Raiders rematch with Rice set for Friday

Friday, October 23

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

7:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Rice

10/22/2015 5:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

MT takes on Owls after 3-2 win earlier in the month

By: @MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO – Middle Tennessee (5-18, 3-6) is back home Friday to continue a four match in eight days stretch. Three of the matches are at Alumni Memorial Gym including Friday's rematch with the Rice Owls (15-7, 5-3) at 7 p.m.

The Raiders defeated Rice on October 11 in Houston 3-2. MT lost the first frame, but were able to come back and take each of the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead. Middle Tennessee looked like they were going to finish off the Owls early in the fourth, but Rice was able to save three match points in the fourth. They saved another four match points in the fifth for a match total of seven before the Raiders were able to prevail 19-17 in the final frame to take the match 3-2.

Several Blue Raiders had career or season highs in the match led by Chelsea Ross and Delaney Taylor. Ross set a season high with 30 kills in the match and Taylor nearly doubled her career high in assists with 62. For their efforts Ross and Taylor each won Conference USA superlatives for the week, Ross Co-Offensive Play of the Week as Taylor took home Setter of the Week.

LaVondria Covington chipped in as well with a career high 10 kills and matched her career high with six blocks. Freshman Ashton Peck did well in the Libero role in relief of Jacqueline Lux who was out with an injury. Peck earned her career high in digs with 20.

Noelle Whitlock and Leah Mikesky led the Owls with 20 kills and Julianna Dole chipped in with 55 helpers. Rice had five players with double figures in digs, the most was Libero Kimberly Vaio who earned 17.

After the loss Rice lost again to UTSA on October 15 in five at home. But the losing streak was stopped at two as the Owls took down UTEP in El Paso Sunday 3-0 before defeating North Texas 3-2 Wednesday night at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston.

Mikesky is seventh in C-USA with 3.63 kills per set and eighth in the league with 3.98 points per set. She also ranks ninth in the nation with 951 total attacks, 33rd in the country with 323 total kills, and her 354.0 total points is good enough for 43rd nationally. McKay Kyle is ninth in the conference with a .318 hitting percentage as Portia Okafor is seventh in the category hitting .339 and leads C-USA with 1.19 blocks per set. Okafor's 101 total blocks make her tied for 20th in the county.

After Friday the Raiders will get a day off before playing FIU on Sunday. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Gym.