Sunday, November 9
Houston, Texas
1 PM
Rice University
17-8,13-1American
3
vs
0
Florida Atlantic
17-10,8-6American
1
2
3
F
Fla. Atlantic
20
19
24
0
Rice
25
25
26
3
Photo by: Rhonda Taormina | Rice Athletics
Rice Clinches Regular Season Title With Win Over FAU
11/9/2025 5:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON – The Rice volleyball team secured a share of the American conference regular-season title with a 3-0 sweep of Florida Atlantic on Sunday at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (17-8, 13-1 American) also clinched the No. 1 seed in the American Conference Tournament after defeating FAU (17-10, 8-6). The Owls extended their winning streak to 12 matches.
Taylor Preston led Rice with 16 kills, while freshman Aaliyah Smith added 11. Kaia Mateo recorded 37 assists.
Defensively, Darby Harris paced the Owls with 17 digs, and Gaby Mansfield added 12. Lademi Ogunlana led at the net with five blocks.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I am extremely proud of the resilience this team has shown all season and can't think of a more fitting way for this senior class to celebrate their last match at home. We have more work to do, but I'm definitely proud of this entire team for the effort they put in daily, and we look forward to finishing strong next weekend to close out the regular season."
How It Happened
First Set
FAU took an early lead before Rice tied it, and the teams traded points until the Owls went on a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 advantage. FAU pulled even again, but Rice closed strong for a 25-20 win. Smith led Rice with five kills in the opening frame, as the team hit .382 to start the match.
Second Set
Rice struck first, but FAU answered to tie it at 9-9. Freshman Mari Furoyama led a 9-0 Rice run capped by an Ogunlana kill. FAU responded with a short run of its own, but Ric held on for a 25-19 victory, limiting FAU to a .100 hitting percentage.
Third Set
The final set was tightly contested, with little separation between the teams. There where 16 tie scores and five lead changes in the set. Rice rallied late to tie it at 23-23 before two FAU errors sealed the 26-24 set and the sweep. Preston led the set with nine kills.
Up Next
Rice concludes the regular season on the road at Wichita State and North Texas. Both matches will stream on ESPN+.
Rice (17-8, 13-1 American) also clinched the No. 1 seed in the American Conference Tournament after defeating FAU (17-10, 8-6). The Owls extended their winning streak to 12 matches.
Taylor Preston led Rice with 16 kills, while freshman Aaliyah Smith added 11. Kaia Mateo recorded 37 assists.
Defensively, Darby Harris paced the Owls with 17 digs, and Gaby Mansfield added 12. Lademi Ogunlana led at the net with five blocks.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I am extremely proud of the resilience this team has shown all season and can't think of a more fitting way for this senior class to celebrate their last match at home. We have more work to do, but I'm definitely proud of this entire team for the effort they put in daily, and we look forward to finishing strong next weekend to close out the regular season."
How It Happened
First Set
FAU took an early lead before Rice tied it, and the teams traded points until the Owls went on a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 advantage. FAU pulled even again, but Rice closed strong for a 25-20 win. Smith led Rice with five kills in the opening frame, as the team hit .382 to start the match.
Second Set
Rice struck first, but FAU answered to tie it at 9-9. Freshman Mari Furoyama led a 9-0 Rice run capped by an Ogunlana kill. FAU responded with a short run of its own, but Ric held on for a 25-19 victory, limiting FAU to a .100 hitting percentage.
Third Set
The final set was tightly contested, with little separation between the teams. There where 16 tie scores and five lead changes in the set. Rice rallied late to tie it at 23-23 before two FAU errors sealed the 26-24 set and the sweep. Preston led the set with nine kills.
Up Next
Rice concludes the regular season on the road at Wichita State and North Texas. Both matches will stream on ESPN+.
Team Stats
FAU
Rice
Kills
40
45
Errors
19
16
Attempts
127
118
Hitting %
.165
.246
Points
48.0
57.0
Assists
37
43
Aces
3
3
Blocks
5
9
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballVB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02