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Rice Volleyball: 2021 season begins in thrilling fashion

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Rice Volleyball rallied from an early deficit to win its season opener, showcasing the kind of resiliency they’ll need to succeed this year.

In many respects, it was surreal for coach Genny Volpe and Rice Volleyball to just be back in action at Tudor Fieldhouse against Houston on Saturday. When the first serve landed it broke a streak of 471 days since the Owls played a game that counted on their home court. The primary driver for such a lengthy delay, COVID-19, hasn’t gone away, but the Owls have worked incredibly hard to get to this point. They’re not going to quit now.

“It was great to be back in the gym and just great for the team to be able to compete,” Volpe said in the aftermath. “They were loving every second of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, they were loving the competition.”

The first stanza of the new season provided an immediate test from their crosstown rivals. Houston came out swinging, capitalizing on the Owls’ mistakes, winning the first two sets 25-20 and 25-18. Rice hit just .053 and .103 in those frames, well under the .269 rate they hit at last season.

Volpe mentioned she spoke to the team for about a minute in the break between sets. “There was no magic stuff,” she admitted, praising the teams’ resiliency. “Volleyball. it’s a game of momentum, and we didn’t have it. And we found a way to grab it and never let go of it.”

From that point onward, Rice would settle in. They took the third set 25-22 and the fourth by a commanding 25-12 score. When push came to shove, the Cougars couldn’t match the Owls’ firepower in the final set. Rice prevailed 15-11, clinching the match with a kill from Nicole Lennon.

Lennon (18 kills) had a solid day, but Volpe herself called it a team effort, citing performances by Tia Grippo, Elizabeth Labue and Maddie Fowler. Freshman Nia McCardell, Danyle Courtley and Sahara Maruska shined, too.

“A lot of people played today,” Volpe said, “There’s a lot of people making contributions and I think, what I’m so excited about,  is how we have so many options.” Those options each made their marks, setting the stage for a promising season despite the challenges that loom ahead.

Rice will close January with one more game against Houston and a two-game set with SMU in Dallas. From there, it’s onto conference play. The Owls know it’s going to be a bumpy ride, but they’re committed to seeing it through. Expectations haven’t waivered. Volpe knows the Owls’ opponents will have to navigate through similar challenges.

Having the poise to push through the noise and stay ready, that’s what will separate this team from its challengers. “Once this whistle new and we started, it was natural, it really was,” Volpe said. And just like they had so many times before, Rice found a way to win.

📸 @LysakerPhotos
January 23, 2021 : during the match between the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas. Rice pulls from behind 0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2, 3-2 for the win. (Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics). Used with permission.
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Rice Basketball 2021 Game Previews: Owls vs UAB

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Rice basketball splitting with Old Dominion last time out. This week they’ll square off with UAB while Rice women’s basketball is sidelined.

Rice Basketball

Time: Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. CT and Jan. 23 at 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Bartow Arena
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: Friday – CUSAtv / Saturday – ESPN+

UAB 10-2 (3-1), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 66-69 (L) vs Chattanooga
  • 72-60 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 62-58 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 61-37 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 55-70 (L) vs Charlotte

UAB statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Michael Ertel – 13.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Trey Jemison – 7.5 per game
  • Assists | Tavin Lovan – 2.7 per game
  • Steals | Quan Jackson – 3.3 per game
  • Blocks | Trey Jemison – 2.3 per game

Rice 10-4 (4-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 84-69 (W) vs UTSA
  • 89-101 (L) at UTEP
  • 71-68 (W) at UTEP
  • 69-59 (W) vs Old Dominion
  • 58-61 (L) vs Old Dominion

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Quincy Olivari – 15.7 per game
  • Rebounds | Max Fiedler – 9.5 per game
  • Assists | Max Fiedler – 4.4 per game
  • Steals | Travis Evee – 1.4 per game
  • Blocks | Max Fiedler – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

UAB will be far and away the best defensive team Rice basketball will have faced yet this season. The Blazers lead Conference USA in scoring defense, allowing 56.4 points per game on a league-best 37.7 percent shooting percentage allowed. Their defense beyond the arc is particularly fierce, allowing 26.8 percent of three point shots compared to the Owls’ 36.8 percent hit rate. Something’s got to give.

For Rice, the notable difference between their distance shooting between last season and this year has been drive by shot selection and efficiency. Both will be harder to come by this weekend, but if the Owls can take the right shots with the right players, they’ll be able to force UAB to play catch up, something they haven’t had to do hardly at all this season.

Rice Women’s Basketball update

The women’s basketball games, originally scheduled for this weekend, were postponed because of a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing at Rice. This marks the first time since the Owls’ began athletic competition that they have been the initiating party for a postponement. They’ll look to return to action next week against North Texas.

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Rice Volleyball: Owls ready for 2021 spring season

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Rice Volleyball will soon begin its 2021 spring season. From the key games to preseason accolades. Here’s everything you need to know.

Amid the many changes forced on college athletics by COVID-19, Conference USA moved all fall team sports (except football) to the spring semester. That included the Rice Volleyball season, which will begin in late January now rather than having its traditional fall start. When the Owls do retake the court, they’ll do so with robust expectations.

Rice Volleyball has continued to climp under the direction of head coach Genny Volpe. The Owls have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, winning 20+ games in all three years. In the Owls’ most recent campaign, they finished an outstanding 27-4. That’s a high bar, but the Owls won’t shy away from the lofty precedent.

Preseason C-USA Poll

Conference USA moved to divisional formats for the season rather than the traditional top-to-bottom ranks. Rice was picked to win the West. Western Kentucky was picked to win the East. The Owls finished a game behind the Hilltoppers in the overall conference standings last season.

Preseason All C-USA Team selections

Rice had two players selected to the preseason All-Conference team: Nicole Lennon and Anota Adekunle. Both earned First Team All-Conference selections at the end of last season.

Notable games

Rice opens their season at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 23. Then they’ll make the short trip down the road to the Fertitta Center to play Houston on Sunday, Jan. 24. That marks the first set of a series of couplets versus like opponents.

Conference play begins on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 at home against Louisiana Tech. The Owls will play 12 conference games against six opponents before closing out their regular season with marquee matchups home against Baylor (Mar. 19) and at Texas (Mar. 23.)

Any necessary makeup games will be played the week between those nonconference games at the Conference USA Tournament, slated to begin on April 1. You can see the complete schedule here.

Offseason notes

Rice Volleyball was featured in part of our extended offseason showcase, featuring stories about Nicole Lennon’s ascent and expectations for the team in 2021 any beyond. You can check those five pieces out here.

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Rice Athletics experiences first self-initiated COVID-19 postponement

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The first self-initiated COVID-19 postponement occurred at South Main this week. Through the ups and downs, Rice Athletics is battling COVID-19 well.

Rice Athletics issued its first self-initiated COVID-19 postponement on Tuesday afternoon. The Owls were forced to defer a set of Rice women’s basketball games originally scheduled for this weekend “due to a positive COVID-19 test within the program and related contact tracing”.

That postponement represents the first time Rice has had to back out of an athletic contest since the Owls kicked off their 2020-2021 athletic year on Oct. 24, 2020 against Middle Tennessee, 87 days prior.

Rice has been on the opposite end of those dour phone calls on numerous occasions. Rice has three football games postponed by COVID-19 tests and contact tracing by their opponents this fall. The women’s basketball team lost games against UT Arlington and Texas Southern. The men’s basketball team missed out on the marquee non-conference game: the Bayou Bucket against Houston.

Altogether Rice has played 30 games (not counting six postponements) over the last three months without being the offending party. That streak ends on Friday.

More: Conference USA COVID-19 Postponement Tracker 

The Rice women’s basketball team was thin on numbers before COVID-19 had any impact this week. The Owls played seven out of a maximum of 15 allowable scholarship players in their most recent contest, a road win against Old Dominion. The team found ways to keep winning, but simply did not have the bodies to afford to lose any more players. Even still, they lead Conference USA with a 10-1 (6-0) record.

The way Rice Athletics has handled COVID-19 hasn’t been perfect. But through rigorous contact tracing and safety protocols, the Owls have made it longer than most every college program in the nation before bowing out of any games. They’ve given their athletes their best chance to compete.

Volleyball, soccer and baseball will all begin soon. Cases continue to climb in the Houston area. The degree of difficulty will only rise from here. But so far, it’s been (relatively) smooth sailing at South Main. Here’s hoping they can keep it up.

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Rice Women’s Basketball 2021: ODU makes Owls work for series sweep

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Rice women’s basketball was pushed to the wire twice, but prevailed each time, earning an important road series sweep over Old Dominion.

Despite entering the weekend undefeated in conference play, Rice women’s basketball was weary of what waited for them inside the confines of Chartway Arena. The Old Dominion Monarchs broke the Owls’ 30-game conference winning streak on that very court a season ago. Both programs had experienced turnover since, but there were no illusions amongst either side: this was going to be a battle.

Old Dominion came out ready on Friday night, taking advantage of some early miscues from Rice and adding some second-chance points of their own. A 20-17 first quarter lead would not last long, though. Rice rallied quickly, exploding for 26 points in the second quarter to take an eight-point lead into halftime. Nancy Mulkey’s near-perfect sowing from the field proved to be more than enough to power the Owls to a game one victory.

Rice came out more composed in game two, earning an early lead and extending it to a 38-28 lead at halftime. This time it was Katelyn Crosthwait with three big three point makes to give the Owls some breathing room. But Old Dominion would not go quietly. The Monarchs retook the lead with their first bucket of the fourth quarter.

Then it was the Owls’ turn for a statement. Mulkey and Lauren Schwartz powered a late run, capped off by a Jasmine Smith three point shot to put Rice comfortably ahead in the final minutes. Old Dominion would try to extend the game, but Rice hit their free throws and finished off the road sweep.

Player Spotlight | Nancy Mulkey

A short bench meant the Owls would have to ask a lot from their star center. Mulkey came through in a big way, delivering 21 points and eight rebounds on Friday with an encore of  25 points and five rebounds on Saturday. She was essential on both sides of the court, prevent the Monarchs from ever getting into a rhythm for two long and making what felt like every shot she took.

Mulkey began the Friday game 8-for-8 from the field before finishing 10-of-13. She was 10-of-16 from the field on Saturday, averaging 76.9 percent from the floor in the series. If she’s shooting at that clip, it’s opens up the offense. And when Rice can score, their defense will do the rest. That was the formula against Old Dominion and it’s probably not the last we see of it this spring.

Stat Corner | The few, the proud, the undefeated

NCAA scholarship restrictions put the cap at 15 players available per team each season. Eight players saw action for the Owls on Friday night. Only seven played on Saturday. That’s a far cry from the 10 players that suited up and got on the court for Rice in their season opener against Houston Baptist.

Injuries played a part in what became a rather lean contingent against Old Dominion. Nevertheless, the Owls persevered. Even when tasked with playing two games in less than 24 hours, they found a way to dig deep and finish in the fourth quarter.

For the first time this season, Rice was outscored in the third quarter in both games of a conference series. On both occasions this weekend, Rice answered by outscoring Old Dominion in the fourth quarter and held on for two important road victories.

Up Next

Rice returns home next weekend to face UAB. The Blazers are in the middle of the pack in the West with a series win over Southern Miss and a series loss to North Texas. This past weekend they were swept by Charlotte.

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