HOUSTON – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team fell in a 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-21) decision to the host Rice Owls in a Conference USA matchup on Sunday afternoon from Tudor Fieldhouse.
 
LA Tech (6-18, 1-8 C-USA), playing its fifth road match already in the month of October, dropped its eighth straight match, while Rice (17-4, 8-0 C-USA) extended its winning streak to 11 consecutive matches and remained at the top of the C-USA standings.
 
The Lady Techsters were led on offense by a pair of juniors in Jayde Penn and Kaitlyn Adams. Penn tallied six kills, while making her second-consecutive start, while Adams equaled Penn's kill output with six of her own. Penn led Tech with a .333 hitting percentage, while Adams led the team with 6.5 total points.
 
Freshman setter Abigail Hildenbrand led the team with 10 assists, while fellow freshman Mia Prostran added eight helpers of her own. Junior libero Alyssa Zucco paced the Tech defensive effort with 12 of the team's 44 total digs.
 
Lara Hendricks added five kills, while Madeline Davis led the team with four total blocks.
 
In the first set, the Owls raced out to an early 14-3 edge, and eventually took a 25-12 victory. The Techsters were held to a -.030 hitting percentage in the frame.
 
Set number two saw a better start from Tech as Rice did not lead by more than three through the first nine points of the match. However, the Owls extended the lead to seven at 13-6 and eventually took a 2-0 lead in the contest behind a 25-16 win in set two.
 
The third frame was the most competitive of the day for the Techsters, as they pushed the Owls throughout the entirety of the set. Tech never led in the frame, but tied the score seven different times, as the team hit at its best clip of the day at .267 (9-1-30). With a 22-21 lead, the Owls ended the set on a 3-0 run, completing the sweep.
 
The Lady Techsters will be back in action next Friday, taking on another C-USA foe in UAB from Birmingham, Alabama. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Be sure to follow @LATechVB on all social media and stay plugged in to LATechSports.com for all breaking news, match updates and items of interest on the 2018 LA Tech Volleyball Team.