Nicholls State
Tudor Fieldhouse
11:00 AM

Oklahoma
Tudor Fieldhouse
7:30 PM

Central Arkansas
Tudor Fieldhouse
12:30 PM

Houston Baptist
Tudor Fieldhouse
7:30 PM

Sam Houston State
Tudor Fieldhouse
7:00 PM

San Diego State
San Francisco, Calif.
7:00 PM

Cal State Northridge
San Francisco, Calif.
1:00 PM

San Francisco
San Francisco, Calif.
9:00 PM

Aug. 28, 2008

Rice volleyball begins the 2008 season as it hosts the Mizuno Invitational Friday and Saturday. Teams competing are UT-San Antonio, Michigan, and Louisiana-Lafayette. Action again takes place in Fox Gymnasium and admission is FREE.

UTSA posted a 13-21 record in 2007 and returns four starters and eight letterwinners. Michigan went 24-11 last year and made the sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament for the first time. Louisiana's Ragjin' Cajuns went 4-29 in 2007.

Mizuno Invitational Schedule
Friday
UTSA vs. Rice 10 a.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Michigan 12:30 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Rice 5 p.m.

Saturday
Michigan vs. UTSA 11 a.m.
UTSA vs. Louisiana-Lafayette 4:30 p.m.
Michigan vs. Rice 7 p.m.

2008 Season Preview
Sometimes in sports you have to go through a stretch of growing pains and not exactly achieve the desired results before you reach the pinnacle. Such was the case in 2007, for a young Rice Owls volleyball squad that finished 13-17 overall.

Comments fifth-year head coach Genny Volpe, "This year's squad is looking to take it to the next level after a disappointing finish last year that included seven five-set losses. But, last year's team fought hard and played hard, but at the same time it was very young."

The 2008 team returns five starters and has a strong mission and feels it has something prove.

"This team knows that it is better than what last season's record indicates," says Volpe.

The five starters returning are sophomore setter Meredith Schamun, sophomore middle blocker Caroline Gill, junior middle blocker Natalie Bogan, and two senior outside hitters, in Jessica Holderness and Karyn Morgan. With those five experienced starters returning, it is no wonder Volpe is optimistic for the 2008 Rice volleyball season.

"I get a strong sense from the team that it is ready to show people what we are really about and it expects to win a lot more matches," comments Volpe.

For the Owls to be successful in 2008, it will depend heavily on the arms of All-Conference USA performers Holderness and Bogan. Holderness was second on the team with 400 points, while Bogan was first with 432 points and second on the team in hitting percentage (.320) and in blocking at 1.08 bpg.

"Jessica is very competitive, a great leader, and versatile," comments Volpe. "We can use her anywhere on the court and with her we are going to be able to advance the speed of our offense on the outside."

Natalie Bogan, AVCA Honorable Mention All-America for 2007, is only the third Owl in school history to be recognized for All-America honors and is Rice's most consistent volleyball player.

Says Volpe, "We are going to continue to use her a lot in our offense and she is just a huge part of our success with her quickness."

Morgan, who will serve as co-captain along with Holderness for 2008, was a steady performer last year with 203 kills and 181 digs despite playing in only 82 games due to injury.

"Karyn has had her ups and downs with consistency but I have seen her grow so much since the end of last season," says Volpe. "She has more intensity and determination than I've ever seen and I think she's going to surprise a lot of people in 2008."

Sophomores Gill and Schamun had outstanding freshman campaigns. Gill was named to the All-C-USA Freshman team, leading the league in blocks at 1.24 bpg in addition to pounding 251 kills.

"Caroline did a phenomenal job in the middle as a freshman last season and we are looking for her to continue her blocking presence and to expand her role on offense," says Volpe.

Schamun was a great distributor of her sets as evidence by her 1,306 assists, which ranks 10th all-time in Rice history. She played in 112 of 115 games in 2007, and that experience is only going to make the Owls better in 2008.

"I'm excited to have Meredith for the next three years as it will be great for the program," says Volpe. "The new quicker things in our offense are going to be heavily dependent on her."

Volpe also likes Schamun's set distribution.

"She had a nice diverse offense for us in 2007," comments Volpe. "What is going to make this team achieve success this year is that we do not have one superstar that is going to get all of the sets. What we do have is a solid, all-around cohesive team and that is what is going to make us tough to beat."

Gill was not the only Owl freshman to be named to the All-C-USA freshman team. Defensive specialist Tracey Lam was also honored as she proved her worth with the second-most digs in a season at Rice with 499.

"Tracey Lam made a huge impact on the team last season and is one of the best liberós in the conference," states Volpe. "She is extremely strong on defense and solid on serve and receive. We will be able to do new and different things on defense because of her skills."

Juniors Jessie Boulavsky, Jennifer McClean, and Channing Grigsby are solid all-around performers. Boulavsky led Rice in 2007 with a .327 hitting percentage, while McClean was third on the squad with 277 kills.

"Jessie has seen a lot of action and she has one of the best hitting percentages on the team," says Volpe. "I would like to see more kill production from her as well as keeping her hitting percentage high."

"Jennifer has made huge contributions in the areas of defense and passing since her arrival and she has a great competitive spirit," Volpe notes. "She is an excellent all-around volleyball player and her offense continues to improve each year."

Rice features two outstanding setters in Schamun and the veteran Grigsby.

"Channing is one of the most improved players on the team because she just will not quit," says Volpe. "She works her tail off, and she's going to push for playing time. I have all the confidence in the world in her to compete."

Sophomore Justyna Brewczyk did not receive a large amount of playing time last year due to an early injury.

"It took Justyna a little while to adjust to our system," says Volpe. "But, she is stronger and more determined for 2008. Justyna is competitive and with her being left-handed it gives us a different look and she does hit with a lot of power."

Also expected to see more court time this season is senior Ekaette Shammah.

"Ekaette has good size, very good leaping ability, and a fiery personality," comments Volpe.

The freshmen class is diverse with power (Ashleigh McCord), emotion and toughness (Megan White), and versatility (Yuan Lin).

McCord, a 6-2 middle blocker from Wylie, Texas, was a three-year letterwinner for the Wylie High School Pirates. As a freshman, she was named honorable mention all-district team 11-4A. The following year, McCord was named as all-area newcomer of the year by the Dallas Morning News and MVP by her teammates.

"Ashleigh McCord is physical and strong and she is going to make an immediate impact for us especially with her ability to attack with power," states Volpe. "Ashleigh is going to be an exciting player for the conference with her size, power, and jumping ability."

White, from southern California and not to be confused with the White Stripes' Megan White, helped the Santa Margarita Eagles to a CIF championship in 2004, a second-place CIF finish in 2005, and in 2006, led the team to the D-1 playoffs and the state semifinals.

"Megan is a feisty player who brings a lot of emotion to the court and she is a solid ball-control player who plays great defense," says Volpe.

Yuan Lin, from Beijing, China, is a versatile player who will play many roles on the team.

"Yuan can play different positions and has a lot of volleyball experience in China," comments Volpe. "She may not have a lot of power, but she is smooth and diverse in her attacks."

The Owls again sport a difficult non-conference schedule, but one that according to Volpe is more manageable for this year's experienced team. Michigan, LSU, and Oklahoma were in the NCAA tournament last year and were ranked in the top 25.

"We play one of the toughest non-conference schedules within Conference USA and I believe that it is important for us to do," states Volpe. "The difference is that we are going to be more ready for that level of competition this year."

"We've set the standards pretty high. We are trying to be one of the best teams not only in the conference, but in the nation as well. This team understands and grasps that concept and the seniors are ready to lead. You win championships when you have strong seniors and we have strong senior leadership. It is an exciting time for Rice volleyball and we are looking to have a great season."