Senior Kendra Rowland's return to her native California was successful on Friday night.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — UTSA ended its three-match losing streak, but it wasn't easy, as the Roadrunners outlasted tournament host Sacramento State in five sets (25-15, 25-18, 23-25, 21-25, 15-4) late Friday night at The Nest.
Having dropped eight of their previous nine sets entering the contest, the Birds (2-3) rolled to a early 2-0 lead, but they saw that advantage evaporate after intermission. That pushed UTSA to the full five frames for the third time in five matches to open the season.
However, the Roadrunners scored the first 10 points (12 of the first 13 overall) to open the final stanza and that was more than enough to put away the pesky Hornets (2-3) in a match that didn't wrap up until the clock struck and passed the midnight hour in the Central Time Zone.
Senior Kendra Rowland led three players in double figures with 16 kills, while senior Briana Mason and sophomore Brittney Malloy controlled the middle with 14 and a dozen winners, respectively, in addition to hitting over .400. Redshirt sophomore Kelsey Schwirtlich continued her strong start to the fall with 50 assists.
The Roadrunners recorded a season-best 11 blocks with Malloy and sophomore Whitney Walls leading the way with five assists apiece. Meanwhile, junior Kelsey Jewasko led a balanced effort along the back row wit 14 digs and fellow third-year player Elise Huskey added 11.
Janelle Currey had a match-high 20 kills for Sacramento State and Breanne Menees led a trio of Hornets in double digits with a match-best 20 digs.
UTSA concludes tournament play with a pair of matches on Saturday. The Birds will take on Cal State Northridge (1-3) at noon (CT), followed by a 7 p.m. (CT) meeting with Elon (5-1).