Friday, October 23
Denton, TX
6 PM
Rice University
13-8,7-2American
3
at
2
North Texas
10-10,3-6American
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 27 | 25 | 23 | 17 | 15 | 3 |
| North Texas | 25 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
Photo by: UNT Athletics
10/23/2026 11:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DENTON - Rice volleyball extended its winning streak to six matches with a 3-2 victory over North Texas on Friday night at the UNT Volleyball Center.
The Owls (13-8, 7-2 American) took the opening two sets 27-25 and 25-21 before dropping the next two 23-25 and 17-25. Rice secured the match with a 15-13 win in the fifth set. The Owls hit .224 in the match and held North Texas to .220.
Freshman Ashlyn Seay led the Owls with a career-high 23 kills, while Amalia Simmons added 13 kills.
Savannah Skopal recorded a double-double with 49 assists and 10 digs, while Jordan Hummel led the defense with 24 digs.
Ellie Schneider led the Owls at the net with a career-high six blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The opening set was tightly contested, with neither team able to build more than a two-point lead. North Texas took a 21-19 advantage before Rice tied the set at 23 behind back-to-back kills from Seay. The Owls took a 24-23 lead before the Mean Green tied the set at 24 and again at 25. Schneider gave Rice the advantage with a kill before Simmons secured the 27-25 win. Seay led the Owls with eight kills in the frame, while Rice hit .382 as a team.
Second Set
North Texas took an early 9-6 lead before Rice responded with a 6-0 run to take a 12-9 advantage. The Mean Green cut the deficit to one, but the Owls maintained their lead and used a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Skopal ace and a kill from Schneider, to extend the advantage to 21-15. North Texas rallied late to cut the deficit to two, but Rice secured the final two points to win 25-21 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Third Set
The Mean Green opened the third set with three straight points before Rice battled back to tie the set at nine. North Texas regained the lead, but the Owls responded with a 5-0 run to take a 17-14 advantage. North Texas tied the set at 18 before Rice used a 3-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Sydnee Peterson, to take a 22-19 lead. The Mean Green answered with five straight points to take a 24-22 advantage. Simmons added a kill to keep Rice alive, but North Texas secured the final point to win 25-23.
Fourth Set
The Mean Green took an early 5-2 lead before Rice battled back to tie the set at eight. North Texas responded with four straight points to take a 12-8 advantage and continued to build its lead, extending the margin to 17-11. The Owls attempted to close the gap behind kills from Aaliyah Smith and Seay, but North Texas maintained its advantage and took the set 25-17 to force a fifth set.
Fifth Set
The deciding set remained close early, with the teams tied at eight before Rice used a 4-0 run, highlighted by a kill from Smith and a solo block from Schneider, to take an 11-8 lead. The Owls extended their advantage to 14-10 behind three more kills from Smith. North Texas answered with three straight points to cut the deficit to one, but Smith delivered the match-winning kill to secure the 15-13 victory. Smith finished with five kills in the final set, while Rice hit .276 and held North Texas to .111.
Up Next
Rice will return home to host Tulsa on Sunday, Oct. 25. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Owls (13-8, 7-2 American) took the opening two sets 27-25 and 25-21 before dropping the next two 23-25 and 17-25. Rice secured the match with a 15-13 win in the fifth set. The Owls hit .224 in the match and held North Texas to .220.
Freshman Ashlyn Seay led the Owls with a career-high 23 kills, while Amalia Simmons added 13 kills.
Savannah Skopal recorded a double-double with 49 assists and 10 digs, while Jordan Hummel led the defense with 24 digs.
Ellie Schneider led the Owls at the net with a career-high six blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The opening set was tightly contested, with neither team able to build more than a two-point lead. North Texas took a 21-19 advantage before Rice tied the set at 23 behind back-to-back kills from Seay. The Owls took a 24-23 lead before the Mean Green tied the set at 24 and again at 25. Schneider gave Rice the advantage with a kill before Simmons secured the 27-25 win. Seay led the Owls with eight kills in the frame, while Rice hit .382 as a team.
Second Set
North Texas took an early 9-6 lead before Rice responded with a 6-0 run to take a 12-9 advantage. The Mean Green cut the deficit to one, but the Owls maintained their lead and used a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Skopal ace and a kill from Schneider, to extend the advantage to 21-15. North Texas rallied late to cut the deficit to two, but Rice secured the final two points to win 25-21 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Third Set
The Mean Green opened the third set with three straight points before Rice battled back to tie the set at nine. North Texas regained the lead, but the Owls responded with a 5-0 run to take a 17-14 advantage. North Texas tied the set at 18 before Rice used a 3-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Sydnee Peterson, to take a 22-19 lead. The Mean Green answered with five straight points to take a 24-22 advantage. Simmons added a kill to keep Rice alive, but North Texas secured the final point to win 25-23.
Fourth Set
The Mean Green took an early 5-2 lead before Rice battled back to tie the set at eight. North Texas responded with four straight points to take a 12-8 advantage and continued to build its lead, extending the margin to 17-11. The Owls attempted to close the gap behind kills from Aaliyah Smith and Seay, but North Texas maintained its advantage and took the set 25-17 to force a fifth set.
Fifth Set
The deciding set remained close early, with the teams tied at eight before Rice used a 4-0 run, highlighted by a kill from Smith and a solo block from Schneider, to take an 11-8 lead. The Owls extended their advantage to 14-10 behind three more kills from Smith. North Texas answered with three straight points to cut the deficit to one, but Smith delivered the match-winning kill to secure the 15-13 victory. Smith finished with five kills in the final set, while Rice hit .276 and held North Texas to .111.
Up Next
Rice will return home to host Tulsa on Sunday, Oct. 25. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
Rice
UNT
Kills
61
61
Errors
24
25
Attempts
165
164
Hitting %
.224
.220
Points
77.0
79.0
Assists
55
61
Aces
5
8
Blocks
11
10
Game Leaders
Kills
23
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Saturday, December 04
Thursday, December 02