Volleyball ends home swing with split
Usually, freshmen athletes spend more time on the sidelines than in the game. But for the volleyball team, the freshmen are spending less time warming the bench and more time heating things up on the court.
The newcomers showed their mettle last weekend, leading Rice (3-4) to an easy victory over Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to start off the Mizuno Invitational II. However, they could not rally the Owls during the Invitational’s other matches, falling to the University of Illinois and Louisiana State University.
The team travels today to Columbia, S.C. for the Nike Gamecock Invitational. Rice plays the University of South Carolina 9 a.m. today and then suits up again for a 4 p.m. matchup with Appalachian State University. The tournament concludes for the Owls with a match against Troy University Saturday at 10 a.m.
South Carolina, Appalachian State and Troy all have talented volleyball programs. However, Rice head coach Genny Volpe said she thinks the Owls are not too worried about the competition.
“I think that the biggest challenge for us is really not about another team — it’s really about us and playing to our potential,” Volpe said. “If we’re on, we can beat anyone.”
The Owls were certainly on in their match against TAMU-CC. Jumping out to a quick lead, Rice was sharp throughout. Although the Islanders fought back during the second game, strong play from junior outside hitter Jessica Holderness, who contributed 19 kills and 12 digs, helped to seal the victory.
The match with Illinois proved more challenging for the Owls. Trailing for the majority of the three games, Rice was not close in the first two games against the Illini, losing 30-20 and 30-19, respectively. Two aces by freshman setter Meredith Schamun set the tone in the third game as the Owls took a 6-5 lead. However, the strong start was not enough as the Illini pulled ahead to win 30-28 and take the match.
Rice wrapped up the tournament facing 22nd-ranked LSU. After taking the first game, the Tigers came out with an early 5-1 lead in the second game before the Owls came back to tie the score at 11-11. Rice’s tough defense carried them through the second game to a 1-1 tie in the match. Despite the home team’s determined play, eventual tournament champion LSU proved too strong for Rice and took the final two games of the match for the win.
Volpe said the hard-fought nature of the tough loss helped to bolster her team’s attitude.
“We were challenged by a really strong team in LSU, so I think the team came out of the match extremely confident knowing the potential is there for us to play at the highest level,” Volpe said.
Holderness was named for the second week in a row to the all-tournament team. Volpe said she was not surprised by her strong play, coming back from an injury-plagued sophomore season.
“[Jessica] worked her tail off all summer and she really dedicated herself to being stronger than ever,” Volpe said. “It’s great to see her out on the court again.”
Rice wrapped up last week’s play with a win at home against Texas Southern University. Decisively winning the first game with five aces, Rice jumped ahead in the match. Taking advantage of some Rice missteps, TSU jumped to a 17-10 lead in the second. Slowly but surely, Rice climbed back into the game, chipping away until two five-point runs resulted in a 31-29 win. The Owls rolled through the final game, coming out to a 20-8 lead and winning the third game 30-14.
The TSU match, containing both injuries and strong freshman play, was representative of the young season. Senior setter Rachel Lopez sprained her right ankle in the second game of the match. Volpe expects Lopez to be back by next week. Additionally, sophomore middle blocker Natalie Bogan may play this weekend, while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Ekaette Shammah can return to play after undergoing arthroscopic surgery.
Due to the key injuries, all freshmen have contributed to the Rice success this season. Holderness said she appreciates their strong play.
“We have really confident and experienced and great freshmen who have a lot of talent and ability to play in different places,” Holderness said.
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