Tulane, Southern Miss fall to volleyball at Tudor
After a poor showing in their home opener against cross-town rival, the University of Houston (10-3, 3-0 C-USA), the Owls picked themselves up crucial wins over the weekend at home against Tulane University (5-8, 0-2 C-USA) and the University of Southern Mississippi (6-8, 0-2 C-USA).
Hungry to avenge their first conference loss of the season, the Owls hosted Tulane on Friday. Rice got off to a fast start as they took the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-19. Tulane dug deep and pushed the Owls as they took the third set by the slimmest of margins, 26-24. However, Rice would not blow another two-set lead as it finished off the Green Wave in the fourth set, 25-22 to win the match 3-1. Sophomore outside hitter Mariah Riddlesprigger led the team with 14 kills while junior middle blocker Nancy Cole added 13 of her own. Sophomore setter Megan Murphy had 46 assists while senior defensive specialist Megan White got 13 digs.
Rice wanted to end its home stand on a good note as it hosted Southern Miss on Sunday afternoon. The Owls got off to a sluggish start as they lost the first set 25-20. The Owls looked like they were going to put themselves in a 2-0 hole, but they came back in dramatic fashion to take the set 26-24 to tie the match up at 1-1. The Golden Eagles fought back and looked poised to take the match as they stormed off to a 25-19 win. However, the Owls would not stay down for long as they pushed the match to the five-set limit after they took care of business in the fourth set, 25-18.
The fifth set had been the Owls' Achilles heel this season, but this time the Owls made sure to rewrite the script as they dominated the final set 15-8 to walk away with a 3-2 win and a perfect weekend. Junior outside hitter Laurie McNamara led the team with 18 kills while Cole had 13 of her own. Murphy had 53 assists and tied for a team-high with 22 digs along with White, who also added 22.
With the successful weekend, the Owls are now back to .500 with a 7-7 record and a 2-1 record in Conference USA. Head Coach Genny Volpe felt the veteran leadership really helped out this weekend as McNamara and Cole stepped up their game.
"Our veteran players stepped up and put up bigger numbers this week," Volpe said. "Getting our veteran players to put up stronger numbers consistently will help our team that is pretty young."
McNamara deflected the credit, as she said that the win was an entire group effort. Everyone on the team gave her full effort effort as they were sick of losing, especially after the crushing loss to Houston.
"I think honestly we all stepped up our game. There is not one person who seemed better than everyone else," McNamara said. "I think overall, we all just had a sense of urgency. We were tired of losing, so we went out there and worked our hardest. I think overall, we all stepped up."
The Owls are back on the road next weekend as they play at Southern Methodist University (4-10, 0-2) and the University of Tulsa (11-4, 2-0). Rice went 0-2 against both SMU and Tulsa last season. Volpe hopes the Owls can reverse that trend, but it will depend on how consistent their play is. According to Volpe, one day they play with fierce intensity and the next day they play with a lack of fire. Consistency is the key.
"I want to know what I am getting every day," Volpe said. "There has been a point every day in the season where one day we are hot, and the next day we are not. What would make me feel confident is putting out the same product every time we step out on the floor."
McNamara feels that the Owls know what Tulsa and SMU are going to bring in terms of gameplay and intensity, but she also feels adaptability will be key if the Owls are going to be victorious.
"For us against Tulsa and SMU, it is preparing for the expected," Volpe said. "Also, we have to be willing to adapt to the unexpected. We will work a lot on focusing on getting them out of system since both teams have really good hitters. If we hit good serves and get them out of system, then we will have a chance to be successful."
Volpe knows that if the Owls are ready and bring their best effort, they will have a chance to prove that they belong in the race for the Conference USA regular season championship.
"I believe in this team, and I believe they can beat anyone that is in our league if we give 100 percent on every ball," Volpe said.
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