University of North Texas
16-12,10-5AAC
Rice
17-8,11-4AAC
Volleyball Defeats Rice in Five-Set Classic
11/10/2023 10:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Mean Green collected its first win over the Owls since 2017
DENTON, Texas – UNT volleyball collected a 3-2 victory over Rice at the North Texas Volleyball Center on Friday. The win marked its second-consecutive win over a team ranked top 75 in RPI after it defeated the 41st-ranked Owls.
"I thought our players did a phenomenal job of battling," head coach Kristee Porter said. "There were moments when [the match] wasn't pretty but we rebounded from those moments to dig out a win."
The Mean Green (16-12, 10-5) defeated the Owls (17-8, 11-4) for the first time since Oct. 27, 2017, in Friday's five-set win (25-22, 16-26, 16-25, 25-16, 16-14) over its American Athletic Conference West Division foe.
Aleeyah Galdeira moved into second place on the UNT career digs leaderboard after she registered 20 in the match and improved her five-year total to 1,793. During conference play, Galdeira is ranked second in The American with 260 digs.
Sh'Diamond Holly set her UNT career high with nine blocks, including two solo stops. She added six kills on 13 attacks for a .385 hitting percentage and the match-winning service ace.
North Texas posted double-digit blocks for its ninth straight match as it finished with 14.0 as a team. No other team in the conference has a streak longer than five matches this season.
Ceci Harness registered her second-consecutive double-double and eighth of the season with 25 assists and 11 digs.
Aryn Johnson led the Mean Green with 14 kills while she added five digs, three blocks, two assists and one ace.
Treyaunna Rush and Anyse Smith contributed 11 and 10 kills, respectively, to mark the 10th match in which three UNT players have recorded double-digit finishes this season.
UP NEXT
North Texas faces Rice in a rematch on Saturday at 2 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ from the North Texas Volleyball Center. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
