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Rice Volleyball: Time runs out on inspiring season

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Rice volleyball gave Texas a run but couldn’t upend the ‘Horns, falling in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Rice volleyball was dealt a crushing blow last season when they were forced to bow out of the NCAA Tournament without playing a match because of COVID-19. Not only did the team never show any signs of lingering frustration, they bounced back and compiled one of the most impressive runs in program history.

The Owls blazed through Conference USA, notching a perfect 12-0 record before falling to Western Kentucky in the conference championship. Along the way they lost just six times, only once to an unranked team. That was more than enough to send them back to the NCAA Tournament once more, but this time they were able to compete, and compete they did.

Rice blanked San Diego 3-0, setting up a tantalizing Lone Star bout between Rice and Texas. The last time these two teams squared off in Austin, Rice won 3-2. This time, it was the Longhorns that came out on top, winning 3-0 in a match head coach Genny Volpe said “the score [wasn’t] very indicative of how competitive it was.”

More: Rice Football transfer portal updates

Rice netted the first set up 15-15 before Texas went on a run to put things out of reach. Then the Longhorns edged the Owls 25-23 in the second stanza. The third set was tied up 17-17 before Texas closed it all out with another run. Had there been a couple of breaks the other way, Rice might have been able to sneak another frame, but this time it just wasn’t in the cards.

“I’m extremely proud of how we played,” Volpe said.”All we ask as coaches is that they’re invested and they feel freed to compete and enjoy the competition because so much hard work goes into what they do. This team is truly invested, and I think you can tell. I think you can see it when we play. I think they inspire others as they inspire me.”

Rice hit .340 against Texas, 53 points better than their season average of .287 and 178 points better than the .162 hitting percentage the Longhorns had allowed to their opponents entering the showdown with the Owls.

Disappointed by the result, Volpe couldn’t help but smile when discussing the team’s effort. “We knew we wanted to embrace the opportunity and play Rice volleyball and we really feel like we can compete at the highest level when we play our game. And so my hope was just that this team was able to relax and trust the process that we’ve gone through and enjoy the moment. We did not get the result we wanted but I feel like they left everything on the floor and showed what a quality team we are.”

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 102 – 2021 Rice Football Season in Review

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Rice football went out with a win. What should we make of the 2021 season? We grade all three phases on this week’s show.

The 2021 Rice football season is in the books. Special teams was terrible. The defense struggled. The offense was … pleasantly exciting? Carter and Matthew break down the totality of the year, starting with the final game against Louisiana Tech and going into grades of each phase and what optimism (or concern) should be warranted going forward.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 102.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Stay tuned for upcoming episodes: The Roosties and our Early Signing Period review
    • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from fall camp, practices and more.
      Become a Patron!
  • Rice Football vs LA Tech Game Recap
    • TJ McMahon and what to make of a spunky Rice offense
    • The defense wasn’t great, but made key plays when they needed to most
    • Rice wins its final game of the season for the third time in four years
  • 2021 Rice Football Season Review
    • How much defensive regression was injury-related and how much concern should we have going forward?
    • Special teams was a disaster (with nice cameos in the return game)
    • Was the offense the most encouraging unit of the three? How much credit goes to new OC Marques Tuiasosopo?
    • Should there be any significant concerns regarding previously announced transfers?

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Unpacking the Rice football QB carousel — November 2021 Patreon Q&A

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Understanding the Rice football quarterback usage took center stage in this month’s line of questions. How were they deployed, and why?

Four different quarterbacks saw action for Rice football in 2021 and injuries told just part of the story. The genesis of this overview comes from a valid, and probing question: “Why did the Owls not use TJ McMahon during the year?” Did the coaching staff not know what he could do? Did they not trust him? And how did his usage fit in the big picture? We’ll unpack all of those angles here.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Q&A’s are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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Update: Rice Football head coach Mike Bloomgren expected to return in 2022

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I wanted to give yall a quick update with the news breaking on Sunday. Chris Vannini of The Athletic was first to report Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren would be back in 2022. This lines up with conversations I’ve had in recent weeks. Every indication up to this point has been that Bloomgren would return in 2022. This is not a surprise.

Obviously, this has significant ramifications on the outlook for Rice football in 2022 and beyond. Here’s a quick reaction video posted for our subscribers on Patreon. We’ll also have further discussion on The Roost Podcast this week as well as a more detailed review of some of the key decision points and factors soon.

ESPN Bowl Mania Challenge

Enter Now: The Roost’s Bowl Challenge

Posted: December 9, 2025

Rice Football is postseason-bound, and The Roost wants to play along. Join our free Bowl Mania Challenge. We’ll dish out prizes to the top finishers in January. We’re running it back again this year with another edition of The Roost’s Bowl Challenge. Join the pool here, it’s completely free. This year’s winner can expect a […]

Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2025: NFL Owls Week 14 Roundup

Posted: December 9, 2025

Rice Football is well represented on 2025 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 14. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Washington Commanders Luke […]

The Roost Podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Conference USA, Rice Basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 222 – Rice Football Surprise Bowl!

Posted: December 7, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football season isn’t done yet. The Owls are going bowling and have drawn a postseason rematch with Texas State in the Armed Forces Bowl. Good grades have gotten Rice football to the postseason for the second time in four years. The Owls are officially going bowling and will play Texas State in […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

Rice Football to play Texas State in Armed Forces Bowl

Posted: December 7, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football season isn’t done yet. The Owls are heading to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Texas State. For the second time in the past four seasons, good grades will work in the favor of Rice football. Although they finished the regular season 5-7 and one win away from securing bowl eligibility, […]

The Roost Podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Conference USA, Rice Basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 221 – Rice Football Season Review and Signing Day Recap

Posted: December 6, 2025

As we close the book on the 2025 Rice Football regular season, we review learnings from the year, signing day and what might be next for the program moving forward. Rice football finishes the regular season 5-7 with a big win over UConn and many reasons for optimism. On this week’s show, we talk through […]

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“Tangible Progress” and the future for Rice Football, Mike Bloomgren

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A thrilling comeback has Rice football and head coach Mike Bloomgren feeling good, but what’s next for Bloomgren and for the Owls?

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren coached his first game at South Main on August 25, 2018. On that day, his team trailed Prairie View A&M 28-19 entering the fourth quarter before winning on a walk-off field goal by Jack Fox.

The Owls would face many fourth-quarter deficits from that point onward. Up until Saturday, they hadn’t overcome a margin of as much as a single point since that opening game. In fact, Rice entered their final game of the 2021 season 1-31 when trailing at any point in the fourth quarter.

So when Rice quarterback TJ McMahon, who opened the season as the fourth-stringer on the depth chart, tossed an interception with the home team already trailing by 10 points with just under 10 minutes to play, things looked bleak.

Then the Rice defense forced a punt and McMahon and Co. unleashed a stunning five-play, 92-yard touchdown drive. The defense picked Louisiana Tech off once again, forced another three-and-out and a long punt return from Sean Fresch set McMahon up for his second fourth-quarter touchdown pass and a remarkable come-from-behind victory.

The victory was the Owl’s fourth of the season and, as Bloomgren was apt to mention postgame, the most wins Rice football has had since 2015. What does that mean for this program moving forward?

“It’s happening. It’s not happening at the pace that we want it to. It’s not happening at the pace I want it to, but it’s happening,” Bloomgren said with an assured, yet measured enthusiasm.

Bloomgren then steered the conversation back to the senior class. “It was so important for them to leave the program better than they found it and I think they can tangibly say they did,” he contended. “Their freshman year they had one win. Their next year they had two and now we’re building. Again not at the pace any of us want, but we’re building and I think their impact is going to be felt and remembered in this program for a while to come.”

More: Rice Football rallies to knock off LA Tech

Four wins are, indeed, tangible progress. Add in two overtime contests and somehow account for the loss of several defensive starters who missed the bulk of the season and Rice football could be as close to that next step as many between the hedges believe themselves to be.

Rice doesn’t play Texas or Arkansas next season, but they do play USC. The rest of the non-conference slate includes Houston, McNeese State and a Louisiana team that might have a new head coach in the coming weeks. Other C-USA programs on their schedule like UTSA and WKU both project to have massive amounts of turnover given how many seniors fill their rosters. There is opportunity.

Even if his moment in the spotlight is brief, McMahon seemed fully in touch with its significance. “I think it just shows that we can hang with anybody we play with,” he said, before going on to address a looming question the Rice fanbase desperately wants to know, adding, “I think in the next year we’ll be where we want to be, at the least.”

That promised land includes a bowl trip. It speaks of a season that in which, in Bloomgren’s own words could see this program get to “six, seven, eight, nine, 10 wins, whatever that looks like next year,” provided they find a way to turn those near misses into wins, no matter what it takes.

The ascent has been slow, but it’s there. Bloomgren has championed process since he arrived at Rice. The next step is to take a hard look in the mirror and to modify the process to squeeze out every win this program is truly capable of achieving. Even if that means some uncomfortable conversations.

“Somehow, we gotta find a way to do it,” Bloomgren said. Indeed they do. It started with winning one more on Saturday, reminding all this program is certainly capable of rediscovering winning ways. Where next? Only time will tell.

Photo credit Maria Lysaker
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