MANHATTAN, Kan. — The LIU women's volleyball team played extremely well against a Rice squad that was nationally ranked at the beginning of the season, but fell 25-21, 13-25, 19-25, 25-20, 12-15.
 
The Sharks won the first set before dropping the next two and went on a rally in the third that sent the match to its fifth and final set. LIU had the lead early, but could not hang on as Rice won the set 15-12.
 
"I made mention that our team is starting to find its identity and that showed today," assistant coach Daniel Altamar said. "We were able to maintain an aggressive offense while showing tremendous grit on defense – both in critical moments of the game."
 
Camelia Melendez, who is third in the NEC in kills, led the Sharks with 17 more kills while also tallying 17 digs.
 
Freshman Indira Benitez played her best match of the season, recording a season-high 14 kills and three service aces. Benitez led the Sharks with 19 points and four blocks.
 
Alasha Colon, the NEC leader in digs by well over 100, reached a season-high 41 digs in the match, putting her season total at 254.
 
Selina Koç recorded 36 assists and is now just eight assists away from 300 on the season. She ranks third in the NEC in the category.
 
"These are the kinds of matches we want to compete in as a program," Altamar said. "We're looking forward to heading back to Brooklyn and opening up conference play."
 
The Sharks return to the Steinberg Wellness Center next Friday when they take on Central Connecticut State at 6 p.m.