Tulsa
Rice
Volleyball Loses Heartbreaker to Rice 3-2
10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 31, 2008
Final Stats
TULSA, Okla. - Senior Beth Hodge scored 21 kills and Malorey Grove recorded 23 digs, but the University of Tulsa volleyball team lost a 3-2 (25-15, 19-25, 25-21, 22-25, 11-15) heartbreaker to Conference USA foe Rice Friday evening at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Tulsa easily won the first set 25-15, but dropped the next two, 25-19 and 25-21. The Golden Hurricane came back to win the fourth set 25-22, but lost the deciding set 15-11. TU falls to 20-7 overall and 7-5 in C-USA play, while Rice improves its record to 18-5 and 9-3 in league action.
With a chance to tie for third place and sit in solid position for a top-four seed in the conference tournament coming into the match, the Hurricane is now two matches behind Rice for third place, but maintains its fourth-place spot in the conference standings, tied with Memphis.
The match marked the sixth consecutive time these two teams have played a five-set match, all coming under Tulsa head coach Ed Allen, and all previously won by the Golden Hurricane. This is the first time an Allen-coached Tulsa team has lost to Rice since he took over in 2006.
"I think our level of execution was closer to the level that we have seen over the last four matches," Allen said. "Our intensity in segments was what we expect and demand on a match- and day-to-day basis. Our ability to sustain that intensity is something that is questionable and something that is going to have to improve over the course of the next three weeks, but it was a solid effort. Our outside hitters put up very positive numbers, numbers that have probably been as good as any we have had all year long from the pair of them. Our defensive intensity is going to have to sustain itself (for us to win important matches like this one)."
Hodge recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 21 kills and 13 digs, and hit a .292 attack percentage (21 kills, seven errors, 48 attempts) while freshman outside hitter Kelsey Hancock scored a career-high 17 kills and hit a .279 percentage (17 kills, five errors, 43 attempts). Freshman setter Rachel Vukson earned her sixth double-double with 48 assists and 17 digs.
As team, the Hurricane hit a .201 attack percentage, with 59 kills and 25 attack errors in 169 total attempts, while Rice hit a .239 attack percentage with 68 kills and 26 errors in 176 attempts. Grove's 23 digs led a defensive effort that blocked 12 Rice attacks and had 74 total digs. Hodge also had six blocks (one solo and five assists) and sophomore middle hitter Hannah Stout had six block assists, while junior middle hitter Julia Kenealy had five block assists.
Tulsa dominated the first set, taking a 3-0 lead, and never looking back. In the set, TU had 5.0 blocks and never lost its initial lead. Eichler began the match with a kill, and the Hurricane was on a roll. Rice got as close as 9-4, but no closer, and Tulsa quickly jumped to a 15-5 lead on a Rice attack error. Rice then pulled to within seven at 17-10, but the Hurricane scored three to make the score 20-10 on a kill by Hancock. Rice then score three straight, but Tulsa scored five of the next eight and ended the set on a kill by Hodge for the 25-15 win.
The Golden Hurricane could not sustain its strong performance, however, and Rice took control of the second set. The teams played evenly and scored back-and-forth through an 11-11 tie. The Owls began to pull away with by scoring 10 of the next 14 to take a 21-15 lead. Rice went on to win the set 25-19.
The third and fourth sets were much closer to what was expected of these two teams coming into the match. Tulsa took a 4-1 lead on a kill by Hodge, but rice tied it up at five apiece. From that point, the two teams traded points the rest of the set, with the largest lead coming in the final score. Neither team had led by more than three points until Rice scored four straight to win the match by a 25-21 score. The set featured nine tie scores and five lead changes.
Tulsa came back in the fourth set with a spirited win to force a deciding frame. The fourth set could not have been closer, as the two foes tied 17 times and exchanged the lead 12 times. TU took a 2-0 lead on a service ace by Vukson. Rice tied the score at two apiece and took a 7-5 lead. Each teams' two point lead was its largest of the set until the very end. Every time one side tried to gain an advantage, it committed an error or the other came back with a key kill. With the score tied 21-21, Tulsa held Rice to just two points and scored four of its own to win the set 25-22.
Rice jumped ahead with a 6-1 lead on the Hurricane, and would not let Tulsa back into the game. TU pulled to within a7-4 deficit, but every time it had the chance to cut the lead to three points after that, it committed an error, or Rice provided a kill to keep its distance. TU did get a kill by Hancock to make the score 13-10 and again to make it 14-11, but by that time it was too late for the Hurricane, as Rice won the match 3-1.
Tulsa returns to the court Saturday at 7 p.m. against Houston, looking for redemption from a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Cougars in Houston on Oct. 3. All Tulsa home volleyball matches are free to the public. All Golden Hurricane news and information can be found on the web at www.TulsaHurricane.com.
