TAMPA, Fla. — Top-seeded Rice outlasted No. 5 seed Wichita State in a five-set semifinal thriller Saturday at The Corral, winning 25–19, 16–25, 25–23, 28–30, 15–12 to advance to the championship match of the 2025 American Volleyball Championship.
Rice (21–8) moves on to Sunday’s final, where it will face the winner of No. 3 Tulsa and No. 2 South Florida at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Taylor Preston led the Owls with a match-high 27 kills and added 12 digs, while hitting .297. Aaliyah Smith finished with 14 kills and five digs, and Lademi Ogunlana added 10 kills.