EDITORIAL: ATHLETICS
For the first time in over four years, a span covering 42 games, the Owls defeated a Southwest Conference foe. Since then, in an amazing run, the team has won two more games, beating last year's SWC champion, the University of Houston and gutting out a close victory over Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
On the individual level, senior Sammy Waldron, in the game against the Lady Cougars last Saturday, became the SWC's all-time career kills leader. As a result of this outstanding play, Rice finds itself third in SWC play, fourth in district play and actually received some national recognition in the form of votes by USA Today .
With a large chunk of the schedule remaining, the women's volleyball team's success is a welcome sight at a time when the men's football team is struggling.
The women's cross country team has continued to maintain its winning ways after capturing the SWC title last year, the first women's title ever in the history of Rice. With enough success this weekend, it stands a good chance of making the national meet, whether or not it wins the SWC title.
With the women's teams doing so well, it seems a shame that more students are not going out in support. Women's volleyball games, on a great night, will draw over 1,000 people. Unfortunately, most of the fans are parents, high school players and coaches rather than students.
The success of the volleyball team has come after a long period of struggling and growing. It seems as if they finally have it turned in the right direction. For their hard work, the players deserve a reward, and that should be getting their fellow students to cheer them on.
With the men's football team struggling and the Athletic Department operating under an annual deficit hovering around $4 million, there needs to be a change in focus.
Women's sports need to take a larger place in the spotlight of Rice athletics. Too often they are ignored by the media, the students and the general community in favor of the higher-profile sports.
This needs to change, especially in consideration of the fact that Rice is such a small school where the football program cannot come close to generating as much revenue as most schools do. The first step was taken by changing Midnight Madness to include both the men's and women's basketball teams.
The next step is up to us as students.
This item appeared in the Opinion section of the October 13, 1995 issue.
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