The UTSA Roadrunner volleyball team travelled to San Marcos over the Sept. 20-22 weekend to compete in the Texas State Creeds and Crests Classic. The ‘Runners fell to the Texas State Bobcats and the Sam Houston State Bearkats before winning their only match of the weekend against the George Washington Colonials.
The ‘Runners began the weekend with a matchup against the Bobcats. The first set was a back and forth game before the Bobcats capitalized on an 11-2 run. The Bobcats claimed the first set 25-21. Setter Courtney Walters continued her streak of double digit assists to 11 matches. During the second set, the ‘Runners brought a more focused defense. Keeping the score tight, the ‘Runners claimed the lead, bringing the match to 1-1 at 26-24. The third and fourth sets brought struggles for the ‘Runners. Fighting off their 44th error of the night, the ‘Runners could not gain the momentum to claim the game, dropping the sets 25-21 and 25-20.
The ‘Runners then faced the Bearkats, challenging them to five sets: 21-25 25-22 25-16 22-25 9-15. Kirby Smith claimed a new personal best with 16 kills during this match, as did defensive specialist Lydia Niebla with 15 digs and senior libero Emily Ramirez with a game high of 29 digs. Keeping the lead for the opening of each set, the ‘Runners claimed the first and second sets, but the Bearkats regained their momentum, sweeping the following three sets to close the match at a 3-2 advantage.
Finally, the ‘Runners faced the Colonials in the last match of the tournament. The ‘Runners swept the last match, claiming the win in three sets. The ‘Runners remained in the lead for most of the set, allowing Smith and Brianna McCulloch to capitalize on the Colonial defense, registering 13 and 11 kills, respectively. The ‘Runners closed the match with three set wins: 25-14 25-20 25-18. McCulloch was named to the Creeds and Crests Classic All-Tournament Team. She averaged 3.33 kills per set, hitting a .340 clip. Her 40 kills accounted for one-fourth of the team’s total for the weekend.
The ‘Runners will be back in the Convocation Center Friday, Sept. 27 to face the University of North Carolina-Charlotte 49ers for a Set the Expectation Match.
