Junior Brian Mason hit .545 and led UTSA with seven kills on Thursday night.SAN ANTONIO
— Mo Middleton slammed home 12 kills and helped lead Texas State to a 25-16, 25-21, 25-15 sweep of UTSA on Thursday night in front of the second-largest crowd in program history (1,330).
The Bobcats, who won their ninth match in a row, improved to 18-12 overall and a Southland Conference West Division-leading 12-3, while the Roadrunners saw their season ledger drop to 11-18 (6-9 SLC).
UTSA held a slim 8-7 lead in the opening frame, but Texas State responded with a 9-0 run to go in front by seven and it never looked back in taking the early 1-0 lead. The following stanza was nip and tuck, as it featured nine ties and a trifecta of lead changes, but the Bobcats pulled away late by scoring eight of the final 13 points and they took a commanding advantage into intermission. The final set saw Texas State extend an 8-6 advantage to 11 points by virtue of a 12-3 stretch and it won for the seventh time in the last eight meetings between the I-35 rivals.
Middle hitter Briana Mason hit .545 and tied outside hitter Elise Huskey for the team lead with seven kills, while libero Kelsey Jewasko racked up 11 digs, giving her 18th contests in a row in double figures.
Caleigh McCorquodale and Ally Buitron recorded match highs of 21 assists and 14 digs, respectively, for the Bobcats. Jillian Wolpman topped all players with five total blocks (1 solo/four assists).
UTSA wraps up the regular season on Saturday when it hosts UT Arlington (11-15, 7-7 SLC). First serve is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and seniors Vickie Mundell and Stefanie Robbins will be honored prior to the contest.