Sunday, September 14
Omaha, Neb.
12 PM
Rice University
2-6,0-0American
1
vs
3
Louisville
7-1,0-0ACC
1
2
3
4
F
Louisville
22
28
25
25
3
Rice
25
26
14
15
1
Rice Drops Hard Fought Match to No. 4 Louisville
9/14/2025 3:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Omaha, Neb. — The Rice Volleyball team dropped a hard fought match to No. 4 Louisville, 3-1 (25-22, 26-28, 14-25, 15-25), in their Bluejay Classic finale, Sunday afternoon from Sokol Arena.
The Owls (2-6) hit .149 while Creighton (7-1) hit .257. Freshman outside hitter Aaliyah Smith led the team with 11 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Kellen Dorotik had 10 kills and hit .296, and senior middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana had 10 kills and hit .286.
Sophomore setter Savannah Skopal recorded her first double-double of the year, assisting on a season-high 40 kills and adding a career-best 19 digs, on her way to being named to the All-Tournament Team. Senior defensive specialist Gaby Mansfield tied a season-high with 16 digs and added six assists, and senior defensive specialist Darby Harris had 13 digs.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm really proud of how our team came out today. We came out firing on all cylinders in set one with tough serving and defense while also killing more balls than we have in a while. We were in position to be up 2-0 against a Top Five team, which excites me. The execution stemmed from a commitment to the game plan and an attack mindset. We have been through the gauntlet this preseason with this schedule. But, we all know the bigger picture. I'm excited to train next week for our last week of non-conference play at home."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice opened the match taking a back-and-forth battle, 25-22. The set began with Rice taking a 7-4 lead. Louisville tied it at seven before Rice went ahead, 10-8. The Cardinals scored five of the next six points. Rice tied it four times, then scored five of the next seven points, taking a 20-18 lead and forcing a Louisville timeout. UL came back to tie the match at 22, but the Owls scored the final three points, capped off by Arissa Smith's ace. Rice outhit Louisville, .244-to-.171. Aaliyah Smith and Dorotik each had four kills, with Smith hitting .667.
Second Set
Louisville came out in the second set, taking a 12-5 lead. After trading points, Rice began to chip away at the lead. With UL leading, 16-10, the Owls rattled off six straight points to tie the set. The Cardinals took four of the next six points, before Rice tied the set at 22. The teams split the next eight points. But Louisville closed the set with the final two points to take it, 28-26. Rice outhit UL, .271-to-.227. Arissa Smith had five kills and hit .556, and Ogunlana hit. 375 with four kills.
Third Set
Rice started strong, jumping out to a 6-4 lead, but Louisville took six of the next seven points. A quick 3-1 run brought the Owls within one. But UL took nine of the next 10 points to go ahead, 20-11. Kills by Sydnee Peterson and Aaliyah Smith cut the deficit to seven, but a 5-1 run to close the set gave Louisville a 25-14 victory. Rice was outhit, .312-to-.000, with Taylor Preston leading the Owls with three kills.
Fourth Set
The Owls grabbed an early 4-3 lead. But Louisville stepped up its play, going on a 13-1 run to take its largest lead of the match at 16-5. After trading points, Rice scored six of the next nine points to get within eight. But UL scored five of the final eight points to take the set and the match, 25-15. Korotik led the Owls with three kills, hitting .750. For the set, the Owls were outhit, .360-to-.000.
Up Next
Rice returns home next weekend, Sept. 18-20, when it hosts the Rice Invitational II. The Owls will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday (6 p.m.), Cornell on Friday (6:30 p.m.), and No. 15 TCU on Saturday (4 p.m.). All three matches will be streamed at ESPN+.
The Owls (2-6) hit .149 while Creighton (7-1) hit .257. Freshman outside hitter Aaliyah Smith led the team with 11 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Kellen Dorotik had 10 kills and hit .296, and senior middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana had 10 kills and hit .286.
Sophomore setter Savannah Skopal recorded her first double-double of the year, assisting on a season-high 40 kills and adding a career-best 19 digs, on her way to being named to the All-Tournament Team. Senior defensive specialist Gaby Mansfield tied a season-high with 16 digs and added six assists, and senior defensive specialist Darby Harris had 13 digs.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm really proud of how our team came out today. We came out firing on all cylinders in set one with tough serving and defense while also killing more balls than we have in a while. We were in position to be up 2-0 against a Top Five team, which excites me. The execution stemmed from a commitment to the game plan and an attack mindset. We have been through the gauntlet this preseason with this schedule. But, we all know the bigger picture. I'm excited to train next week for our last week of non-conference play at home."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice opened the match taking a back-and-forth battle, 25-22. The set began with Rice taking a 7-4 lead. Louisville tied it at seven before Rice went ahead, 10-8. The Cardinals scored five of the next six points. Rice tied it four times, then scored five of the next seven points, taking a 20-18 lead and forcing a Louisville timeout. UL came back to tie the match at 22, but the Owls scored the final three points, capped off by Arissa Smith's ace. Rice outhit Louisville, .244-to-.171. Aaliyah Smith and Dorotik each had four kills, with Smith hitting .667.
Second Set
Louisville came out in the second set, taking a 12-5 lead. After trading points, Rice began to chip away at the lead. With UL leading, 16-10, the Owls rattled off six straight points to tie the set. The Cardinals took four of the next six points, before Rice tied the set at 22. The teams split the next eight points. But Louisville closed the set with the final two points to take it, 28-26. Rice outhit UL, .271-to-.227. Arissa Smith had five kills and hit .556, and Ogunlana hit. 375 with four kills.
Third Set
Rice started strong, jumping out to a 6-4 lead, but Louisville took six of the next seven points. A quick 3-1 run brought the Owls within one. But UL took nine of the next 10 points to go ahead, 20-11. Kills by Sydnee Peterson and Aaliyah Smith cut the deficit to seven, but a 5-1 run to close the set gave Louisville a 25-14 victory. Rice was outhit, .312-to-.000, with Taylor Preston leading the Owls with three kills.
Fourth Set
The Owls grabbed an early 4-3 lead. But Louisville stepped up its play, going on a 13-1 run to take its largest lead of the match at 16-5. After trading points, Rice scored six of the next nine points to get within eight. But UL scored five of the final eight points to take the set and the match, 25-15. Korotik led the Owls with three kills, hitting .750. For the set, the Owls were outhit, .360-to-.000.
Up Next
Rice returns home next weekend, Sept. 18-20, when it hosts the Rice Invitational II. The Owls will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday (6 p.m.), Cornell on Friday (6:30 p.m.), and No. 15 TCU on Saturday (4 p.m.). All three matches will be streamed at ESPN+.
Team Stats
LOU
Rice
Kills
51
52
Errors
16
29
Attempts
136
154
Hitting %
.257
.149
Points
74.0
60.0
Assists
48
49
Aces
10
3
Blocks
13
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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