Volleyball

UTSA evens SLC mark with four-game victory over Texas-Arlington

Sept. 16, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 

UTSA evens SLC mark with four-game victory over Texas-Arlington

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO – Juniors Meagan Daniel (right) and Connie Picard led four Roadrunners in double-figure kills as the UTSA volleyball team evened its Southland Conference record at 1-1 with a 30-21, 23-30, 30-24, 30-28 victory over Texas-Arlington Friday night at the Convocation Center.

The Roadrunners improve to 4-5 overall with the win while the Mavericks fall to 2-8 overall and 0-1 in the league.

Daniel had her fifth double-double of the season with a season-high 22 kills and 19 digs, while Picard turned in 19 kills and hit .389 for the match. Senior Jennifer Emelogu and junior Brittany Hildebrand also reached double-digit kills with 18 and 13, respectively. Junior DeeDee Strickland registered 73 assists, a season high and just two shy of her career best of 75 set against Texas-Arlington on Oct. 3, 2003, and 15 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Junior Erin McMillan’s 21 digs led five Roadrunners with 10 or more digs.

Ashley Van Antwerp led all players with 23 kills on 69 attacks for the Mavericks. UTA recorded 12 team blocks and were led at the net by Melissa Marek and Emily Nedderman with six apiece. Morgan Rogers added a match-high 26 digs, one of five Mavs in double figures.

Game one was all Roadrunners as UTSA jumped out to an 11-3 lead and never looked back. UTA found itself down by as many as 13 points at 21-8 but crept to within eight late at 29-21. UTSA ended the game on a kill by Emelogu, her sixth of the frame.

UTA overcame a 19-12 deficit in game two to take a 21-20 lead on a UTSA attack error. Both teams battled until a 7-0 run by the Mavs broke a 23-all tie to knot the match at 1-1.

A 5-0 start for UTSA set the tone for the third game as the Roadrunners built another double-digit lead at 20-8 and cruised to the 30-24 win. Picard was huge for UTSA in the game, recording seven kills and swinging at a .700 clip.

The Roadrunners stormed out of the gates to a 9-3 lead to start game four. UTA would battle to within one point three times late, the last at 29-28, but UTSA held off the counter and clinched the match on a Picard kill.

UTSA returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 20 with a road match at Stephen F. Austin. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.

UTSA def. TEXAS-ARLINGTON
30-21, 23-30, 30-24, 30-28
UTSA: kills, Meagan Daniel 22; assists, DeeDee Strickland 73; digs, Erin McMillan 24; blocks, Connie Picard, DeeDee Strickland, Jennifer Emelogu 3
Texas-Arlington: kills, Ashley Van Antwerp 23; assists, Emily Nedderman 42; digs, Morgan Rogers 26; blocks, Melissa Marek, Emily Nedderman 6
Records: UTSA 4-5, 1-1 SLC; Texas-Arlington 2-8, 0-1 SLC