RICE REMAINS LONE UNBEATEN
The Rice Owls are the last team in The American that has lost a match in conference action. They sit at 5-0 in conference play and have won seven straight matches overall. The Owls will travel to Memphis on Friday to take on the Tigers at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ before wrapping up the weekend at Charlotte for a 1 p.m. ET first serve on ESPN+.
BULLS MOVE TO TOP OF EAST DIVISION
South Florida used a 2-0 weekend to improve to 4-1 in conference play and sit atop the standings of the East Division. Player of the Week Buse Hazan helped lead the Bulls in the wins, averaging 6.5 points per set and 5.5 kills per set in the pair of wins over UAB.
THE AMERICAN IN THE RPI
Four American Athletic Conference schools currently rank in the Top 100 in the latest RPI rankings. Rice leads the pack at 37, followed by SMU (39), Tulsa (53) and Wichita State (74).
DISHING ‘EM OUT
Florida Atlantic enters the weekend leading The American and ranked 10th in the NCAA in assists per set with 12.97. Victoria Hensley (8.19) and Noelle Stephens (3.77) lead the Owls in assists per set, as Hensley has 508 total assists on the season, while Stephens has 200.
CAN YOU DIG IT?
The American features two of the top five best digs per set teams in the country in Rice and Tulsa. The Owls lead the nation with 19.47, while the Golden Hurricane are 5th at 17.55. The single-season team record in The American for digs per set is held by the 2016 Tulsa squad, who averaged 18.34 digs per set.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, October 6
Tulane at East Carolina* (ESPN+)_______________ 6 p.m.
Tulsa at Florida Atlantic* (ESPN+)______________ 6 p.m.
SMU at Charlotte* (ESPN+)____________________ 6 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA* (ESPN+)________________ 7 p.m.
Rice at Memphis* (ESPN+)_____________________ 7 p.m.
North Texas at UAB* (ESPN+)__________________ 8 p.m.
Temple at Wichita State* (ESPN+)______________ 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 8
North Texas at East Carolina* (ESPN+)__________ 12 p.m.
SMU at Florida Atlantic* (ESPN+)_______________ 1 p.m.
Rice at Charlotte* (ESPN+)_____________________ 1 p.m.
Tulsa at UAB* (ESPN+)_________________________ 2 p.m.
South Florida at Wichita State* (ESPN+)________ 2 p.m.
Tulane at Memphis* (ESPN+)___________________ 2 p.m.
Temple at UTSA* (ESPN+)______________________ 2 p.m.
* denotes American Athletic Conference game
All times ET and subject to change
