HOUSTON — UTSA picked up its first victory of the 2011 campaign with a 25-20, 30-32, 25-20, 25-13 victory against Georgia Tech in the third match of the Rice Invitational II on Friday, but the Roadrunners were swept by the tournament host Owls in the nightcap (25-15, 25-21, 25-16). Senior Kelsey Jewasko collected a total of 49 digs in the two matches, while junior Whitney Walls racked up 24 kills.
Rice sweeps UTSA on Friday night
HOUSTON — UTSA concluded play at the Rice Invitational II on Friday night and it was swept (25-15, 25-21, 25-16) by the tournament host at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Roadrunners (1-4) struggled offensively, hitting just .171 in the contest.
Junior Whitney Walls paced the Birds with 11 winners, while senior Kelsey Jewasko collected 20 digs.
The Owls (2-2) were led by Nancy Cole's match-high 14 kills. Megan Murphy quarterbacked the Owls to a .347 hitting percentage with 39 assists.
With the opening frame tied nine, Rice went on a 5-2 spurt, forcing the Roadrunners to call a timeout. Following the break in the action, the Owls kept the momentum going with an 11-4 run and posted a .548 hitting percentage to claim the panel.
Rice held an 8-6 lead in the second set before breaking away from the Roadrunners. A 10-4 stretch provided the separation, as UTSA fell behind by seven (18-11). However, the Birds fought back to pull within three (23-20) before the Owls won two of the final three points to take a commanding lead into the locker room.
After taking a 7-6 advantage in the final panel, Rice once again pulled away. The Owls used a 10-4 run to go up by seven and then won eight of the final 14 points to complete the sweep.
UTSA opens its home slate on Sunday against West Virginia (2-3). First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Defense helps UTSA hand Georgia Tech first loss of season
HOUSTON — UTSA picked up its first win of the 2011 campaign with a 3-1 victory (25-20, 30-32, 25-20, 25-13) against Georgia Tech on Friday afternoon at the Rice Invitational II.
The Roadrunners (1-3) used strong defensive efforts, both at the net and along the back row, in handing the Yellow Jackets (3-1) their first loss of the fall.
The Birds tallied 11 total team blocks while limiting Georgia Tech to a .122 hitting percentage.
UTSA saw three players record double-digits kills, as junior Whitney Walls (13), senior Elise Huskey (11) and freshman Dempsey Thornton (11) led the way. Redshirt junior Kelsey Schwirtlich guided the Roadrunners to a season-best .271 hitting percentage with 45 assists.
Senior Kelsey Jewasko (29 digs) and sophomore Cara Tripp (six total blocks) fueled the Roadrunners' defensive effort. Junior Megan Wimbish chipped in with 13 digs and Huskey notched her third double-double of the season after adding 13.
Monique Mead recorded a match-high 26 winners to pace Georgia Tech, while Ali Santi turned in a double-double of 30 assists and 15 digs.
After surrendering the opening point, UTSA reeled off five straight and never looked back. The Yellow Jackets pulled within a point (13-12), but the Birds used four total team blocks and four winners from Walls to pull away for first-set victory.
Eighteen ties and 10 lead changes highlighted a second frame. UTSA held four set points in the panel, including a 30-29 advantage, but Mead chalked up a pair of kills and the Yellow Jackets tallied three consecutive points to even the match heading into intermission.
The Roadrunners relied upon their defense to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
UTSA racked up 17 digs and limited Georgia Tech to an .086 hitting percentage after the Yellow Jackets committed a half dozen attack errors. Huskey and Thornton each posted five winners, while Walls had the final swing that split the Georgia Tech defense.
With momentum on their side, the Roadrunners cruised in the final frame.
UTSA posted a season-best .333 hitting percentage in the panel while limiting the Yellow Jackets to only seven kills and a -.034 hitting percentage. UTSA took a 17-12 lead after a Walls winner and the Roadrunners closed out the match with an 8-1 run.
The Roadrunners will conclude tournament play at 7 p.m. later today against Rice (1-2).
