· Rice box score
· Texas Tech box score
Senior Kendra Rowland had a match-high 19 kills on Saturday afternoon against Rice.
HOUSTON — UTSA concluded play at the season-opening Rice Invitational on Saturday with a pair of losses to Rice and Texas Tech. The Roadrunners finished the weekend event with a 1-2 record and they will open their 13-match home schedule at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday against Baylor, which opened the year with a 2-1 ledger at Holiday Inn and Suites Baylor Classic in Waco.
Redshirt sophomore setter Kelsey Schwirtlich was the lone UTSA player named to this weekend's All-Tournament team. The Corpus Christi native finished the weekend with 139 assists (9.93 aps) to go along with 28 digs (2.00 dps), 16 kills (.216 pct.), a pair of block assists and one service ace in her first action running the Roadrunners' offense.
Texas Tech 3, UTSA 1 (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-21)
Texas Tech ended a school-record 24-match losing streak on Saturday evening with a surprising four-set victory (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-21) against UTSA in the fifth contest of this weekend's Rice Invitational. The loss was the Roadrunners' second in a row after opening the year with a five-set triumph against Mississippi on Friday.
The Red Raiders (1-2), who were swept by Rice and Ole Miss to begin the campaign, not only won their first sets of the season, but it also marked the program's first victory since a four-frame triumph against Gonzaga on Sept. 11 a year ago.
The opening set saw the two squads combine for 15 ties and a half dozen lead changes, but Tech scored three of the final four points for the two-point win. The Red Raiders came out on fire to start the next stanza, jumping out to an early 7-1 advantage, and they led from start to finish to take a commanding 2-0 lead into intermission.
UTSA fell behind early once again after the break, but this time the Birds were able to grab the lead midway through the set and they extended the match with a four-point victory.
The Roadrunners carried the momentum into the early part of the fourth frame, leading by as much as four at 13-9, but Texas Tech used a 9-3 run to go up two (18-16). UTSA clawed its way back to an 18-all tie, but it was all Red Raiders from there, as they tallied seven of the contest's final 10 points to put an end to the longest losing streak in program history.
Sophomore Whitney Walls finished off a solid opening weekend with a match-high 13 kills. The preseason first-team All-Southland Conference choice registered a .301 hitting percentage and racked up a team-best 46 winners (3.29 kps) to go along with eight block assists in the season-opening tournament. Meanwhile, sophomore Andee Josserand added 11 kills, two service aces and seven digs.
Junior Kelsey Jewasko just missed her third-consecutive 20-dig performance with 18, while junior Elise Huskey collected 14. Sophomore Brittney Malloy continued her strong play at the net with five more total blocks (1 solo/4 assists) and the San Antonio native finished the weekend with 14 overall (3 solo/11 assists).
Miara Cave led three Tech players in double figures with a dozen kills and Justine Young had a solid all-around match of 11 winners (.429 pct.), eight total blocks (2 solo/6 assists) and six digs.
Rice 3, UTSA 2 (14-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10)
UTSA went the distance for the second match in a row to open the 2010 season, but unlike Friday when it rallied to beat Mississippi, the Roadrunners couldn't hold off tournament host Rice and they dropped a heart-breaking 14-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10 decision on Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Birds (1-1), who were looking to win consecutive contests to open a season for the first time in five years, saw a 2-1 advantage fall by the wayside when Rice jumped out to an 18-11 lead in the third set and 13-7 edge in the fifth and deciding frame.
Senior Kendra Rowland led UTSA with a match-high 19 kills, while sophomore Whitney Walls hit .400 on the strength of 16 winners.
It was all Roadrunners in the opening stanza, as it broke open a 6-5 game with an 8-0 run and the Birds cruised to an 11-point triumph.
The Owls (2-0) looked to be on the verge of falling behind 2-0 when facing a 18-17 deficit in the second set, but they scored seven of the 11 final points to even the contest heading to intermission.
UTSA was not sharp coming out of the locker room and Rice took advantage, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. However, the Birds grabbed their first lead of the frame at 17-16 and went on to score eight of the final dozen points to take what appeared to be a commanding 2-1 lead.
The Roadrunners fell behind again in the ensuing set, this time to the tune of seven points (18-11), but they once again rallied and got within a pair at 23-21. UTSA staved off a pair of Owls set points at 24-21 and 24-22, but the third time was the charm for Rice and the match went to a fifth-and-deciding panel.
The two teams battled back in forth for the first 12 points, but the Owls then reeled off a 7-1 run to effectively dash the Roadrunners' hopes of winning for the second time in as many days. UTSA fought off two match points, but by then, it was too little, too late.
Junior Kelsey Jewasko once again was dominant along the back row, as was sophomore Brittney Malloy at the net. Jewasko followed up her 27-dig performance on Friday evening with 25 more against Rice, while Malloy added five more blocks after recording four against Ole Miss.
The Owls were led by Ashleigh McCord's double-double of 19 kills and 14 digs.