RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-19) to 19
th-ranked Rice in Sunday afternoon's Conference USA match.
Preseason C-USA Player of the Year Nicole Lennon led the Owls with 17 kills and 9 digs.
Carter Mirich posted eight kills and
Kaitlyn Adams added five more for the Lady Techsters.
"Obviously, Rice is really talented team and they're at the top of our league for a reason," said LA Tech head coach
Amber McCray. "Though this has been a difficult stretch for us, but I feel better about the way we competed today. We were able to get a few key players back on track, which will be vital to our success in the second half of conference play."
The Owls opened the match by hitting .387 in the first set en route to a 25-16 win. Tech took a 1-0 lead on a block from
Marie-Helene Verlinden, but Rice took a 2-1 advantage and maintained it the rest of the way to get the win. The Owls held the Lady Techsters to a .029 attack percentage in the frame with three blocks.
Tech fared better early in the second set, grabbing a 7-5 lead on a kill from
Abigail Hildenbrand. Though the Owls bounced back to take the lead, the Lady Techsters stayed in the frame and pulled back within 11-9 on a kill from
Kaitlyn Adams. Rice pulled away, however, scoring 12 of the final 15 points to win 25-14.
Despite facing a 2-0 deficit, the Lady Techsters battled their way to a 12-8 lead in the third set.
Madeline Davis and
Kaitlyn Adams combined for a 4-1 run that gave Tech the lead and forced a Rice timeout. The Owls bounced back after the break to take a 16-13 lead, which they built out to six points for a 25-19 win.
Morgan Currie led Tech's back line with 9 digs, while Davis and Verlinden each posted two solo blocks. The Lady Techsters finished with five blocks as a team.
Tech continues its short homestand on Friday when the Lady Techsters take on Florida International at 6 p.m. in the Thomas Assembly Center.
For all of the latest on the 2019 Lady Techsters, follow @LATechVB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
