Sunday, November 16
Denton, Texas
1 PM
Rice University
19-8,15-1American
3
at
1
North Texas
21-8,11-5American
1
2
3
4
F
Rice
26
20
25
25
3
North Texas
24
25
22
20
1
Rice Caps Regular Season With 15th Straight Win
11/16/2025 6:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DENTON — Rice volleyball earned a 3-1 victory over North Texas on Sunday to close the regular season.
Rice (19-8, 15-1 American) extended its winning streak to 15, tied for the longest in program history, after a comeback first set win against North Texas (21-8, 11-5 American).
Kaia Mateo recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 44 assists and 11 digs. Taylor Preston led the Owls with 15 kills, while Lademi Ogunlana added 11 and hit .320. Kellen Dorotik finished with 10 kills.
Gaby Mansfield led the defense with 24 digs, and Arissa Smith posted eight blocks.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm just super proud of this group. They show up every single day ready to work and it's paying off. We have more goals ahead that we want to accomplish. We are ready to get back to work next week and compete in a really strong American Championship."
How It Happened
First set
North Texas led most of the opening set, with Rice slowly chipping away at the advantage. Rice closed strong, similar to Friday, taking the set 26-24. Preston led the Owls with six kills, three of which came in the final five points. Rice hit .250 with 18 kills in the frame.
Second set
Rice fell behind early before responding with a 3-0 run to tie it at 3. North Texas held off the Owls and took the set 25-20. Rice was held to a .091 hitting percentage.
Third set
The Owls struck first on a block from Preston and Ogunlana and then used a 4-0 run to take a 6-4 lead. Smith paced the set with five blocks, contributing to Rice's seven total blocks in the frame. The Owls closed with a 3-0 run, capped by an ace from Mansfield, and held North Texas to a .020 hitting percentage.
Fourth Set
Rice jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the final set. Preston delivered six kills in the set, and the Owls maintained multiple scoring runs, including a 4-0 stretch for an 11-4 lead. Preston ended the match with a kill. Rice posted a match best .371 hitting percentage and held North Texas to .262.
Up Next
Rice enters the American conference tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 UTSA on Friday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. at The Corral in Tampa, Florida. The match will stream on ESPN+.
Rice (19-8, 15-1 American) extended its winning streak to 15, tied for the longest in program history, after a comeback first set win against North Texas (21-8, 11-5 American).
Kaia Mateo recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 44 assists and 11 digs. Taylor Preston led the Owls with 15 kills, while Lademi Ogunlana added 11 and hit .320. Kellen Dorotik finished with 10 kills.
Gaby Mansfield led the defense with 24 digs, and Arissa Smith posted eight blocks.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm just super proud of this group. They show up every single day ready to work and it's paying off. We have more goals ahead that we want to accomplish. We are ready to get back to work next week and compete in a really strong American Championship."
How It Happened
First set
North Texas led most of the opening set, with Rice slowly chipping away at the advantage. Rice closed strong, similar to Friday, taking the set 26-24. Preston led the Owls with six kills, three of which came in the final five points. Rice hit .250 with 18 kills in the frame.
Second set
Rice fell behind early before responding with a 3-0 run to tie it at 3. North Texas held off the Owls and took the set 25-20. Rice was held to a .091 hitting percentage.
Third set
The Owls struck first on a block from Preston and Ogunlana and then used a 4-0 run to take a 6-4 lead. Smith paced the set with five blocks, contributing to Rice's seven total blocks in the frame. The Owls closed with a 3-0 run, capped by an ace from Mansfield, and held North Texas to a .020 hitting percentage.
Fourth Set
Rice jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the final set. Preston delivered six kills in the set, and the Owls maintained multiple scoring runs, including a 4-0 stretch for an 11-4 lead. Preston ended the match with a kill. Rice posted a match best .371 hitting percentage and held North Texas to .262.
Up Next
Rice enters the American conference tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 UTSA on Friday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. at The Corral in Tampa, Florida. The match will stream on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Rice
UNT
Kills
50
60
Errors
21
31
Attempts
156
175
Hitting %
.186
.166
Points
66.0
69.0
Assists
47
58
Aces
4
1
Blocks
12
8
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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