SAN ANTONIO — A short and sweet victory over The University of Texas at Arlington marked a flawless start to the weekend for UTSA volleyball at the Convocation Center. Taking the first match 3-0, the Roadrunners carried that energy into the next match against the University of North Florida. Dropping the first set against the Ospreys with a five-point gap, the next three sets were essential in earning the victory. And earn it they did, taking three straight sets with a final score of 3-1. Finishing off the weekend, another decisive display of offense and defensive prowess led UTSA to sweep Prairie View A&M University 3-0.
Game one: UTSA versus Texas-Arlington
Earning the first point of the match off an attacking error by Maverick’s outside hitter Sophie Ocampo, a steady trade off in scoring in the first set followed. A sizable gap formed when sophomore outside hitter Ally Tribe started her serve at 7-5, serving an ace to extend the lead to 8-5, but losing her service after a successful kill by Maverick’s middle blocker Alexis Bull. The Roadrunners still pulled ahead with four service aces by Tribe and a kill by freshman outside hitter Taylor Gaines, finishing the set at 25-15. Tension immediately followed, as the second set became a back-and-forth affair between both teams. Several attacking errors by the Roadrunners and block outs by Texas-Arlington threatened to close the gap, but the aggressive frontlines of the UTSA offense ended the set at 25-21. The last set of the Roadrunner’s victory consisted of efficient block kills by graduate student opposite hitter Brooke Elliott, junior middle blocker Miranda Putnicki and sophomore middle blocker Caroline Tredwell, kills and defensive saves by Tribe. Gaines tied Tribe for nine kills against Texas-Arlington.
Game Two: UTSA versus North Florida
The 6-2 offense will naturally increase the attacking options of any squad and percentages for its players. Despite the many out-of-system kills, being able to work the offense from any part of the court is a tremendous advantage. Running said offense, more hitters — such as redshirt freshman opposite hitter Gigi Mason, Tredwell, Putnicki and Elliott — took big swings. With heavy hitters like Tribe and Gaines on the outside, there are consistent routes for sophomore setter Megan Hawkins and senior setter Ilaria Durante. Leading the team in the final match of Friday night was Tribe, with 14 kills and 17 digs — another double-double in the books. Adding to the leaderboard, Gaines placed right behind Tribe with 12 kills overall, with a .235 attack percentage. With the exception of Elliott, the other four hitters averaged over .100 attacking percentage. Against North Florida, a strong defensive team that averages 13.7 digs per set, it’s important to have the offensive ability to put the ball to the ground. Though the offense is strong for UTSA, the defense is just as impressive with junior defense specialist Peyton Turner and freshman defense specialist Giada Obregon. Turner guarded the back row with 12 and eight digs against UT Arlington and North Florida, respectively. Evenly matched in the final set against North Florida, the higher number of successful kills on the side of UTSA ended with a Roadrunner victory of 25-18.
Game three: UTSA versus Prairie View
In the last non-conference match of the season, the Roadrunners were challenged defensively by the Panthers. UTSA trailed early due to reception errors on services and kills. However, persistent front row attacks proved to be the key to gaining the upper hand. The new rotation and offense presented more attacking options throughout the match, allowing UTSA to utilize the full length of the court. After winning the first set, the earlier struggles they faced seemed almost nonexistent as they breezed through the latter two sets. The ‘Runners’ margin of victory would expand by the third set. With a final set score of 25-18, UTSA triumphed over the Panthers 3-0. With that, they closed the weekend undefeated, heading into American Conference play with a five-game winning streak.
The home atmosphere was a lively one for the Educator Appreciation Day against Texas-Arlington. The Convocation Center’s crowd was lined with energetic kids cheering on the Roadrunners throughout the match.
“It’s nice to have family here and get in our own bed and our own routine, and the girls are comfortable here,” head coach Carol Price-Torok said. “Our serving has really started to come on, and since we’re comfortable serving at our gym, we saw a lot of success today with aces this morning and in tonight’s match.”
The Roadrunners will play against The University of Tulsa at 6 p.m. Friday at the Convocation Center.
