CHAMPS! Tulsa Wins 2025 American Volleyball Championship

Sunday, November 23

Tampa, Fla.

12:00 p.m.

Tulsa

25-6,12-4American

(1) Rice

21-9,15-1American

Tulsa

Rice

Photo by: Ben Soloman / American Conference

Photo by: Ben Solomon

Photo by: Ben Soloman / American Conference

CHAMPS! Tulsa Wins 2025 American Volleyball Championship

11/23/2025 4:37:00 PM | Volleyball

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Golden Hurricane Earns Automatic Bid to NCAA Championship in December

TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tulsa has claimed the 2025 American Conference Volleyball Championship as the No. 3 seed after defeating No. 1 seed Rice in four sets at The USF Corral on Sunday, winning 25-18, 33-35, 25-23, 25-21 to bring home the program's seventh conference title and first-ever American crown.

The Golden Hurricane will represent the American in the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championship (Dec. 4-22). It'll be their first trip back to The Big Dance since 2012 after winning the Conference USA tournament.

Tulsa's senior setter Brayden Hipp, who was tabbed the American Setter of the Year, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Joining her in All-Tournament Team accolades are junior outside hitter Olivia Vance and American Freshman of the Year Jill Hanson.

"This team is so special," said Vance. "This team deserves nothing less than this. Having these teammates by my side, I woke up this morning and looked at Milee [Jackson] and said 'We're winning.' There was just no doubt about it in my mind."

Vance led Tulsa with a career-high 20 kills, while senior setter Brayden Hipp had a double-double with 53 assists and a career-high 22 digs to secure the big-time win.

Tulsa opened the first set against Rice with quick exchanges, taking an early lead with a kill by Maegan Mills set up by Brayden Hipp. Tulsa then pushed ahead, benefiting from consecutive attack errors by Rice, leading to a 6-2 advantage. Rice responded with efforts from Kellen Dorotik and Arissa Smith, but Tulsa maintained control, extending their lead to 11-6 with contributions from Lauren Eitler and Olivia Vance. Vance played a pivotal role late in the set, securing three of Tulsa's final five points, including the set-winning kill, to conclude the set 25-18 in favor of Tulsa.

Rice edged Tulsa 35-33 in a tightly contested second set marked by frequent lead changes and extended rallies. Olivia Vance and Eitler each contributed key kills during a mid-set surge that brought the score to 20-18 in favor of Tulsa, but Rice's Sydnee Peterson and Aaliyah Smith responded effectively to keep the score close. In the late stages, both teams exchanged service errors, maintaining the tension as the score reached 32-32. Ultimately, Taylor Preston's kill, followed by another from Peterson, sealed the set for Rice. Tulsa had won two challenges to stay alive during the tense stretch, but Rice would remain unbeaten by taking the final point.

The third set saw a competitive exchange between Tulsa and Rice, with neither team able to gain a significant lead early on. Tulsa's Vance opened scoring with a kill assisted by Hipp. The set remained tight, with both teams capitalizing on attack errors and service performances. Tulsa managed to pull ahead with a series of kills from Eitler and Vance, assisted consistently by Hipp, pushing the score to 19-15. Although Rice attempted a comeback with Preston's efforts, Tulsa maintained their lead. Eitler secured the set with a decisive kill, finalizing the score at 25-23 in favor of Tulsa.

Tulsa secured the fourth set against Rice, 25-21, aided by a late surge. Early in the set, service errors were prevalent, with both teams exchanging mistakes, leading to a 4-4 tie. Tulsa's Brittany Bacorn delivered a service ace to initiate a brief lead, and Kat Cooper followed with consecutive kills, pushing Tulsa ahead. Rice fought back to tie the set at 9-9, but Tulsa regained control with a series of points, including a service ace by Hipp at 18-18. Jill Hanson then contributed crucial points with a kill and a block, and Rice's subsequent service error sealed the set for Tulsa.

Tulsa's Top Performers
Olivia Vance
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- 20 kills on 46 attempts with a .304 hitting percentage
- 20 points

Lauren Eitler
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- 15 kills on 47 attempts with a .234 hitting percentage
- 16 points
- 7 digs

Brayden Hipp
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- 53 assists
- 22 digs
- 1 service ace

Lauren Patterson
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- 20 digs
- 7 assists
- 3 service aces

Rice's Top Performers
Taylor Preston
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- 15 kills
- 1 block solo
- 16.0 points

Kaia Mateo
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- 30 assists
- 7 digs
- 2 total blocks

Lademi Ogunlana
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- 11 kills
- 2 total blocks
- 12.0 points

Arissa Smith
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- 3 block solos
- 7 total blocks
- 11.0 points

Game Notes
- Tulsa has won its seventh overall conference title and third tournament title.
- The Golden Hurricane gets their first American title and first conference crown since 2012 (C-USA tournament champs).
- The Golden Hurricane move to 14-9 all-time in conference tournaments, 3-1 in Final matches and 3-2 in American Championships.
- Tulsa has won 25 of their last 29 matches this season and have emerged victorious in 28 of their last 36 outings dating back to the final five matches of last season.
- With the win, Tulsa punches their ticket to the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championship as an automatic qualifier.
- It will be Tulsa's first appearance in The Big Dance since 2012.
- Tulsa enters the NCAA Championship on a seven-match win streak.
- Hipp cruised to 53 assists (13.25/set) and 22 digs (5.5/set), earning her 18th double-double of the year and 40th of her career.
- Vance led the team with 20 kills, while Eitler (15) and Cooper (11) also finished in double-figures.
- Patterson boosted the defense with 20 digs, her second-highest dig total in a match this season. She also had three aces.
- Hanson and Cooper each led TU with three blocks apiece.

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

Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.