Rice University Athletics
Thursday, September 17
Fort Worth, TX
6:30 PM
Rice University
6-4,0-0American
0
vs
3
SMU
7-2,0-0ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMU | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Rice | 17 | 18 | 17 | 0 |
Owls Drop Match to No. 5 SMU
9/17/2026 8:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
FORT WORTH — Rice volleyball battled No. 5 SMU on Thursday night at Schollmaier Arena, falling 3-0 with set scores of 25-17, 25-18, 25-17.
The Owls (5-4) were led offensively by Amalia Simmons, who recorded a team-high 10 kills. Freshman Zora Bello paced the Rice offense with a career-high 17 assists, while Ashlyn Seay led the Owls with five digs. Stephanie Gutierrez added a team-high four blocks.
Rice hit .124 on the night, while SMU recorded a .267 hitting percentage.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Tonight we just didn't take advantage of opportunities when we had them, so we never gave ourselves a chance. Our offense struggled and overall game was too inconsistent. We outblocked SMU, had just about as many kills as them, but made too many errors. I thought Molly and Stephanie had solid performances that we can build off of. We look to move forward and bounce back tomorrow against TCU."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
SMU opened the match with a 5-0 run before Kellen Dorotik put the Owls on the board with a kill. Rice continued to battle, trailing 15-8 at the media timeout before scoring back-to-back points following the break. The Mustangs closed out the set, 25-17.
Second Set
Rice came out strong in the second set, securing the opening point and building an early 4-1 lead behind a block from Gutierrez and Bello. The Owls maintained the advantage until SMU evened the score at 8-8. Simmons tied the score at 10 with a kill, marking the final tied score for the Owls in the set. The Mustangs began to pull away late despite a Rice timeout, taking the second set, 25-18.
Third Set
SMU took an early 5-1 lead, but the Owls later responded with a 4-0 run to pull within three. Rice continued to battle throughout the set, staying within striking distance before the Mustangs closed out the match, 25-17. Simmons led the Owls with three kills in the frame, while Arissa Smith added two blocks.
UP NEXT
Rice closes out the week against No. 13 TCU on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Owls (5-4) were led offensively by Amalia Simmons, who recorded a team-high 10 kills. Freshman Zora Bello paced the Rice offense with a career-high 17 assists, while Ashlyn Seay led the Owls with five digs. Stephanie Gutierrez added a team-high four blocks.
Rice hit .124 on the night, while SMU recorded a .267 hitting percentage.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Tonight we just didn't take advantage of opportunities when we had them, so we never gave ourselves a chance. Our offense struggled and overall game was too inconsistent. We outblocked SMU, had just about as many kills as them, but made too many errors. I thought Molly and Stephanie had solid performances that we can build off of. We look to move forward and bounce back tomorrow against TCU."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
SMU opened the match with a 5-0 run before Kellen Dorotik put the Owls on the board with a kill. Rice continued to battle, trailing 15-8 at the media timeout before scoring back-to-back points following the break. The Mustangs closed out the set, 25-17.
Second Set
Rice came out strong in the second set, securing the opening point and building an early 4-1 lead behind a block from Gutierrez and Bello. The Owls maintained the advantage until SMU evened the score at 8-8. Simmons tied the score at 10 with a kill, marking the final tied score for the Owls in the set. The Mustangs began to pull away late despite a Rice timeout, taking the second set, 25-18.
Third Set
SMU took an early 5-1 lead, but the Owls later responded with a 4-0 run to pull within three. Rice continued to battle throughout the set, staying within striking distance before the Mustangs closed out the match, 25-17. Simmons led the Owls with three kills in the frame, while Arissa Smith added two blocks.
UP NEXT
Rice closes out the week against No. 13 TCU on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
Opp
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
SMU
Rice
Kills
35
32
Errors
12
20
Attempts
86
97
Hitting %
.267
.124
Points
52.5
42.5
Assists
31
31
Aces
9
1
Blocks
8.5
9.5
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Saturday, December 04
Thursday, December 02