Rice Rolls Past McNeese in Straight Sets

Friday, September 4

Houston, Texas

6 PM

Rice University

5-0,0-0American

McNeese State

0-5,0-0Southland

Team	1	2	3	Final F
McNeese	18	14	20	0
Rice	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics

9/4/2026 9:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Kendyll Morris (km215@rice.edu)

HOUSTON — Rice volleyball secured its first sweep of the season with a 3-0 victory over McNeese on Friday to open the Rice Invitational I at Tudor Fieldhouse.

The Owls (5-0) won by set scores of 25-18, 25-14, 25-20 to extend their win streak to five matches. Rice held McNeese to a .033 hitting percentage while hitting .290 as a team.

Sydnee Peterson led all players with 17 kills while hitting .417. Kaia Mateo paced the offense with 34 assists, and Campbell Love led the match with 11 digs.

Postgame Reaction – Head Coach Genny Volpe
"Always feels great to get a sweep. We had some statistical goals tonight that we met, and we're really focused on how we're playing the game. But we still have work to do with our consistency. I'm very proud of Sydnee tonight. She was instrumental on both sides of the ball, and Kaia did a great job running the offense. It was also great to see Campbell Love lead both teams in digs tonight. We'll prepare next for Illinois, and I hope Rice Nation comes out on Sunday!"

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set
Rice controlled the early portion of the first set, using a 4-0 run to take a 9-4 lead. McNeese responded with a 4-0 run of its own to tie the set at 16-16 and force a Rice timeout. The Owls answered with an 8-0 run, sparked by a kill from Stephanie Gutierrez, to take a commanding 23-16 lead. Peterson finished the set with a kill to give Rice a 25-18 victory.

Second Set
The Owls carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and never looking back. Rice hit .448 as a team in the set while holding McNeese to a -.071 hitting percentage. Peterson and Mateo each recorded three kills in the set as Rice cruised to a 25-14 win and took a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set
McNeese made the third set more competitive, but Rice continued to find ways to pull away. The Owls built an early 7-4 advantage before the Cowgirls answered with a 4-0 run following the media timeout to cut the deficit to one. Rice responded with several runs of its own to regain control. Peterson recorded six kills in the set, while freshman Ashlyn Seay added four. Peterson then delivered the match-clinching kill as the Owls closed out the set, 25-20, and completed the sweep.

UP NEXT
The Owls will close the Rice Invitational I on Sunday against Illinois at 2 p.m. The match will stream on ESPN+.