Rice volleyball is looking to build on last year's success

HOUSTON – With the 2026 Rice Volleyball season coming up in a couple of weeks, the Owls gave us access to their practice facility to see how the defending American Conference Champions are preparing for their upcoming schedule.

With eight newcomers to the team, including three from Power 4 programs, the Owls will look a little different, but Head Coach Genny Volpe told us the new members of the program have already felt like they’ve been with the team for years. The team has gelled together nicely, and they’re looking forward to seeing how they match up against another program.

On Friday night, they’ll get that chance when they play an exhibition match against the Texas Longhorns in Austin, who are ranked No. 2 team in the country.