UTSA volleyball dropped its third road loss in a row, falling 25-18, 12-25, 25-22, 25-17 to UAB last Friday night in an American Athletic Conference showdown at Bartow Arena.
After winning seven matches in a row, the Roadrunners (15-14, 8-10 AAC) have slipped to a three-game losing streak, including the loss to the Blazers (5-25, 3-15) with just one game left in the regular season. UTSA junior Mekaila Aupiu led the match with 32 assists while sophomore Mia Soerensen had a team-high 10 kills.
After falling 25-18 in the first set, the ‘Runners turned things around in the second frame.
UTSA scored eight of the first 10 points in the second set, including senior Alicia Coppedge’s back-to-back kills to give the team a 9-2 lead. The Roadrunners pressed forward to build a 16-7 lead, later followed by an ace from senior Aliah Giroux to take a towering 20-9 lead. The 25-12 set win was the highlight of the ‘Runner’s evening.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle with the Blazers finishing on top 25-22.
UAB jumped to a quick 4-0 lead, though UTSA countered with a run of its own to tie the set 5-5. The Roadrunners ultimately took a 20-18 lead, before allowing the Blazers to close on a 7-2 run to win the set and take a commanding 2-1 match lead.
UAB wasted no time finishing things off in the fourth set. They led 11-7 early in the final set and pushed to a 25-17 set win.
Asli Celikkol led the Blazers with 13 kills while teammates Kelsey Smith and Chloe Rodriguez followed behind with 11.
The Roadrunners will play East Carolina at 12 p.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center.
