Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916
Sunday, January 12, 2025 — Houston, TX

Sports

SPORTS 3/23/21 11:02pm

Men’s basketball season ends with loss in C-USA tourney

By Pavithr Goli

Last week, the Rice men's basketball season came to a close when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament by the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Prior to their elimination, the Owls had won back-to-back tournament games against the University of Southern Mississippi and Marshall University.  

SPORTS 3/23/21 10:47pm

Volleyball falls to No. 6 Baylor in a five-set thriller

By Reed Myers

Going into Friday night’s game, Rice volleyball had won their previous 12 conference matches, which capped off Rice’s first-ever undefeated conference season. On Friday night, the Owls proceeded with their conference tournament preparation by playing national powerhouse Baylor University. The Owls got out to an early lead, but fell to the Bears in five sets. Despite the loss, head coach Genny Volpe said that the match provided opportunities to test new lineups and focus on the team’s blocking.  

SPORTS 3/23/21 8:15pm

Volleyball stuns No. 2 Texas, again

By Ben Baker-Katz , Daniel Schrager and Reed Myers

The Rice volleyball team knocked off No. 2 University of Texas on Tuesday night, closing out their regular season with a shocking upset. The win handed Texas their first loss of the season, and capped off an impressive regular season for the 14-4 Owls, who have now won 13 of their last 14 matches.

SPORTS 3/16/21 11:02pm

Soccer defeats No. 12 Texas A&M in overtime thriller

By Daniel Schrager

The Rice soccer team downed no. 12 Texas A&M University at Holloway Field on Monday in dramatic fashion. The Owls fell behind 2-0 early, but they were able to climb back into the game with two goals of their own to tie it and force overtime. In the final seconds of overtime, senior defender Caleigh Page sent a shot into the back of the net, giving the Owls a 3-2 win, and securing the upset. After the game, head coach Brian Lee said that it was an important win for the Rice soccer program. 

SPORTS 3/16/21 10:38pm

What comes next for Rice women’s basketball?

By Ben Baker-Katz

Following a disappointing loss to Middle Tennessee State University in the Conference USA championship game and not being selected for the NCAA March Madness tournament, Rice women’s basketball now faces the age-old question: Where do they go from here? 

SPORTS 3/16/21 10:35pm

Owls impress at NCAA T&F, XC championships

By Daniel Schrager

In a week that saw the NCAA championships in both cross country and track and field, three Owls earned All-American honors across the two events. At the track and field championships, which were held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, juniors throwers Erna Gunnarsdóttir and Nick Hicks each took second team All-American honors, with top-15 performances in the shot put and hammer throw respectively. Sophomore distance runner Grace Forbes, meanwhile, placed No. 6 in the 5.000 meter, earning her first team All-American honors. Forbes followed up her performance with a No. 19 place finish in the 6,000 meter at the cross country championships, which earned her All-American honors as well. 

SPORTS 3/14/21 10:48am

Owls fall to Blue Raiders in championship

By Ben Baker-Katz and Daniel Schrager

After barely escaping last night with a win, Rice women’s basketball fell to Middle Tennessee State University in the final seconds of yesterday’s Conference USA tournament championship game. The Owls managed to bring it to within one point during the final minute but ultimately lost the contest 68-65.

SPORTS 3/9/21 9:30pm

No. 1 seed Women’s basketball poised for C-USA tournament

By Ben Baker-Katz

Women’s basketball wrapped up their regular season schedule last weekend with a series against the University of North Texas. The Owls started the weekend on the right note, winning the Thursday night game 64-58 to clinch the Conference USA West Division title. The Owls fell to the Mean Green on Saturday afternoon, bringing their record on the season to 16-3. Despite this loss, they still enter the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.  

SPORTS 3/8/21 9:56pm

Owls set to start conference tournament

By Pavithr Goli

With the Rice men’s basketball team wrapping up their regular season last weekend, the Owls head to Frisco, TX where they will compete in a play-in game for the Conference USA basketball tournament. The team enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed in the West Division, and will play the University of Southern Mississippi (the No. 7 seed in the West Division) tomorrow night. 

SPORTS 3/4/21 6:02pm

Volleyball sweeps UTSA, extends winning streak to eight

By Daniel Schrager

Rice volleyball beat the University of Texas at San Antonio in both legs of a two-match series in San Antonio this week. On Sunday, the Owls defeated the Roadrunners in five closely contested sets, while on Monday they won in straight sets. The Owls have now won all eight of their matches since conference play began, and are 9-3 on the season.

SPORTS 3/2/21 11:08pm

Owls swim their way to second place at C-USA Championships

By Pavithr Goli

Rice swimming finished No. 2 at the Conference USA Women’s Swimming Championships, placing behind Florida International University. The team amassed 905.5 points, which ranked as the program’s highest point total in the past seven years. Several members of the team won individual accolades for their performance at the C-USA Championships, with senior Ellery Parish, sophomore Madison Howe, senior Lindsay Mathys and freshman Imogen Meers all being named as members of the First Team All-Conference. 

SPORTS 3/2/21 10:46pm

Baseball drops three straight at Louisiana

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice baseball lost all three games played against the University of Louisiana this past weekend. After opening the season 2-1 in their series against Houston Baptist University, the Owls traveled to Lafayette, where they were promptly swept by the Rajun’ Cajuns. The Owls fell 7-3 in the Friday night game, and followed that up with 5-3 and 6-3 losses over the weekend,  dropping their overall record to 2-4. Head coach Matt Bragga took a somber tone in describing the weekend, pointing to the lack of offensive production as a big reason for his team’s struggles. 

SPORTS 3/2/21 9:24pm

Women’s basketball sweeps LA Tech

By Cadan Hanson

Rice Women’s Basketball improved their record to 15-2 with back-to-back victories against Louisiana Tech University this weekend. The Owls outscored the Lady Techsters by a combined 34 points as they earned their tenth and eleventh conference wins of the season. Head coach Tina Langley said she is proud of her team’s performance, especially given their stop-and-start season due to the pandemic. 

SPORTS 2/23/21 9:14pm

Men’s track jumps, throws their way to fourth place at C-USA Indoor Championships

By Ben Baker-Katz

The Rice men’s track and field team placed No. 4 overall at the Conference USA Indoor Championships this past weekend. Relying in large part on the “field” half of their name, the Owls owned the medal stand in the pole vault and took home the gold in the weight throw, giving Rice 88 points for the weekend. The Owls were just two points shy of the University of Texas, San Antonio, who placed third. 

SPORTS 2/23/21 9:10pm

Women’s Track & Field places fourth at C-USA Indoor Championships behind Forbes’s record day

By Daniel Schrager

The Rice Women’s track and field team placed No. 4 out of the 12 teams at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend in their first meet of the season. The Owls finished the meet with a total of 75.50 points, 33.50 shy of first place, the University of Southern Mississippi. Sophomore distance runner Grace Forbes stole the show for the Owls, setting a school and meet record in the one-mile run, and scoring more points than any other participant over the weekend.  

SPORTS 2/23/21 9:07pm

Baseball must show progress to prove that 2-14 season was a fluke

By Ben Baker-Katz and Daniel Schrager

The Rice baseball team’s 2020 season lasted just over three weeks before the start of the pandemic brought it to a halt, but that was enough time to raise some questions about the team’s direction going forward. In 16 games, as opposed to their originally scheduled 55, the Owls managed just two wins and 14 losses. For a program that is just three years removed from a streak of 26 consecutive winning seasons under former head coach Wayne Graham, last season’s results were alarming. 

SPORTS 2/17/21 9:44pm

More Vets, More Players, More Innings: More Baseball in 2021

By Ben Baker-Katz

After a disappointing and shortened 2020 campaign, the Rice baseball team is hoping its plethora of veteran talent can inspire and lead the team in a new direction in 2021. Their season begins on Friday against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. According to junior shortstop Hal Hughes, the depth of this Owls roster will be vital to their success.

Editor's Picks

Most Popular

The Rice Thresher