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October 21, 2005 > Sports > Volleyball extends win streak to four

Volleyball extends win streak to four

Rice hosts Central Florida tonight, C-USA leader Marshall on Sunday

By Matt McCabe | Thresher Editorial Staff

After suffering its first 3-0 loss at home since Oct. 23, 2003, the volleyball team rebounded with a four-match winning streak, including two gutsy, five-set victories over Conference USA opponents Southern Methodist University and University of Central Florida.

“After the rough homestand, we knew we had to win,” freshman outside hitter Karyn Morgan said. “What better place to do it than on the road? We wanted to win in other people’s houses.”

Rice (13-4, 4-2 C-USA) will face a crucial portion of its schedule over the next two weeks, with five consecutive matches at home. After yesterday’s match against UAB (12-4, 3-3), the Owls take on East Carolina (12-8, 3-4) tonight at 7 p.m. The weekend will culminate with Rice squaring off against conference leader Marshall (14-5, 6-1), which is led by outside hitter Kelly-Anne Billingy, the C-USA preseason player of the year.

“We have three matches in our environment, in our comfort zone,” head coach Genny Volpe said. “This is kind of a turning point in the conference. A lot of teams are one match away from getting into first or second.”

At the halfway point of the conference season, the team’s newcomers have begun to understand their vital roles on the team.

“I think a lot of us have realized what a big part of the team we are and that we need to pick it up,” freshman middle blocker Jessica Holderness said. “There is kind of a sense that we know we need to win. It’s not really pressure — it’s kind of a drive to win.”

After the disheartening loss at home to Tulsa Oct. 7, Rice came out firing on all cylinders, winning the first two sets of its Oct. 8 match against SMU (8-11, 4-3). The Mustangs battled back to even the match at two games each before the Owls took control in the fifth set, never trailing en route to winning the game 15-10 and the match 3-2. Sophomore libero Yvette Kirk led the team with 31 digs, tying for the second most in a match in Rice history. Senior setter Kristina Hoban recorded a triple-double with 10 kills, 59 sets and 11 digs.

“I was proud of them that they had the confidence to come back from [the] loss to Tulsa to turn around and beat SMU, which is a big rivalry for us,” Volpe said. “[The loss to Tulsa] was really disappointing, and I think it was a wakeup call for this team.”

After a solid 3-1 win over Sam Houston State Oct. 11, the Owls hit the road for two conference matches. In the first match of the road trip, Rice took on Central Florida (4-12, 2-7) in Orlando. The Owls were in a 2-1 hole after three games, but pulled out a gritty fourth-set win, relying on solid defense to tie the match and gain the momentum. The Owls took the fifth set in a landslide, 15-6. Senior outside hitter Olaya Pazo led all players with 28 kills, a career high, and Hoban recorded her second triple-double in three matches.

“The five-game match that we played [against UCF] was back and forth — the momentum kept shifting,” Volpe said. “We totally dominated in game five, which really helped our confidence level.”

Rice then played the University of Southern Mississippi (6-10, 0-7), where it put on a show of offensive efficiency, hitting .387 for the match — its highest of the season — in its 3-1 win over the Golden Eagles. Freshman outside hitter Karyn Morgan had 15 kills and added 4 service aces to lead the team.

“[Karyn’s] got a yearning desire to get better,” Volpe said. “She’s naturally gifted, and I still believe [she is] one of the strongest hitters in the conference. She’s starting to make shots and attacks that have not been in her repertoire before.”

Holderness had 10 kills and hit .600 in the Owls’ win against Southern Miss after transitioning from outside hitter to middle blocker this season.

“The team has been really supportive, especially considering that I’m trying to work into a position that I’m not particularly comfortable at,” Holderness said. “We are a younger team, [but] we’re peaking at the end of our season because of it.”

Although Central Florida and Southern Miss are two of the weakest teams in C-USA, Volpe said the wins helped build confidence.

“Playing on the road is tough, and we’ve done a lot of it this year,” Volpe said. “I think that coming off these two road wins has put us in a place of confidence.”

Even with a winning streak, Volpe said that the team is always seeking to improve.

“They’re motivated in knowing that we have not reached our potential yet,” she said. “The team keeps striving to get better. We’re peaking at the right time.”

End of article

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