Freshman Whitney Walls had a career-high 20 kills, including six in the final set, on Thursday night.HUNTSVILLE
— UTSA received career nights from outside hitters Elise Huskey and Whitney Walls, but it wasn't enough, as the Roadrunners' late rally came up short at Sam Houston State on Thursday night (17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 26-28, 15-13).
The Bearkats won their 10th match in a row to improve to 18-10 overall and a Southland Conference West Division-leading 10-1. Meanwhile, UTSA dropped its fourth contest in the last six outings (all five-setters) and saw its season record fall to 9-15 and 4-6 in league play.
Walls slammed home a career-high 20 kills, including a half dozen in the final set, and committed just three errors on her 36 swings (.472 hitting percentage), while Huskey easily established a new personal best with 24 digs to go along with 12 winners.
The Birds hit .419 (16 kills/3 errors/31 attacks) in the opening set and cruised to an easy eight-point victory, but Sam Houston State returned the favor one frame later and the teams headed to intermission tied at one.
The third stanza featured eight ties and five lead changes, but it was the Bearkats who prevailed following a 6-3 run to close out the set.
UTSA refused to go away quietly, using a late run in the following stanza to go up 24-22, but Sam Houston State fought off three set points and served for the match at 26-25. However, the Roadrunners scored the next three points to send the contest to a fifth-and-deciding frame.
Behind the left arm of Walls, the Birds jumped out to a 10-5 lead and looked to be on their way to victory No. 10 of the season. The Bearkats responded with a 6-1 run to knot the set at 11 and the two teams exchanged side outs the net four points before Michelle Miller's service ace set up Sam Houston's second match point of the night. Amber Brooks' ball-handling error on the ensuing serve propelled the Bearkats to their ninth five-set win in 11 tries this fall.
Outside Kendra Rowland registered her seventh consecutive double-double (15 kills/15 digs) and Brooks handed out 47 assists. Libero Kelsey Jewasko added 19 digs.
Kim Black led a quartet of Bearkats in double figures with 14 kills, while Camille Alfaro, Anna Ferguson and Carli Kolbe each added 13 winners. Defensively, Sam Houston State recorded 20.5 team blocks, the most by a UTSA opponent this fall, and Black and Ferguson led the way with eight apiece. Kaylee Hawkins paced four players in double digits with 24 digs.
Six of the past seven meetings between the two schools have gone the distance and Sam Houston State has been victorious in five of those contests.
UTSA heads to Beaumont to face Lamar (11-10, 6-4 SLC) in a 3 p.m. match on Saturday.