HAMMOND, La. — Sophomores Brittney Malloy and Whitney Walls each registered 11 kills and UTSA won its fifth consecutive match with a 25-20, 25-16, 26-28, 25-15 victory at Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night.
The Roadrunners improved to 12-9 overall and tied the program's best Southland Conference start at 6-1. Meanwhile, the Lady Lions fell to 10-14 and 1-6 in league play.
Redshirt sophomore Kelsey Schwirtlich led all players with 39 assists in her first match since Oct. 2. Junior Kelsey Jewasko collected a match-high 18 digs, while senior Kendra Rowland added 10.
Southeastern Louisiana received a double-double of 34 assists and 10 digs from Arianne Cruckshank, but the Lady Lions were limited to a .098 hitting percentage on the night.
UTSA took a 7-6 lead in the opening set and never looked back. The Birds pushed out to a five-point advantage twice before cruising to the five-point win.
A .500 hitting percentage on 15 winners in 22 chances with just four errors helped the Roadrunners take a two-set lead. UTSA never trailed and led by as many as 10 before rolling to the nine-point decision.
Southeastern Louisiana battled back to avoid the sweep by staving off three UTSA match points. The Roadrunners led 24-21 but were unable to win in three sets for the fifth time this fall.
UTSA rushed out to a 5-0 advantage in the final stanza, but the Lady Lions clawed their way back with a 10-4 run. The Roadrunners reeled off five consecutive points, capped off by a Walls winner, to take a 16-12 advantage. UTSA closed out the match by scoring nine of the final dozen points.
The Birds will conclude their brief Bayou State road swing on Saturday with a 2 p.m. tilt at Nicholls (11-9, 3-4 SLC).
