Morgan and Schamun C-USA Players of the Week

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 10, 2008) Two Rice University volleyball players have been selected as Conference USA Players of the Week. Senior Karyn Morgan was named Offensive Player of the Week, while sophomore Meredith Schamun earned Setter of the Week honors.

Morgan, an outside hitter from Bellaire, Texas, produced a C-USA weekly-best 37 kills and averaged a league-high 4.62 KPS. She also established a .397 (37K-6E-78TA) hitting efficiency over eight games.

Morgan tallied a match-high 26 kills, one shy of her career-high, and a .434 hitting percentage to lead the Owls to a 3-2 victory over then league-leader UAB Friday. She also recorded 11 digs for her 12th double-double on the year. Morgan followed that effort up with a team-high 11 kills and a .320 hitting percentage as Rice moved into second place tie with UAB by sweeping Memphis. On the week, she led the Owls with 41.5 points. This is Morgan's first Offensive Player of the Week honor.

From Murrieta, Calif., Schamun led the Owl offense with an 11.50 assists-per-set average, the second-best performance in the league for the week. She also ranked fifth-best for most service aces (0.38) and 12th for most digs (3.25) per set. She dished out 56 assists in Rice's 3-2 victory over then-league leader UAB to go along with 18 digs and two blocks. Schamun also tallied 36 assists and eight digs in the 3-0 sweep of Memphis. This is her second consecutive Setter of the Week honor and third of the season.

The Owls are currently 21-5 and are in second place in C-USA with a 12-3 record. The 21 wins are the most since the Owls went 25-5 in 2004 and the 12 wins in C-USA play are the most since Rice joined the league in 2005.

Rice plays at Houston on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.