SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA volleyball team fell in four sets (25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 25-16) to I-35 rival Texas State on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners (7-9, 1-1 SLC) committed 30 attack errors and hit just .054 on the day.
Senior Kendra Rowland posted 13 winners, while redshirt sophomore Kelsey Schwirtlich recorded her 11th double-double after handing out 30 assists and amassing 13 digs and junior Kelsey Jewasko collected a team-best 27 digs.
Preslie Alexander led three Bobcats in double digits with 16 winners. Mo Middleton and AJ Watlington followed with 15 and 11, respectively. Shelbi Irvin, who notched a match-leading 33 assists, ran point for a Texas State offense that hit at a .215 clip, including .354 in the final frame.
The Bobcats (9-7, 2-0 SLC) used a late run to claim a competitive first opening frame that featured 17 ties and four lead changes. With the set tied at 21, Texas State received a winner from Middleton and a Roadrunners attack error followed by a service ace from Amari Deardorff allowed the Bobcats to take a 24-21 lead. Following a timeout, junior Elise Huskey pulled the Birds within two before Watlington ended the opener with a winner.
UTSA claimed a set two win despite hitting .089 in 45 attempts. The Roadrunners opened up an 18-12 lead behind the strength of a 7-0 run. Texas State clawed its way back with a 7-2 run to tie the things up at 20, but UTSA capitalized on four Bobcats errors and picked up a winner from senior Briana Mason to knot the match going into the locker room.
Texas State ran away with the third frame, much in part to 12 Roadrunners attack errors. The Bobcats pushed out to a 9-4 lead before UTSA called a timeout. After the brief break, Texas State saw its lead grow to seven (15-8) after another Birds attack error. UTSA was able to pull within four (15-11), but a 10-4 run by the Bobcats ended the set.
The heavy hitting of Alexander and Middleton led to a stout .444 hitting percentage, which helped Texas State control the final set. The Bobcats pushed out to a 5-1 lead early. UTSA pulled within two (8-6) before Texas State pulled away with a 14-4 run (22-10). A late comeback attempt by the Birds, which included a 5-1 run, was halted when Alexander recorded a kill through the middle of the Roadrunners defense (24-15). After a UTSA winner, the Bobcats ended the match after Middleton guided the ball over the Birds front row.
UTSA will continue Southland Conference play next week when it plays the first of three consecutive road matches. The Birds will begin the trip on Thursday, Sept. 30, at Stephen F. Austin (8-9, 1-1 SLC).
