SAN ANTONIO — UTSA opened its 2011 home slate with a 25-21, 25-10, 25-14 sweep of West Virginia on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners (2-4) hit at a .330 clip, while limiting the Mountaineers (2-4) to an .071 hitting percentage.
Senior Elise Huskey racked up her fourth double-double with a dozen digs and 11 kills to lead UTSA. Redshirt junior Kelsey Schwirtlich handed out a match-high 34 assists, while freshman Dempsey Thornton turned in 11 winners. Senior Kelsey Jewasko continued her impressive start to the season with 18 digs to anchor the Roadrunners defense.
Kari Post led West Virginia with 20 assists, while Serinna Russo collected 14 digs.
A tightly-contested opening frame was not decided until late when the Roadrunners pulled away. UTSA used a 9-4 run to take a 24-19 lead. After surrendering back-to-back points, the Birds closed out the panel when Schwirtlich set up junior Whitney Walls for the deciding tally.
UTSA capitalized on the momentum in the second frame and led from start to finish.
Behind a .382 hitting percentage, the Roadrunners raced out to a 22-9 lead. Back-to-back winners were followed by a combined block from Walls and freshman Lauren Muenchow to give the Birds a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room.
The Roadrunners cruised to a 10-2 lead after the break and never looked back. The Birds fought off a brief West Virginia spurt but rolled to an easy 11-point victory. UTSA's hitters, led by Thornton's six winners and .545 hitting percentage,posted a .389 attack success rate in the final frame.
UTSA will conclude its brief, two-match homestand on Tuesday night against Prairie View A&M. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
