HOUSTON – Louisiana Tech's volleyball team put together its best set of a two-match swing in the final stanza of Monday's 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-21) defeat to the Rice Owls on Monday afternoon.
 
LA Tech outhit the Owls in the third set, recording a team-high 13 kills in the final stanza. The Lady Techsters jumped out to an early 6-3 lead behind kills from Elizabeth Sandoval and Emily Boylan. Boylan teamed up with fellow senior Marie-Helene Verlinden to record another point for the Techsters during the hot start in the third.
 
Four blocks from the Techsters helped limit Rice to a .227 hitting percentage in the final set. After a 3-0 run tied the set at 6-6, Tech was able to fend off the Owls from taking a lead until a kill from Sahara Maruska gave the hosts a 13-12 advantage. The Lady Techsters reeled off three of the next four points to retake a 15-14 lead behind kills from Mallory Meers and Laura Ehieze.
 
The Owls followed Tech's run with four straight points to take the lead for good. The Lady Techsters cut Rice's lead to a single point before the hosts finished off the set 25-21.
 
"We are still a work in progress in terms of finding our rhythm," head coach Amber McCray said. "Rice is a very talented team, but once we started getting some huge defensive stops in the final set, we were able to consistently battle with them point-for-point.
 
"The way we competed then is the way we know we are capable of playing every rep of every match, and when we do that, we will put ourselves in better position to win matches."
 
Rice never trailed in its first two set victories on Monday, limiting Tech to a .133 hitting percentage and -.062 hitting percentage in the first and second set, respectively. Rice setter Carly Graham set the tone for the Owls with a double-double, dishing out 30 assists and collecting 11 digs.
 
In set one, Rice used an 8-0 run to expand a four-point lead into a 12-point advantage midway through the set. Rice's balanced attack included four Owls with three kills or more in the opening set. Ehieze paced the Lady Techsters with three kills in the opening stanza.
 
The Owls ran away with the second set with a timely 4-0 run to stretch their lead from 12-9 to 16-9. LA Tech had just scored back-to-back points to trim Rice's advantage to three points before Rice pulled away for the set victory.
 
Meers recorded a double-double for the Lady Techsters with 11 assists and 10 digs. Senior Alyssa Zucco paced LA Tech with 12 digs. Sandoval amassed six kills to lead the team in the category.
 
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