HOUSTON, T.X.  — Cornell women's volleyball showed resilience on defense but fell in straight sets to host Rice, 25-16, 25-19, 25-18, on Friday night at Tudor Fieldhouse in the second match of the Rice Invitational II.

The Big Red (4-5) held the Owls to a .114 hitting percentage in the opening frame and posted 43 digs overall, but Rice (4-6) found its rhythm late behind a .266 team hitting mark.

Senior outside hitter Eliza Konvicka paced Cornell with 10 kills and seven digs, while senior middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons was highly efficient with seven kills on a .636 hitting percentage and a team-best three blocks. Sophomore setter Mikayla Gray dished out 10 assists and collected 11 digs for a double-double performance, and sophomore libero Sarita Pomar anchored the back row with 15 digs.

Cornell steadily improved its attack as the match progressed, climbing to a .265 hitting percentage in the third set after starting at just .037 in the first. The Big Red also out-blocked Rice in the opening frame, tallying four blocks.

Cornell closes play at the Rice Invitational II on Saturday, Sept. 20, with a noon CT matchup against Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.