DALLAS – Rice swept San Diego 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) in the first round of NCAA play at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.
 
Rice (20-6) will advance to the second round where they’ll meet the winner of the Texas/Sacred Heart match on Friday December 3 at 8 p.m. CT on Longhorn Network.
                 
Overall, the Owls had 47 kills, eight blocks, 53 digs and a .321 hitting percentage. Nicole Lennon led Rice with 15 kills, five digs and 16.5 points and hit .333 in the match. C-USA Setter of the Year Carly Graham finished with 31 assists and nine digs. Ellie Bichelmeyer added eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage, Shaylee Shore also gave the Owls eight kills and a .538 hitting percentage while Anota Adekunle added five blocks and 10 points for the Owls.
 
The 2021 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship will take place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The national semifinals will take place on December 16 on ESPN, followed by the final on December 18 on ESPN2.