DENVER, Colo. — UTSA committed 29 attack errors and Denver capitalized with a four-set victory (25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19) on Saturday at Hamilton Gymnasium.
Senior Whitney Walls was the lone bright spot on the attack for the Roadrunners (12-7, 5-4 WAC), as she racked up a season-high 19 kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
The Birds also received double-doubles from senior Brandy Huskey (38 assists/17 digs) and junior McKenzie Adams (11 winners/11 digs).
However, the Pioneers (10-9, 4-5 WAC) hit .271 and had three players go into double figures in kills — Faimie Kingsley (14), Colleen King (11) and Alex Turgeon (10).
Meanwhile, Denver limited UTSA to a .187 hitting percentage and totaled 10 blocks, while Kate Acker led the back line with 10 digs.
The two teams traded the first 38 points of the opening frame before a winner by Kingsley put the Pioneers on top for good. Denver increased its lead to as much as three down the stretch and put away the frame with a Tara Curtiss kill.
The Pioneers held the advantage for most of the second stanza until an Adams winner tied things up at 16. After trading the next two points, Walls laced a cross-court kill to give the Birds the lead. UTSA piled on from there and pushed its advantage to as much as four before claiming a three-point victory to tie the contest.
However, Denver seized the momentum after intermission.
The Pioneers raced out to a 7-2 lead in the third set and, with a late push, coasted to a six-point win.
An 18-all tie in the deciding frame was broken following a Roadrunners service error and Denver never looked back. The Pioneers reeled off a 6-1 run down the stretch to finish out the contest.
UTSA will continue its season-long four-match road trip on Monday at league-leading Utah State (13-6, 8-1 WAC). First serve is scheduled for 8 p.m.