Roadrunners go 1-1 at home
October 4, 2022
UTSA volleyball (6-9, 1-2 C-USA) hosted two Conference USA teams this past week, earning their first conference win along the way. The ‘Runners first game came against the Florida Atlantic University Owls (10-5, 0-3), where they won 3-2, and the second was against the Louisiana Tech University Lady Techsters (8-10, 2-2), where UTSA lost 3-0.
The first game was on Friday, Sept. 30, against the Owls. In the first set, the ‘Runners found themselves at a disadvantage early in the game. After being down five points, they closed on a 9-3 run to win the set 25-19. The second set played out like the first, with FAU appearing to be in control for the first half. The game was tied at 15 when UTSA took the lead and did not look back. The set finished like the first, with the Roadrunners winning 25-18. Cansu Günaydin had five kills during the set which was a team-high. FAU came out in the third set with desperation, leading to a fierce back-and-forth battle. The Owls ultimately pulled away, winning 25-22, which was the largest lead of the set. FAU carried their momentum to the fourth set, where they would tie the match 2-2. The Owls jumped up to a 10-4 lead, however, the ‘Runners would not let them win easily. The match extended beyond 25, with FAU winning 34-32. With the series tied, UTSA came out aggressively to win their first C-USA match. The ‘Runners won 15-5, with Günaydin having 20 kills and Amanda Ifeanyi having a season-high 17 kills.
After an emotional win on Friday, the Roadrunners came out flat against the Lady Techsters on Sunday, Oct. 2. In the first set, UTSA and LA Tech went beyond 25, with Tech winning 36-34. The Lady Techsters were up by six and looking to win, however, a 10-4 run by the ‘Runners extended the match. The second set also went to extra points, and UTSA had a 1-point lead with a chance to win. Instead, LA Tech responded with their own points, winning 28-26. In the third set, the Lady Techsters took a 5-4 lead and did not give up the lead to win 25-19. Kelsey Carpenter had 11 kills, with Günaydin and Ifeanyi each having eight. Mekalia Aupiu had 27 assists.
UTSA now has a two-game road trip. Their next match is in Murfreesboro, Tenn., against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 7.
