Rice University
14-8,10-1American
East Carolina
11-11,3-8American
Owls Haunt Pirates in Halloween Sweep
10/31/2025 7:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – Rice secured its spot in the American Conference Tournament with a sweep of East Carolina on Friday.
Rice (14-8, 10-1 American) extended its win streak to 10 matches after sweeping East Carolina (11-11, 3-8 American).
Kaia Mateo led the Owls with 37 assists and recorded her 1,000th career assist in the first set. Taylor Preston paced the team with 11 kills, while Lademi Ogunlana added nine and hit .529.
Gaby Mansfield posted 15 digs, and Ogunlana led the team with four total blocks. The Owls also tallied nine service aces in the match.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
It was a slow start for us today but glad we pulled out the sweep. I thought Gaby was scrappy and made some great plays again today and Kaia ran a pretty balanced and smooth offense. We just need to continue to focus on playing our game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice jumped out to a 2-0 lead before East Carolina tied it at 7-7. The teams traded points until a 4-0 run gave the Owls a 22-16 advantage. A kill by Ogunlana sealed the 25-20 win. Rice hit .192 in the opening set.
Second Set
The second set stayed tight early before Rice pulled ahead with a 5-0 run capped by a block from Ogunlana and Kellen Dorotik. The Owls closed the set on an 11-1 run sparked by a Preston kill to take a 25-13 set win. Rice held ECU to a .143 hitting percentage in the frame.
Third Set
The final set began with back-and-forth play before the Owls went on a 10-0 run capped by an Aaliyah Smith kill to take a 15-6 lead. Rice kept the Pirates from holding onto a scoring run. Ogunlana clinched the sweep with a kill to finish off the 25-16 win. The Owls hit .484 in the final set while holding ECU to .206.
UP NEXT
Rice will face Charlotte on Sunday with first serve set for 12 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
