked out in the semifinals by Old Dominion University, the top-seeded team in the conference and No. 33 nationally, losing 4-0. According to head coach Elizabeth Schmidt, while it was disappointing not to win it all, she said she knows her team will come back with a championship-driven mindset next year.