Volleyball team falls to foes big and small
The Rice volleyball team lost a heartbreaker Tuesday night against Sam Houston State. Coming out of two of the toughest matches in their schedule, Rice was looking for a confidence builder against the Bearkats. It didn't happen.
Sam Houston State, now 10-9, edged out the Owls in five games, 13-15, 15-4, 15-7, 8-15 and 15-8. This put Rice's record at 5-9.
The statistics show the two teams to be even. The Bearkats did not dominate any of the categories. They simply scored more points in the end.
The loss Tuesday night was particularly tough because of the Owls' exceptional performance against Sam Houston State earlier in the year. In the Post Oak Mall Lady Aggie Invitational in College Station this season, Rice beat the Bearkats easily in four games. They were expected to repeat the performance Tuesday.
Despite the loss, many members of the team contributed to the Rice offense. Seniors Yuan Yuan Zhang and Rebecca Case, along with freshmen Karolina Zelinka and Kelly Smith, scored double figures in kills. Carolyn Sarnecki also helped the Rice offense with 42 assists.
Service aces by seniors Rebecca Case, Darcy Cruikshank and Jennifer Sloan as well as by freshman Soleil Thon gave the Owls some key points in the match.
Zhang and Case led Rice's defense, but it was not enough.
Sam Houston State played like a completely different team from the one that faced Rice just over a week before. They won the fifth game 15-8 to end the match. The Owls are looking for a win in their next match at Air Force to reassure themselves for the rest of the season.
The Rice volleyball team faced the toughest match of the season Sunday against the fifth-ranked Florida Gators. Coming out of a loss the previous Wednesday against Houston, the Owls knew they had a huge challenge ahead of them.
Florida didn't waste any time. They defeated the Owls in three straight games, 15-6, 15-3 and 15-7. The Gators' offense dominated and was too much for Rice to handle.
Freshman Kelly Smith led Rice's offense with nine kills in the match. Seniors Rebecca Case, Darcy Cruikshank and Jennifer Sloan also made big contributions to the offense. Case had a service ace in the match, and Sloan's blocking helped the defense.
However, Rice was no match for the Gators. "They are a really good team," Case said. Florida had an impressive 50 kills in the match with very few errors. The Gators also overpowered Rice in blocking. They had 22 blocks to Rice's nine in the match.
Despite losing the match, Rice dominated some great rallies and made some outstanding plays, showing that they don't give up. Setter Carolyn Sarnecki not only had 23 assists, but also led Rice's defense with 11 digs in the match.
With possibly the toughest game of the season behind them and some experience working together, the Rice volleyball team can face the rest of the season with expectations of success.
On Sept. 18, the Rice volleyball team lost a rough game to Houston in Holfheinz Pavilion. Rice has never won a match at Holfheinz, and their losing streak was extended this year. The Cougar offense dominated with 39 kills as they held Rice to only 25.
Leaders for the Owls include Case with six kills, Sloan with t10 kills and Cruikshank with three blocks. In spite of their efforts, Houston easily defeated the Owls in three games, 15-8, 15-5 and 15-4.
The Owls face their first WAC opponent, the Air Force Academy, Sept. 28.
This item appeared in the Sports section of the September 27, 1996 issue.
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