VOLLEYBALL: Owls upset UTEP then fall to Hawaii

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by Kathleen Corr

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Playing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the ninth-seeded Owls came from behind to defeat the fourth-seeded Miners, 15-17, 15-4, 7-15, 15-7, 15-12, for the first time this season on Nov. 26.

"Against UTEP, we felt that as a team we never played to our potential," senior co-captain Rebecca Case said. "They killed us before and we killed them when it came down to it."

Overall, the statistics between UTEP, 19-10, and Rice demonstrate the closeness of the game.

Rice hit .169 and had 57 sets, while UTEP hit .123 and had 59 sets.

The Owls recorded five service aces and 13 team blocks, while the Miners chalked up six service aces and 12 team blocks.

The key factor of the game came in the difference between the teams' defensive digs. Rice had 86 total digs, while UTEP had only 69 digs. Middle blocker Jennifer Sloan and outside hitter Karolina Zelinka went the distance for the Owls, with each contributing 17 digs.

Setter Carolyn Sarnecki was a force felt in many areas, hitting .333 while grabbing three service aces and 47 sets. Sloan also struck hard with 16 kills.

With the victory over UTEP, the Owls advanced to the next round of the tournament to face top-seeded Hawaii the following day.

Rice put up a struggle, but the Rainbow Wahine, 30-1, was too powerful. The Owls fell in three sets: 10-15, 6-15, 6-15.

"We played an excellent match," Case said. "Hawaii rolls over teams. This is respectable."

In the match, the Owls held their ground against their tough opponent.

Rice hit .094 with three service aces while Hawaii hit .338 with two service aces.

Hawaii's strength was felt in their 62 kills and 14 team blocks when Rice had 40 kills and three team blocks.

Hawaii also had 52 defensive digs and 57 sets while Rice had 44 digs and 36 sets. The Owls' defense was a key in putting up a fight against Hawaii.

"They had been ranked No. 1 for two-thirds of the season," Head Coach Julio Morales said.

Case said, "We defended well against them. The coach actually told me they had never been dug that well this season."

As in her previous match, Sarnecki had a strong all-around outing, hitting .250 with 33 sets and a service ace.

Case and Sloan also had a service ace apiece, while Sloan and Zelinka both had 11 digs.

"It was awesome," Case said. "Everyone left feeling good. Unless we won, we could not have gone out better. It was my last game."

On the weekend prior to the tournament, the Owls completed their regular season with wins at an away series against Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University.

"Both of them put a good game on, and TCU probably played their best game of the season," Case said.

Rice beat TCU, 4-29, in a close game which went five sets: 15-8, 12-15, 12-15, 15-9, 15-12.

"They had nothing to lose and we needed to win," Case said.

The Owls hit .210 and had 14 team blocks in the win, while TCU hit .189 and had 11 team blocks. TCU, however, led with 86 defensive digs and 74 kills as Rice had 77 digs and 61 kills.

Sarnecki had 43 sets and two service aces, while Sloan also had two services aces and 15 kills to lead the Owls to victory.

The next day, in their last regular season game, the Owls defeated the Mustangs of SMU, 7-24, in three sets: 15-12, 15-6, 15-12.

Rice hit for .267 with 56 kills to dominate SMU, who hit .135 with 47 kills.

The teams each had five blocks, but Rice had 75 defensive digs to SMU's 54.

The Owls' key player was Zelinka, leading with 19 kills, 15 digs and two service aces. Sloan hit .357, middle blocker Darcy Cruikshank had two service aces and Sarnecki had 41 sets in the victory.

The Owls finished their season with an overall record of 16-18 and a WAC record of 10-8.

The end of the season marks the departure of four key players, seniors Cruikshank and outside hitter Yuan Yuan Zhang and senior co-captains Case and Sloan.

The match against Hawaii was the last game for the four, and the strong finish combined with playing time for all of them provided a positive final memory.

"It was really cool because all the seniors were on the floor and every single person played out of their minds," Case said.

This item appeared in the Sports section of the December 6, 1996 issue.

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