Volleyball nabs C-USA championship

By Paul Fitzgerald     12/3/09 6:00pm

And so the road to the Final Four begins. The volleyball team booked its second-straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the University of Tulsa in the Conference USA Championship final Nov. 22. A victory over then-17th-ranked Louisiana State University Friday evening was the icing on the cake for a regular season that ended just the way the team hoped.

The team began the year winning seven of eight, and Rice (23-8, 11-5 C-USA) only continued their excellence as the season wound down. Heading into the C-USA Tournament, Rice had won its last five matches and entered as the fourth seed.

The Owls opened the tournament against Marshall University (22-9, 10-6 C-USA), the fifth seed of the eight-team tournament. Three sets later, Rice was through to the semifinals. Sophomore outside hitter Ashleigh McCord paced Rice with a team-high 14 kills, while junior setter Meredith Schamun directed the Owls' attack with 34 assists.

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In the second round, the Owls' path to the finals was far from the smooth one it encountered against the Thundering Herd. Facing the top-seeded University of Southern Mississippi, a squad that had won 15 matches in a row, Rice knew it would have to step up its game. And with a first-set win (25-16), it appeared the Owls were on their way.

The Golden Eagles (29-4,15-1 C-USA) were not ready to head home just yet, dominating the second set by the same score as the first.

But the Owls responded in resounding and impressive fashion, taking the last two sets 25-14, 25-13, sealing the match and placing them in the tournament finale against second-seeded University of Tulsa.

Rice had lost both matches against the Golden Hurricane (26-7, 13-3 C-USA) this season, so they knew a victory would be a herculean task. With a raucous crowd at Tudor Fieldhouse cheering them on, the Owls took the first two sets. The second set was the most dramatic of the season, as Rice bounced back from a 19-9 deficit to win 25-23.

The Owls served for the clinching point twice in the third set, but both times Tulsa staved off defeat, and the Golden Hurricane eventually won 27-25.

While it seemed the Owls had coughed up their only chance at downing their second higher-seeded opponent of the tournament, Rice took Tulsa to task in the fourth set. Ahead 24-23, Rice made sure to cement the win, and a Tulsa error gave the Owls the conference championship.

Bedlam, or at least a jumping group hug, ensued, and Head Coach Genny Volpe cited the team's goal-setting as one of the reasons for the championship.

"We've played some good matches and some not-so-good matches this season," Volpe said. "They decided for the last nine matches to put it all out there and get after it, and we knew from the beginning if we did that, we could win the conference."

As she did throughout the tournament, McCord dominated the finale, posting a team-high 24 kills. Senior outside hitter Jenn McClean and senior middle blocker Natalie Bogan also both had double-digit kills, with 12 and 11, respectively, while junior libero Tracey Lam contributed 19 digs.

Schamun totaled an impressive 49 assists, and her performance earned her Championship MVP, an award that Volpe felt was more than warranted.

"Her ability as a setter has added a lot of speed to our offense, and that's been our ammo all year," Volpe said. "She definitely earned the MVP honor because she distributed the ball to the right people and played good defense, and I'm extremely proud of her for that."

The victory gave Rice C-USA's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program's history. It also marked the first time that the team had made back-to-back NCAA appearances.

"Throughout all the ups and down this season, we always thought we were one of the best teams in the conference," Bogan said. "We wanted to prove that in the tournament, and I think we did."

Following their victory over Tulsa, the Owls turned their focus to beating LSU Friday evening in Tudor. With an impressive all-around performance, Rice took down the No. 19 Tigers in three sets. Schamun once again led the Owls' attack with a match-high 51 assists to continue her outstanding play.

Schamun has been one of the driving forces behind Rice's nine-match winning streak, but the entire team has contributed to its success. The Owls have put forth a well-balanced offensive attack, allowing Schamun to distribute the ball to McClean, Bogan, McCord, senior outside hitter Jess Boulavsky and freshman outside hitter Nancy Cole, among others. However, Rice's top-notch defense has also played an important role in their success, and Lam has anchored the team's defensive effort that has received a boost from blocking by McClean and Cole.

"I think our defense has been the most important part of our win streak," Bogan said. "We've been working hard on it in practice, and without it it's tough to run our offensive plays, so it's definitely been the biggest factor."

The Owls' all-around strong play makes them a formidable NCAA Tournament foe. Rice played Texas Christian University, which finished second in the Mountain West Conference, Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. The winner of the match will face the winner of the Texas-Texas State University match today at 6:30 p.m.

TCU enters the tournament with a 26-6 record, including a 13-3 mark in Mountain West play. The Horned Frogs received an at-large bid, their first ever to the NCAA Tournament.

Texas (24-1), ranked second in the nation, will be hosting the tournament. In hosting the regional, Texas proves itself even more daunting. If the Owls hope to advance out of their regional, they must continue their hot play on both sides of the ball and defeat two terrific teams. It's a tall task, but Volpe embraced the challenge.

"You never know what could happen, so we're going to keep playing Rice volleyball and give it our best shot," Volpe said. "If anyone can beat this Texas team, I think it's this team.

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