| Junior Stefanie Robbins had a match-best 17 winners on Friday night. |
SAN ANTONIO ?Junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins hit .424 on the strength of a match-high 17 kills, but it was not enough, as Nicholls posted a 25-23, 25-21, 13-25, 26-24 victory against UTSA on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners saw their season record fall to 17-10 overall and 9-4 in Southland Conference play, while the Colonels improved to 8-15 (5-8 SLC) in beating UTSA for the first time since Nov. 6, 2004.
It appeared as if it would be all Roadrunners early on, as they jumped out to a 20-14 first-set lead, but the Colonels scored 11 of the final 14 points of the frame to record a stunning two-point win. Nicholls then hit .293 in the following stanza and took a commanding 2-0 advantage into the intermission.
UTSA came out of the locker room with renewed energy, taking a 9-2 lead in the third set and never looking back en route to a 12-point triumph. However, it was not meant to be, as the Colonels used a late 5-1 run to take a 22-21 edge in the fourth set and held off a Roadrunners' comeback attempt to pull the upset.
Robbins committed just three errors on her 33 attacks on the night and she led the Birds with five total blocks (1/4). Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland added 14 winners, while freshman setter Amber Brooks had a double-double of 41 assists and 15 digs. Freshman Kelsey Jewasko led UTSA with a match-high 23 digs.
Nicholls was led by Manieka Golden's 15 kills, Amy Whitehead's 43 assists and Danielle Daigle's 22 digs.
Prior to the match, the senior class of Audrey Hiser, Rebecca Hrapmann and Gena Rhodes were honored for their contributions to the Roadrunners program.
UTSA wraps up its 2008 home slate on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest against Southeastern Louisiana (10-14, 4-9 SLC).