Friday, October 24
Houston, Texas
6 PM
Rice University
12-8,8-1American
3
vs
0
UTSA
11-9,4-5American
1
2
3
F
UTSA
18
21
20
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Owls Secure Series Sweep Against Roadrunners
10/24/2025 10:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – The Rice volleyball team secured a series sweep with a 3-0 victory over UTSA on Sunday at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (12-8, 8-1 American) has now won eight straight matches and earned its 11th consecutive sweep of UTSA (11-9, 4-5).
Freshman Aaliyah Smith led the Owls with a season-high 16 kills, while Arissa Smith added 10.
Kaia Mateo paced the offense with 38 assists, and Lademi Ogunlana led the defense with four blocks.
Arissa Smith also recorded a career-high .714 hitting percentage.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"It's always good to get a sweep in this league. We need to clean up our serving and know we can perform a bit sharper. Aaliyah really shined tonight along with our middles. We hope to continue trending upward in their production."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice started slow but quickly gained momentum with a 5-0 run to take a 7-6 lead. UTSA attempted to even the score, but the Owls responded with an 8-1 run to go up 17-9. Rice continued its strong play and closed out the set 25-18. The Owls held the Roadrunners to a .062 hitting percentage while hitting .343.
Second Set
UTSA jumped out to an early 6-2 lead before Rice began to chip away. The Owls tied the set at 13, then used a 5-0 run to move ahead 18-15. Both teams traded points down the stretch, but Rice held on to take the set 25-21.
Third Set
The Roadrunners tried to establish an early lead, but the Owls controlled the pace with multiple scoring runs, including a 10-1 stretch to go up 17-8—3.5 of those points coming from Aaliyah Smith. UTSA answered with a 7-1 run late, but Rice secured the sweep with a 25-20 win in the final set. The Owls hit .385 in the third.
UP NEXT
Rice will host Tulane on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Rice (12-8, 8-1 American) has now won eight straight matches and earned its 11th consecutive sweep of UTSA (11-9, 4-5).
Freshman Aaliyah Smith led the Owls with a season-high 16 kills, while Arissa Smith added 10.
Kaia Mateo paced the offense with 38 assists, and Lademi Ogunlana led the defense with four blocks.
Arissa Smith also recorded a career-high .714 hitting percentage.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"It's always good to get a sweep in this league. We need to clean up our serving and know we can perform a bit sharper. Aaliyah really shined tonight along with our middles. We hope to continue trending upward in their production."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice started slow but quickly gained momentum with a 5-0 run to take a 7-6 lead. UTSA attempted to even the score, but the Owls responded with an 8-1 run to go up 17-9. Rice continued its strong play and closed out the set 25-18. The Owls held the Roadrunners to a .062 hitting percentage while hitting .343.
Second Set
UTSA jumped out to an early 6-2 lead before Rice began to chip away. The Owls tied the set at 13, then used a 5-0 run to move ahead 18-15. Both teams traded points down the stretch, but Rice held on to take the set 25-21.
Third Set
The Roadrunners tried to establish an early lead, but the Owls controlled the pace with multiple scoring runs, including a 10-1 stretch to go up 17-8—3.5 of those points coming from Aaliyah Smith. UTSA answered with a 7-1 run late, but Rice secured the sweep with a 25-20 win in the final set. The Owls hit .385 in the third.
UP NEXT
Rice will host Tulane on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Team Stats
UTSA
Rice
Kills
29
50
Errors
17
12
Attempts
102
117
Hitting %
.118
.325
Points
38.0
58.0
Assists
26
45
Aces
7
2
Blocks
2
6
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
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