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The Rice Lady Raiders opened the 2026 season with back-to-back losses to Sacred Heart and Van Vleck but showed signs of the resilience Head Coach Morgan Hunter emphasized throughout the summer.
Hunter cha l lenged her team during the offseason to respond more quickly when faced with adversity on the court. That response was evident in Rice’s second match of the season, when the Lady Raiders rebounded from a difficult opening set against Van Vleck to make the second much more competitive.
The Raiders defensive line works on pass rushing moves during a practice on Monday, Aug. 3, at Rice Consolidated High School.
Sacred Heart 3, Rice 1 (25-27, 25-17, 25-15, 25-10) The Lady Raiders opened the season at home against Sacred Heart and started strong, edging their opponent 27-25 in an extended first set.
Sacred Heart responded by taking control of the match, winning the next three sets 25-17, 25-15 and 25-10 to hand Rice its first loss of the season.
Van Vleck 2, Rice 0 (25-11, 25-20)
Rice faced Van Vleck Thursday, Aug. 13, during the Van Vleck Tournament and struggled in the opening set, falling 25-11.
Following a meeting with Hunter between sets, the Lady Raiders responded with a stronger performance. Rice moved more quickly into position and remained within striking distance before Van Vleck closed out the match with a 25-20 victory.
Despite the loss, the second- set response reflected what Hunter has been asking of her players since the summer — rather than allowing a difficult set to dictate the rest of the match, the Lady Raiders regrouped and competed.
Rice will return to its home court Saturday, Aug. 22, for matches against Gonzales and Harmony.
