HOUSTON, Texas – Central Arkansas dropped its second straight match of the season on Sunday, falling in straight sets to Rice at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls earned the 3-0 win (27-25, 25-20, 25-14) in front of 672 fans, improving to 1-1 on the season.

The Sugar Bears battled early in the first set, pushing Rice to 27-25 behind Laci Bohannan, who led UCA with 13 killsand 11 digs. McKinzee Haas added seven kills on .400 hitting, while Gabby Tuiaana contributed eight kills and two blocks. Setter Caylan Koons facilitated the offense with 24 assists and seven digs, and Alexis McDaniel led the back row with 17 digs. Despite the effort, the Owls used timely kills from Taylor Preston (15.5 points, 15 kills) and Arissa Smith (12.5 points, 9 kills) to close out the opening frame.

Rice carried the momentum into the second set, taking advantage of UCA errors and finishing 25-20. The Owls dominated the third set, hitting .355 with 15 kills while holding UCA to just 14 points. Rice's balanced attack featured contributions from Lademi Ogunlana (5.5 points) and Taylor Johnson (7.5 points), along with a team total of six aces and eight blocks.

As a team, UCA posted 36 kills with a .150 hitting percentage, 51 digs, and eight blocks. Rice recorded 46 kills on .271 hitting, 52 digs, and eight total blocks.

The Sugar Bears will look to regroup as they return home for the Central Arkansas Invitational. Their next match is against Little Rock on Friday, September 5, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. CT at the Prince Center in Conway, Arkansas.