Friday, November 21
Tampa, Fla.
10 AM
Rice University
20-8,15-1American
3
vs
0
UTSA
13-15,6-10American
1
2
3
F
UTSA
12
18
17
0
Rice
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Mike Carlson | Rice Athletics
Historic Win Advances Owls to Semifinals
11/21/2025 1:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
TAMPA — Rice volleyball kicked off the American Conference Tournament with their 16th straight victory, setting a program record, at the Corral on Friday.
No. 1 seed Rice (20-8, 15-1 American) defeated No. 8 seed UTSA (13-15, 6-10 American) in straight sets holding the Roadrunners to a .175 hitting percentage while the Owls hit .393.
Taylor Preston led the match with 14 kills while Aaliyah Smith added 13 and hit .407. Lademi Ogunlana led the match with a .818 hitting percentage.
Kaia Mateo recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 37 assists and 14 digs. Gaby Mansfield led the defense with 16 digs and Darby Harris added 13. Arissa Smith combined for five blocks in the match.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Really proud of our execution overall today. The team is locked in and focused. Our defensive players were super clean and allowed Kaia to run a very evenly distributed offense."
How It Happened
First set
The Owls took a quick 2-0 lead to open the match. Rice later went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-4 lead. The Roadrunners attempted to slow down the Owls but another 5-0 run would put them in prime 19-7 lead. A kill from Ogunlana would seal the set win 25-12. The Owls hit .394 in the frame and held UTSA to .097
Second set
UTSA took an early lead but the Owls did not let them live in it for long. After going on a 3-0 run to take the lead. Rice would continue to keep momentum leading by as much as seven points. Preston led the set with six kills and Arissa Smith had three blocks. The Owls hit .370 and held the Roadrunners to a .224 hitting percentage.
Third set
UTSA proved to not let the Owls go easy tying up the score seven times in the final frame. Rice pulled away with a 5-0 run late in the set taking a 17-12 lead capped by a Preston kill. The Owls took the final three points to secure the historic win. Rice had their highest hitting percentage of the match .421 and freshman Aaliyah Smith led with six kills.
Up Next
Rice will face the winner of Wichita State and North Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
No. 1 seed Rice (20-8, 15-1 American) defeated No. 8 seed UTSA (13-15, 6-10 American) in straight sets holding the Roadrunners to a .175 hitting percentage while the Owls hit .393.
Taylor Preston led the match with 14 kills while Aaliyah Smith added 13 and hit .407. Lademi Ogunlana led the match with a .818 hitting percentage.
Kaia Mateo recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 37 assists and 14 digs. Gaby Mansfield led the defense with 16 digs and Darby Harris added 13. Arissa Smith combined for five blocks in the match.
"Really proud of our execution overall today. The team is locked in and focused. Our defensive players were super clean and allowed Kaia to run a very evenly distributed offense."
First set
The Owls took a quick 2-0 lead to open the match. Rice later went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-4 lead. The Roadrunners attempted to slow down the Owls but another 5-0 run would put them in prime 19-7 lead. A kill from Ogunlana would seal the set win 25-12. The Owls hit .394 in the frame and held UTSA to .097
Second set
UTSA took an early lead but the Owls did not let them live in it for long. After going on a 3-0 run to take the lead. Rice would continue to keep momentum leading by as much as seven points. Preston led the set with six kills and Arissa Smith had three blocks. The Owls hit .370 and held the Roadrunners to a .224 hitting percentage.
Third set
UTSA proved to not let the Owls go easy tying up the score seven times in the final frame. Rice pulled away with a 5-0 run late in the set taking a 17-12 lead capped by a Preston kill. The Owls took the final three points to secure the historic win. Rice had their highest hitting percentage of the match .421 and freshman Aaliyah Smith led with six kills.
Rice will face the winner of Wichita State and North Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Team Stats
UTSA
Rice
Kills
35
53
Errors
14
7
Attempts
120
117
Hitting %
.175
.393
Points
38.0
65.0
Assists
33
49
Aces
0
5
Blocks
3
7
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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