Sports notebook
Volleyball falls in C-USA quarterfinals
The volleyball team’s youth finally caught up with it last week as Rice was ousted by Tulane University 3-0 in the second round of the Conference USA Tournament, which was held Nov. 16 in Huntington, W.V.
Early on, neither team could establish a solid lead, with six ties leading to an 11-11 deadlock. At that point, Tulane was able to put together a slight advantage, pulling away 24-18. Rice fired back and came within two of the Green Wave at 25-23, but Tulane’s strong hitting was too much for the Owls to overcome.
After Rice established a 4-1 lead in the second game, Tulane fought back with a five-point run to go ahead 6-4. A nip-and-tuck battle ensued, but following a 22-22 deadlock, Tulane pulled away to take the second frame 30-26.
Trailing 2-0 in the match, Rice managed to take an early 8-3 advantage over the Green Wave. However, Tulane was not deterred and quickly tied the game up at nine. Once again, the teams were neck-and-neck throughout the middle portion of the game. But Tulane was able to stymie Rice’s attempts, and grabbed the 30-28 win to end Rice’s season.
Although this season ended prematurely, freshman middle blocker Caroline Gill said she has a positive outlook for next season.
“I think the season went well,” Gill, who along with freshman libero Tracey Lam was named to the C-USA all-freshman team Nov. 18, said. “We might not have finished every game as well as we could’ve, but I think it was a great building block for next year.”
Head coach Genny Volpe said she also sees next year’s season shaping up well.
“[I am] definitely pleased with how we progressed and how we finished was pretty strong,” Volpe said. “If we can start the spring like we finished the fall and continue to grow, then there are definite positive signs for next season.”
— Natalie Clericuzio
Swim team takes fourth in California
The swim team finished in fourth place at the Nike Cup last Saturday in Long Beach, Calif. Notching 727 points, the Owls could not overcome the University of California-Los Angeles, which won with a total of 1,498.5 points.
Rice’s most notable performances were in the distance and backstroke events. Senior Brittany Massengale won the 500-yard freestyle in four minutes, 51.2 seconds, and the mile freestyle in 16:37.65, posting NCAA provisional qualifying times in both events. Junior Caitlin Warner and freshman Karen Gerken also did well in the mile, placing fourth and ninth respectively.
The 400 free relay team of juniors Carlyann Miller, Keri Hyde, Diane Gu and sophomore Pam Zelnick posted a season-best time of three minutes, 26.29 seconds, good for second out of 40 teams. Freshman Kait Chura, led Rice in the backstroke, placing eighth overall. Junior Skylar Craig and sophomores Angela Wo and Justine Lin also finished in the top 20.
The Owls will next compete in the West Florida Relays on Dec. 29, although their opponents have yet to be announced.
— Tracy Dansker
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