HOUSTON, Texas – The HCU volleyball team faced a second tough challenge Friday evening at the Rice Invitational, falling to the host Rice Owls in a five-set match (17-25, 26-24, 18-25, 25-18, 9-15).
In the first set, Rice (2-0) established an early lead over the Huskies (0-2), capitalizing on attack errors and strong serving. HCU fought back with key kills from
Ravyn Dash and
Audrey Pearce, but the Owls maintained their momentum, ultimately securing the set, 25-17.
In the second set, the two teams battled closely, with the lead shifting multiple times. HCU managed to secure the set 26-24, with consecutive kills from Dash earning the final two points.
During the third, the teams exchanged points, with the lead again going back-and-forth. A five-point run gave Rice some breathing room, with an 18-14 lead. The set ended 25-18 in favor of the Owls.
HCU showed resilience in the fourth set, trailing just once throughout. The Huskies hit a blistering .318 in the set thanks to 17 kills with just three attack errors, taking the set handily, 25-18, to force a final fifth set.
In the final set, HCU started strong with early kills from
Alexia Jones and
Ana Garza, but Rice quickly adjusted. The Owls committed just one attack error in the final set while HCU had four, helping the Owls finish the set, 15-9, and secure the match victory.
HCU was led by Pearce, who led all players with 16 kills and four blocks. Dash, meanwhile, added 12 kills and Drapela finished with 10.
Grace McLaughlin orchestrated the offense with 43 assists while
Tatiana Evans contributed 17 digs to the Huskies' defensive efforts
The Huskies return to the court Saturday morning at Tudor Fieldhouse to face TSU at 11 a.m.
