Volleyball Team Withdraws from UTSA Tournament
The Rice volleyball team was scheduled to travel to San Antonio this weeked to take part in the UTSA Classic, but withdraw from the tournament due to an influenza outbreak within the team. UT-San Antonio was scheduled to host the UTSA Classic, which would pit UTSA, Middle Tennessee State University, Rice, and No. 2-ranked Washington against each other. While the tournament is still scheduled to take place, the Owls will not be a part of it. Rice will open conference play next weekend at Memphis on Friday, Sept. 25th and at UAB on Sunday, Sept. 27th.
Volleyball Drops Match to Wichita State
The Owls were looking for a big victory against nationally-ranked Wichita State on Saturday night, and after taking the first set, their prospects looked good. Their play over the next three sets didn't get the job done, however, as they lost the match in four sets to the team that eliminated them from last year's NCAA Tournament.
The loss dropped the Owls record to 8-3 as they look forward to their last non-conference tournament of the year. Despite their disappointing weekend, the Owls have to focus up and get three victories against UTSA, Middle Tennessee, and Washington before opening up Conference-USA play.
The Owls will use the upcoming week of practice to recoup after an illness spread through the team. Multiple members of the team looked sick this weekend, noticeably sophomore outside hitter Ashleigh McCord. McCord didn't look herself on Friday against South Carolina, but her play was noticeably better on Saturday.
While this weekend has to be considered a disappointment, the season is still young, and the Owls can still reach all of their goals. Their conference record is still 0-0, and while they might have squandered an opportunity to gain national respect with a undefeated weekend, they still have a great chance to win Conference-USA, make the NCAA Tournament, and make a run there. The team's defense has been strong this year, and while the consistency could use some improvement, this year's volleyball team should be very strong.
Note: Co-captain Natalie Bogan was not on the court at the end of the So. Car. game due to the team's defensive rotation, which was an unfortunate. I would've liked to see Bogan out there during the most important moments of the match, but sometimes things just don't go your way.
Volleyball Loses to South Carolina
The Rice volleyball lost to undefeated South Carolina in five sets at Tudor Fieldhouse last night. The Owls took set one, dropped set two, and took set three before dropping sets four and five to the Gamecocks. Some quick observations about what transpired:
1. The Owls gave USC this match on a silver platter. The Owls looked dominant in sets one and three, and probably should have taken the second set as well. They dropped set four when they had a prime opportunity to close out the match. In set five, USC took control late to erase an early Rice advantage and win the match.
2. Sloppy play dominated the match. Both teams played strong defense, but alot of sloppy and clumsy sequences seemed to occur throughout the five sets.
3. Something seems to be the matter with Ashleigh McCord. She looked ill during the match, and her game on the whole appears to be a bit off. She was looked frustrated with her play at times and didn't look like the McCord that was the C-USA Freshman of the Year last year.
4. I'm not the most knowledgeable person about the intricate rules of volleyball, so there might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what I'm about to mention, but I was wondering why senior co-captain and 3-time All-C-USA player Natalie Bogan was not on the court during the decisive moments of the fifth set. Bogan had 20 kills and a match-high .432 hitting percentage.
The match was entertaining throughout, but the end result had to be disappointing for the Owls. Rice beat Harvard this afternoon in three sets, and will face off against nationally ranked Wichita State in a revenge match. Play begins at 7 PM at Tudor tonight.
Edit: McCord seemed to be her old self vs Harvard: 19 kills, .405 hitting percentage.
Introduction No. 3
My name's Paul Fitzgerald, and I'll be covering the women's volleyball during the Fall and the Men's Golf team during the Spring. Both are fun for me in different ways, whether it be covering a sport I'm beginning to learn about and enjoy or covering one that I already love.
My interests with regard to sports extend beyond golf and volleyball, however, and extend to basically any sport. I enjoy watching football, golf, baseball, basketball, hockey (sometimes), soccer, and more. I cheer for a variety of teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Jets, the Houston Rockets, and The Ohio State Buckeyes. My single greatest sports memory was watching tOSU win the 2003 National Championship with my father, and I've been a diehard fan ever since. You'll be able to find me in front of a TV on Saturday night watching my Buckeyes beat the Trojans (hopefully). I love to watch sports, even when my team's not playing, or to play the sports themselves, and it's my love for sports that got me involved with Thresher sports.
I'll be covering the volleyball team all Fall, so you'll be getting weekly updates regarding the team's action and some analysis of their play. I look forward to keeping you guys posted on what's looking like a potentially great team.