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From good to great, the continued ascent of Rice Volleyball’s Nicole Lennon

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Rice Volleyball had playmakers from top to bottom of their roster, making incredible Nicole Lennon’s 2019 season that much more impressive.

There have been few seasons in Rice volleyball history as dominant as Nicole Lennon’s 2019 campaign. The Preseason C-USA Player of the Year, Lennon took home seven of 12 C-USA Offensive Player of the Week Honors. She was a first-team All C-USA selection, a finalist for Houston Sports Collegiate Player of the Year and the team MVP.

Lennon tallied her 1,000th career dig this season and led C-USA in total kills (505). She had a season-high 32-kills against Stephen F Austin and 23 in the Owls’ upset over No. 3 Texas. She always delivered in the biggest moments.

The list of accomplishments is mounting. She already belongs on the shortlist of best Rice athletes of the decade. But the best could still be yet to come. At least, that’s what coach Genny Volpe sees when she watches how Lennon works and prepares off the court.

“Her volleyball IQ keeps getting higher and higher,” Volpe said. “Every year she continues to make gains in efficiency.”

The numbers bear out Volpe’s observation. Since her freshman season in 2017, Lennon has improved her hitting percentage by 129 percentage points (.159 to .288). Her kill count has risen from by 80 (425 to 505) and her points are up 75.5 (476.5 to 552).

Lennon’s sophomore stats were better than her freshman stats. She made another jump from sophomore year to junior year. If she maintains that trajectory, we might get to witness an even better version of Lennon in 2020. That’s an incredible notion to behold.

Lennon boasts the rare combination of elite athleticism and a relentless pursuit of excellence. “She’s somebody who doesn’t ever had a bad practice,” Volpe remarked. Adding that on Lennon’s self assessed “bad days” the outside hitter will stay late, pushing herself to be the best version of herself that she can be.

It’s that level of drive, of mental focus, that makes Lennon so dominant. Every match has ups and downs. Mistakes are made, even by players as consistent as Lennon. It’s those who have the mental fortitude and the focus to put look past those mistakes and move forward that are able to ascend from good to great.

Lennon was great last season. Watching her take the next step in 202o is going to special.

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Rice Volleyball: Owls seek to continue building from within

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Rice volleyball will retool their roster as they enter the 2020 season, supplementing a talented returning roster with key additions and elevating some players into bigger roles.

The standard is high at South Main. That’s to be expected on the heels of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Getting to the tournament is one thing, returning year after year is another. That’s the next net Rice volleyball hopes to leap.

To stretch their streak to a fourth consecutive NCAA spot, the Owls are going to have to reload on the fly. The roster had a healthy mix of younger and more veteran players, but several of those key building blocks will be out of eligibility after this year. Rice must replace those seniors effectively to maintain their current trajectory.

Thankfully the Owls aren’t starting from scratch. Head coach Genny Volpe has been keeping tabs on the up-and-coming talent during the season and into the spring. Among those weren’t part of the usual starting contingent, Ellie Bichelmeyer and Carly Graham each drew specific praise from Volpe.

Bichelmeyer’s development was evident throughout the season and carried over into spring practices. “I see her really growing in confidence,” Volpe said, “She showed significant growth… even from the beginning of the season to the end of the season.”

Even coming off the bench, Bichelmeyer made her mark. She had 188 points last year, fourth most on the team. Her 1.89 kills per set trailed only Nicole Lennon and Anota Adekunle, both of which were named to the Conference USA First Team last season.

Carly Graham also caught Volpe’s eye. She and senior Adria Martinez ran the offense together last season. With Martinez departing, Graham was left as the only setter in the gym this spring. “To see her really step up as a leader and run the show all by herself has been really exciting. I see big things for her ahead,” Volpe said.

And that doesn’t account for an exciting new wave of talent that hasn’t yet arrived on campus. The 2020 Rice Volleyball signing class is filled with players who have won at every level of competition in which they’ve participated. “They don’t really know how to lose,” Volpe remarked. She hopes to keep that winning tradition alive when the freshman get their feet wet this fall. Rice has done a lot of winning in recent years and they’ve no intention to stop now.

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Rice Volleyball: Owls must replace important pieces

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It’s hard to accomplish all Rice Volleyball did in 2019 without a core group of experienced players. The Owls will have to replace several key seniors.

Rice volleyball had a delicate mix of experienced veterans and up-and-coming underclassmen on their 2019 team. They’re fortunate to only have to replace a few key pieces on a team poised to reload and seek another NCAA berth.

The outgoing seniors, although few in number, played huge roles in the Owls’ success on the court. Head coach Genny Volpe admitted it won’t be a seamless transition. “It’s hard [to replace those seniors],” quickly transitioning to those waiting in the wings. “We’ve got some really talented players coming in and we have some players that are currently on the team that maybe had smaller roles that are looking to fulfill bigger roles.”

Volpe and her staff had started to identify those players this spring before the coronavirus shutdown put an indefinite pause on their spring activities. There will be plenty of time to look forward to that future. Now is the time for an assessment of just what those reinforcements will be supplanting.

The most notable departing senior is setter Adria Martinez. She had more than half of the Owls’ assists on the season, sharing the setting duties with sophomore Carly Graham. Martinez was one of three players to never miss a set all season. The other two, senior Lee Ann Cunningham and graduate Tabitha Brown, have also played their final games at Rice.

Cunningham served as the team’s libero, leading the team in digs. Brown was an impactful outside hitter. That trio of Martinez, Cunningham and Brown combined for 1068 digs over the course of the season. Fortunately seven-time Conference USA Player of the Week Nicole Lennon will return in 2020, but that’s still plenty of defensive turnover.

Outside hitters Grace Morgan and Tori Woogk round out the outgoing collection of Owls. Both were contributors on the attack, racking up 193 and 116 kills respectively. Morgan’s 265 points were third-most on the team.

Those seniors played crucial roles in pushing Rice volleyball to its historic season, but they didn’t get the Owls’ there on their own. Rice has plenty of talent on the roster. The new faces just need their moment in the spotlight. That will come soon enough.

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Rice Volleyball: Owls’ soar to new heights in 2019 season

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Rice Volleyball soared to new heights in 2019, establishing themselves as a bonafide contender in the sport at the national level.

The 2019 Rice volleyball season was among the most memorable campaigns in school history. Program first’s were littered throughout the year. Rice earned its first Top 25 ranking in school history. They knocked off No. 3 Texas at Tudor Fieldhouse. They won their first-ever NCAA Tournament match. It’s hard to put such an incredible run into words. One video will have to suffice:

Yes someone with crutches is jumping for joy. Pure elation personified in 20 seconds of fervor.

“It was definitely a season that I’m not going to forget and I’m sure the players on the team won’t either, especially the seniors,” recalls head coach Genny Volpe, the winningest coach in school history. Rice has been a perennial power under Volpe’s direction, but the Owls took their success up a notch in 2019.

Rice has lost fewer than 10 matches six times in Volpe’s tenure, an impressive feat considering seasons average roughly 30 matches. The 27-4 record was Volpe’s best yet. 20 of their 27 wins were three-game sweeps. Of their four losses, three of them came down to the final game.

None of it surprised Volpe, who saw the focus in her team from the start. “When I saw that preparation, the expectation was to do a lot of things that we did.”

Expectation is one thing. Turning that into reality is a process that turns hope into the things of legend.

“To finally put our stamp on a couple of signatures wins [was huge]. We’ve been close so many times,” she said. “This year we were consistent in our execution, our practice, our approach to all the little things that matter.”

On some level, the 2019 season and win over Texas marked the arrival of the zenith of a decades-long journey for the Rice volleyball program. The Owls had been a local power, but things feel slightly different now. The top programs in the state and around the country must look at Rice as an athletic peer. For a university that boasts an alumni base smaller than the on campus population of other state schools, that distinction carries a weighty significance.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 TE Jaggar Hebeisen commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has its first tight end. Colleyville Heritage tight end Jaggar Hebeisen has committed to the Owls.

The limitations on in-house recruiting visits haven’t slowed down the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class. The Owls’ didn’t lose focus, they just shifted their attention online and on the phone. They entered the sudden pause with four commitments. On Friday they picked up their first new addition since. Colleyville Heritage tight end Jaggar Hebeisen has committed to the Owls.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting commitment tracker

Hebeisen had several offers at the time of his commitment, Utah being the most prominent name. Other notable offers included several Ivy League schools, Air Force and Louisiana Tech. Even with interest picking up this spring, he still planned to make a decision sooner rather than later. The goal was to have things wrapped up before his senior season this fall.

Not only was Hebeisen able to cull the list down before the summer, he’d made his final decision before spring was over. He had plans to visit campus at the end of March, but the shutdown put those on hold. A week later, he committed to the Owls.

The tight end position encompasses several different kinds of players. Rice has several strong blockers who fare best on the line of scrimmage. Heibensen should fill more of the vertical role, giving the Owls the ability to stretch the field and use him in the passing game.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Hebeisen has a sturdy frame. He can play in-line and flex out to the slot. Whether Rice needs him in the backfield or split out, he feels comfortable in space. With him in the fold, the Owls have built a strong contingent of young tight ends including Jack Bradley and Nate Kamper.

Rice is going to get to use Hebeisen in a variety of ways. This was a big get for the Owls’ offense.

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