TAMPA, Fla. — No. 3 seed Tulsa captured its first American Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon at The Corral, defeating top-seeded Rice 3–1 (25-18, 33-35, 25-23, 25-21) to secure the league’s automatic qualifier to the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championship.
 
Olivia Vance and Lauren Eitler fueled the Golden Hurricane (25-6) offense. Vance had a match-high 20 kills and hit .304, while Eitler added 15 kills and hit .234. Setter Brayden Hipp steered the offense with 53 assists and 22 digs, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
 
Libero Lauren Patterson anchored the back row with 20 digs and three aces. Tulsa had a total of eight blocks.
 
Rice (21-9) was led by Taylor Preston, who recorded 15 kills, while Kellen Dorotik and Lademi Ogunlana added 11 kills each. Setters Savannah Skopal (21 assists) and Kaia Mateo (30 assists) paced the offense.
 
Gaby Mansfield led Rice with 26 digs. The Owls dominated at the net with 14 blocks.
 
Tulsa controlled the opening set with a .300 hitting mark, before Rice tied the match in a dramatic, back-and-forth second set featuring 19 ties and six lead changes. The Golden Hurricane responded with a steady third and fourth set, pulling away late to close the match.
 
With the victory, Tulsa celebrates its first American Conference Championship and awaits its NCAA postseason destination on Nov. 30.
 
All-Tournament Team
Taylor Preston, Sr., OH, Rice
Arissa Smith, Jr., MB, Rice
Maria Clara Andrade, Sr., OH, South Florida
Jill Hanson, Fr., MB, Tulsa
Brayden Hipp, Sr., S, Tulsa
Olivia Vance, Jr., OH, Tulsa
Sydney Dunning, Jr., OH, Wichita State
 
Most Outstanding Player
Brayden Hipp, Sr., S, Tulsa
 
2025 American Conference Volleyball Championship
Hosted by South Florida | The Corral | Tampa, Florida
 
First Round Games (Friday, November 21)
Game 1 - No. 1 Rice 3, No. 8 UTSA 0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-17) | Box Score
Game 2 – No. 5 Wichita State 3, No. 4 North Texas 0 (25-25, 25-20, 25-18) | Box Score
Game 3 - No. 2 South Florida 3, No. 7 Charlotte 1 (26-24, 25-19, 19-25, 30-28) | Box Score
Game 4 - No. 3 Tulsa 3, No. 6 Florida Atlantic 1 (25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19) | Box Score

Semifinal Games (Saturday, November 22)
Game 5 – No. 1 Rice 3, No. 5 Wichita State 2 (25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 28-30, 15-12) | Box Score
Game 6 – No. 3 Tulsa 3, No. 2 South Florida 1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17) | Box Score

Final (Sunday, November 23)
Game 7 – No. 3 Tulsa 3, No. 1 Rice (25-18, 33-35, 25-23, 25-1) | Box Score