Owls Secure First Conference Win in Thriller

Sunday, September 27

Houston, Texas

2 PM

Rice University

7-7,1-1American

UAB

6-8,0-2American

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UAB	21	14	25	25	10	2
Rice	25	25	23	23	15	3

Box Score (PDF)

Owls Secure First Conference Win in Thriller

9/27/2026 6:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Kendyll Morris (km215@rice.edu)

HOUSTON — Rice volleyball went the distance in 3-2 win over UAB at Tudor Fieldhouse in on Sunday.

The Owls (7-7, 1-1 American) took the first two sets 25-21 and 25-14 before dropping the next two, 23-25, 23-25. Rice secured the match with a 15-10 win in the fifth set. The Owls hit .273 on the match and held UAB to .190.

Sydnee Peterson and Savannah Skopal both recorded double-doubles. Peterson posted her fifth of the season with 13 kills and a career-high 15 digs. Skopal recorded her first double-double of the season with a match-high 49 assists and 10 digs.

Amalia Simmons led the Owls with 14 kills, while Stephanie Gutierrez added a career-high of 13. Bella Lopez and Maggie Croft each had career outings with 10 kills apiece and Croft hitting .409 in the match.

Zora Bello added 10 assists, while Mari Furoyama led the Owls with 15 digs and Jordan Hummel had 13.

Last season, the Owls opened conference play with a loss before earning a reverse sweep over Tulsa and going on to win 17 straight matches.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Rice secured the first point of the opening set on a kill from Peterson. UAB responded with back-to-back points, but the Owls answered with a 6-1 run to take a 9-5 lead on a kill from Simmons. Rice continued to hold the lead, using another 3-0 run to take a 17-9 advantage. The Blazers cut the deficit to three before Rice used a timeout with a 21-17 lead. UAB then tied the set at 21, but Rice pulled away with four straight points to take the set 25-21. The Owls hit .400 in the frame, while UAB hit .275.

Second Set
The Owls took the first two points before UAB briefly took a 5-4 lead. Rice responded with a 4-0 run capped by a kill from Peterson. The Blazers attempted to close the gap, but Rice went on a 7-0 run, started and capped by aces from Peterson, to take a 16-8 lead. UAB attempted to regain momentum, but Rice closed the set on a 4-0 run to win 25-14. Freshman Lopez recorded six kills in the set, while the Owls hit .394 as a team.

Third Set
UAB quickly took a 3-1 lead over the Owls. Rice tied the set at five and six before the Blazers opened a 12-6 advantage. Rice answered with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to one before UAB took a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. The match remained tight down the stretch as Rice put together a late run but was unable to complete the comeback, dropping the set 25-23.

Fourth Set
The Owls jumped out to an 8-5 lead before UAB took the advantage with a 6-0 run. The Blazers held an 15-11 lead at the media timeout. Rice cut the deficit to one, but UAB responded with three straight points to take a 21-17 lead. Rice again rallied late, using a 4-0 run to tie the set at 23, but UAB took the final two points to win 25-23 and force a fifth set.

Fifth Set
Rice took an early 4-1 lead behind UAB errors and held the advantage until the Blazers tied the set at eight. The Owls forced a UAB timeout after a Hummel ace gave Rice a 10-8 lead. Rice maintained the advantage from there, closing the match with a 4-0 run to win 15-10. The Owls hit .267 in the frame, with Peterson leading the way with three kills.

UP NEXT
The Owls will head to Florida as they take on South Florida and Florida Atlantic.