? Rice box score
? San Diego State box score
| Freshman Elise Huskey had 16 digs, nine kills, four block assists and a pair of aces in Friday's opening match against Rice. |
WACO ? UTSA dropped its first two matches at this weekend's Baylor Classic on Friday and fell to 1-4 on the season.
Jessica Holderness led four players in double figures with 14 kills and Rice handed the Roadrunners a 3-1 setback (25-15, 25-17, 21-25, 25-16) in the opening match of the tournament.
It was the second victory against UTSA in the last eight days for the Owls (4-1), as they swept the Roadrunners last Friday in the season opener for both schools.
After UTSA tied the first set at seven on a kill by sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland, the Owls scored eight of the next points to take a 15-8 lead and never looked back. The Roadrunners pulled within five at 16-11, but Rice used a 9-4 run to end the set.
The second frame was all Owls, as they jumped out to a 15-5 lead en route to a eight-point victory, but the Birds came out of the break with renewed energy.
UTSA took advantage of five Rice service errors and five winners by Rowland to grab their first lead of the morning at 11-10. Rice battled back to tie the set at 17, but UTSA scored eight of the final 12 points following a timeout to hold on for the four-point triumph.
The Owls jumped to a 6-1 advantage in the fourth and final stanza, but it was too much for the Roadrunners to overcome, as Rice picked up its 11th victory in a dozen tries in the all-time series that dates back to Sept. 15, 1987. UTSA pulled within one at 11-10, but Genny Volpe's squad responded with a 6-1 run that essentially put the match on ice.
Rowland led UTSA with a match-high 16 kills and freshman outside hitter Elise Huskey added nine in addition to 16 digs. Freshman libero Kelsey Jewasko continued her strong inaugural campaign along the back row, as she racked up a team-best 19 digs for the second time in the last three contests. Sophomore middle hitter Valorie Rogers led the net defense with five block assists, while Huskey added four.
The Owls also received double-digit performances from Natalie Bogan (11), Ashleigh McCord (10) and Karyn Morgan (10) and the offense hit .272 as a team. Meredith Schamun handed out 48 helpers and libero Tracey Lam led four Owls in double figures with a match-leading 20 digs.
San Diego State rallied for a 2-1 deficit in the nightcap and posted a 20-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23, 15-13 victory in what proved to be the day's most entertaining match.
After splitting the first two games, the Roadrunners rallied from an early third-set hole and scored eight of the final dozen points to post a six-point win. UTSA once again found itself behind one frame later, but the Birds staved off four set points before dropping a two-point heartbeaker.
The Roadrunners came out strong in the fifth-and-deciding stanza, jumping out to leads of 4-0 and 7-3, but the Aztecs (2-2) were not to be denied, as they went on a 7-2 run to take their first lead at 10-9. San Diego State led the rest of the way, but the advantage never grew larger than two and UTSA was able to force a second match point before dropping its third straight contest.
Rowland slammed home 15 winners and junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins chipped in with 11. Brooks registered match-high 41 assists, while Huskey served up four more aces, but it wasn't enough.
Defensively, Jewasko led four players in double figures with a match-best 20 digs and Robbins racked up five total blocks (1/4).
Stephanie Darnall and Kelsey Manasco led the Aztecs with 14 kills.
It was the first meeting in nearly 15 years between the two schools and San Diego State improved to 2-0 in the all-time series.
UTSA continues tournament play on Saturday with a 10:30 a.m. match against Baylor (4-0) and a 5 p.m. tilt against Weber State (3-2). Both matches can be heard live on goUTSA.com.