Saturday, September 6
Waco, Texas
1 PM
Rice University
3
vs
0
Saint Mary's (CA)
Rice Sweeps Saint Mary’s in Baylor Classic Opener
9/6/2025 3:52:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Waco, Texas — The Rice Volleyball came out firing on all cylinders on its way to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-20) sweep of Saint Mary's in its opening match of the Baylor Classic, Saturday afternoon from the Ferrell Center.
The Owls (2-2) hit a season-best .321 while holding Saint Mary's (1-5) to .130. Senior outside hitter Taylor Preston led the team with 13 kills, hitting .400, while adding eight digs and tying a career-high with four aces. Senior middle Lademi Ogunlana had nine kills and hit a match-high .571.
Junior middle blocker Arissa Smith hit .500 on 7-of-14 attempts, and set a career-high with six blocks. Junior outside hitter Cindy Tchouangwa hit .455 on 5-of-11 attempts, and Taylor Johnson hit .300 with four kills.
Sophomore setter Savannah Skopal led the Owls with 30 assists and added six digs. Senior defensive specialists Darby Harris and Gaby Mansfield had 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm really happy with the offense today. I thought our attackers did a nice job of attacking shots and managing problems, and just played free and clean. Our serve and pass was also strong. Our approach needs to be the same tomorrow against a solid Baylor squad."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice jumped out to a 6-1 lead behind a pair of kills from Johnson. The teams split the next six points, the Gaels scored seven of the next 11 points to cut Rice's lead to three. But Preston notched consecutive aces, as the Owls scored four straight to push its lead to 17-11. Play went back-and-forth before SMC scored four of six points to pull within four. But Rice closed the set with three straight points to take the first set, 25-18. Rice hit .357 for the set and held Saint Mary's to .108. Ogunlana was three-of-four for a .750 hitting percentage, and Johnson and Tchouangwa both hit .500.
Second Set
After Saint Mary's scored the first point of the set, Rice rattled off seven straight. After trading points, Rice scored six-of-eight points. The teams again traded points, but the Owls got kills from Skopal, Ogunlana, and Preston. The Gaels cut the deficit to 18-9, but Rice scored seven of the final nine points, closing the set on a kill from Johnson to take the set, 25-11. Rice hit .455 in the set, and Saint Mary's hit .161. Preston led all players with five kills, hitting .455. Ogunlana and Smith both hit .600 with three kills.
Third Set
Rice jumped out to a 7-3 advantage. Two straight points cut Rice's lead in half. But two straight kills by Tchouangwa started a 6-1 run, giving the Owls a 13-6 lead, their largest of the set. The Gaels scored three of four points before the teams went back-and-forth. With Rice leading 17-11, SMC went on a 7-3 run to pull within 20-18. The teams traded kills. Preston had back-to-back kills, and after a Saint Mary's point, Smith closed out the match with consecutive kills, giving Rice a 25-20 third set victory. The Owls hit .238 in the set, and SMC hit .128. Preston led Rice with five kills for a .417 percentage. Ogunala (.400) and Smith (.500) both had three kills.
Up Next
Rice closes the Baylor Classic tomorrow against No. 20 Baylor. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the match will be streamed at ESPN+.
The Owls (2-2) hit a season-best .321 while holding Saint Mary's (1-5) to .130. Senior outside hitter Taylor Preston led the team with 13 kills, hitting .400, while adding eight digs and tying a career-high with four aces. Senior middle Lademi Ogunlana had nine kills and hit a match-high .571.
Junior middle blocker Arissa Smith hit .500 on 7-of-14 attempts, and set a career-high with six blocks. Junior outside hitter Cindy Tchouangwa hit .455 on 5-of-11 attempts, and Taylor Johnson hit .300 with four kills.
Sophomore setter Savannah Skopal led the Owls with 30 assists and added six digs. Senior defensive specialists Darby Harris and Gaby Mansfield had 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"I'm really happy with the offense today. I thought our attackers did a nice job of attacking shots and managing problems, and just played free and clean. Our serve and pass was also strong. Our approach needs to be the same tomorrow against a solid Baylor squad."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice jumped out to a 6-1 lead behind a pair of kills from Johnson. The teams split the next six points, the Gaels scored seven of the next 11 points to cut Rice's lead to three. But Preston notched consecutive aces, as the Owls scored four straight to push its lead to 17-11. Play went back-and-forth before SMC scored four of six points to pull within four. But Rice closed the set with three straight points to take the first set, 25-18. Rice hit .357 for the set and held Saint Mary's to .108. Ogunlana was three-of-four for a .750 hitting percentage, and Johnson and Tchouangwa both hit .500.
Second Set
After Saint Mary's scored the first point of the set, Rice rattled off seven straight. After trading points, Rice scored six-of-eight points. The teams again traded points, but the Owls got kills from Skopal, Ogunlana, and Preston. The Gaels cut the deficit to 18-9, but Rice scored seven of the final nine points, closing the set on a kill from Johnson to take the set, 25-11. Rice hit .455 in the set, and Saint Mary's hit .161. Preston led all players with five kills, hitting .455. Ogunlana and Smith both hit .600 with three kills.
Third Set
Rice jumped out to a 7-3 advantage. Two straight points cut Rice's lead in half. But two straight kills by Tchouangwa started a 6-1 run, giving the Owls a 13-6 lead, their largest of the set. The Gaels scored three of four points before the teams went back-and-forth. With Rice leading 17-11, SMC went on a 7-3 run to pull within 20-18. The teams traded kills. Preston had back-to-back kills, and after a Saint Mary's point, Smith closed out the match with consecutive kills, giving Rice a 25-20 third set victory. The Owls hit .238 in the set, and SMC hit .128. Preston led Rice with five kills for a .417 percentage. Ogunala (.400) and Smith (.500) both had three kills.
Up Next
Rice closes the Baylor Classic tomorrow against No. 20 Baylor. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the match will be streamed at ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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