March 12, 2007

HOUSTON -- Rice head coach Genny Volpe announced the player awards for the 2006 volleyball season at the annual volleyball banquet on Monday night in the R Room at Rice Stadium.

Volpe presented awards for most valuable player, most improved player, newcomer of the year, the commitment award and the scholar athlete award.

Senior Tessa Kuykendall received the Hally Beth Poindexter Award as the team's most valuable player. The lone senior, she led the team with 147 blocks and was second with 379 kills on her way to all-Conference USA honors. She finished her career as Rice's all-time blocking leader with 546, and also posted the third best career hitting percentage at .286. On Sept. 11, 2006, Kukendall was named the C-USA player of the week after leading the Owls to an upset of No. 21 Arizona on the Wildcats' home court and earning MVP honors at the Four Points Sheraton Wildcat Classic.

The newcomer of the year award went to freshman Natalie Bogan who played in all 31 matches for Rice, starting in the middle 28 times. She led the team with a .256 hitting percentage while adding 308 kills. Bogan was also the Owls' block leader in 13 matches.

Freshman Jennifer McClean received the most improved player award. Challenging her teammates as a true freshman, she earned one of the starting outside hitter positions in the preseason and never let it go, starting all 31 matches. She was the Owls' kill leader eight times and finished the year third on the team with 328 kills.

Sophomore Jessica Holderness was honored on Monday with the commitment award. Transitioning from middle blocker back to the left side, she was sidelined in the preseason with an injury and was limited during the first half of the season. Once she did return to the Owls' lineup, she found the most playing time on the right side as her teammates also battled the injury bug. Holderness finally returned to full strength the final weekend of the regular season, posting double-doubles at Tulsa and SMU.

Junior Rachel Lopez was a repeat winner of the scholar-athlete award for having the team's highest GPA. The Owls' setter, Lopez finished the year with the third best season ever at Rice with 1,387 assists. She posted her first career triple double against Memphis with 11 kills, 47 assists and 17 digs and was the back-to-back C-USA setter of the week Oct. 2 and 9. She was also named to the C-USA all-academic volleyball team along with Kuykendall.