Sports

Column: Rice can stop the Pony Express

Saturday’s game against Southern Methodist University will be Rice Football’s final game against old Southwest Conference foes in 2023. The Owls will take the field with a 4-4 record, not having won at home since September, while the Mustangs seek to extend their four-game win streak and improve to 7-2 on the season. 

Owls drowned by the Green Wave in latest AAC loss

“We came up short” has become an all-too-familiar refrain for Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren, who uttered this four-word statement again following a 30-28 loss to the No. 22 Tulane Green Wave on Saturday evening at Rice Stadium. The defeat dropped the Owls to 4-4 on the season.

Owls soar past Golden Hurricanes over weekend

On the backdrop of a picturesque sunset last Thursday evening in Tulsa, the Rice Owls defeated the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane 42-10 to improve to 4-3 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. The Owls’ 32-point victory, which was the biggest margin of victory for Rice against conference opposition since 2013, was mainly led by graduate transfer quarterback JT Daniels who threw for 342 passing yards and three total touchdowns and junior running back Dean Connors who rushed for a career-high 120 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

10-25-2023 Editorial Cartoon: "Owl-American"

Hold your Mustangs: Volleyball stumped by SMU

Volleyball lost two games to Southern Methodist University last weekend to bring their record to 7-3 in conference, dropping to third in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. 

Albuquerque talks childhood

Catarina Albuquerque was shaking as she walked up to take a penalty kick in the 2021 Conference USA tournament. It was the spring semester of her freshman year, and she had been entrusted with the kick that could secure the Owls a spot in the C-USA tournament final. 

We’ve been at war with Tulane

At first glance, it might seem misleading to describe the relationship between the Rice Owls and the Tulane Green Wave as a significant rivalry. The Oct. 28 contest at Rice Stadium will be the two teams’ first meeting since 2013, and the pair have shared a conference for only nine of their over-100 seasons of football. One would not expect such a mid-season matchup to be especially worthy of anticipation. In reality, however, there is every reason for Owls fans to await this Saturday with intrigue.

10-18-2023 Editorial: "Owl-American"

Soccer wins first AAC match, drop two over weekend

Rice won its first American Athletic Conference game last week on the road against Temple University but lost to No. 10 University of Memphis and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, bringing their conference record to 1-5 and their overall record to 3-11-1. 

Andrew Sendejo talks NIL, brain health and doing his part

At the end of the last play of his 12-year NFL career, Rice alumnus ’10 Andrew Sendejo lay collapsed on his back at the 31-yard line. He had just sustained a head-to-head collision, knocking him momentarily unconscious, inflicting the second concussion of his age-34 season. 

Upset loss ushers in bye week for Rice Football

Turnovers foiled Rice Football’s attempt to win their fourth consecutive home game. A previously winless University of Connecticut Huskies squad stormed into Rice Stadium, capitalized on the Owls’ miscues and left the home team stunned. Rice’s late fourth-quarter surge wasn’t enough as they lost to UConn 38-28 on Saturday, Oct. 7.

10-04-2023 "Owl-American"

Volleyball continues to truck through the AAC

Going into last Friday’s match against the University of Texas at San Antonio, Rice Volleyball had won 15 of their last 19 sets. At the end of their victorious home stand against the Roadrunners, the Owls had improved that to 21 sets out of 25, extending their win streak to seven games and preserving their undefeated status in conference play.

Men’s XC place sixth, Women’s XC finish 21st in weekend races

The men’s and women’s cross country teams were in action last weekend, with the men’s team traveling to the University of Arkansas to run in the Chile Pepper Festival while the women’s team competed in the Live in Lou Classic hosted by the University of Louisville. 

Tennis confident after weekend tournament play

Last weekend, the men’s and women’s tennis teams returned to the court to compete in the International Tennis Association Men’s All American Championships and the Houston Invitational, respectively. These early fall tournaments helped the teams get in more competitions in preparation for the ITA Texas Regionals Tournament in Fort Worth later in the fall.

Football wins its first-ever AAC game, defeats ECU 24-17

Sporting Columbia-blue Houston Oilers-themed throwback jerseys, Rice secured a 24-17 win in their American Athletic Conference home opener against East Carolina University on Saturday. While the Owls only trailed for five minutes in the first quarter, the game was close the entire time as both teams fought for their first AAC win of the season.

09-27-2023 "Owl-American"

New conference, same results: Volleyball opens AAC play with perfect record

Rice Volleyball defeated the University of Alabama at Birmingham at home and the University of Tulsa on the road twice last week to open their first-ever American Athletic Conference season, moving the Owls to 9-4 on the season. This streak also brings the Owls to five consecutive unbeaten games since a Sept. 11 loss to No. 10 University of Texas at Austin. 

Rice Soccer shut out by UNT in first road AAC match

Rice Soccer traveled to Denton on Sept. 24, where they were defeated 6-0 by the University of North Texas. According to graduate transfer midfielder Sarah Piper, the team was disappointed by the final results.

JT Daniels injured as Rice drops AAC opener to USF 42-29

Coming off wins against cross-town rivals University of Houston and Texas Southern University, Rice Football was unable to keep up against the University of South Florida, losing 42-29. The Owls’ loss in their first game against an American Athletic Conference opponent dropped them to 2-2 on the season.