ARLINGTON — UTSA claimed the Hilton Maverick Classic crown on Saturday with a pair of sweeps against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Mississippi Valley State.
In the victory over Mississippi Valley State, the Roadrunners (7-4) set a new school record for hitting percentage (.536), which broke the previous mark of .471 established on Sept. 23, 2000, against Northwestern State.
UTSA 3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0 (28-26, 25-18, 25-19)
McKenzie Adams tallied her ninth double-double of the season with 21 kills and 18 digs, while senior setter Brandy Huskey dished out 28 assists in a 28-26, 25-18, 25-19 sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-6). It was UTSA's second win against the Islanders this week and it now owns a perfect 18-0 all-time mark with its former Southland Conference mate.
The Roadrunners fought off four different set points in the opening stanza to take an early 1-0 lead in opening match of the day. Brandy Huskey handed out 10 assists and Adams connected for six winners to propel the comeback from a 24-21 deficit.
After hitting only .051 in the first set, UTSA caught fire in the second by hitting .429 courtesy of the duo of Adams and Huskey. Adams notched another eight kills and Huskey contributed eight assists to make quick work of the Islanders.
The two teams went back and forth in the final set, battling to an 18-all tie before the Birds closed the match with a decisive 7-1 run. Adams registered three winners and she teamed up with Tessa Dahnert for the match-clinching block of the Islanders’ Sarah Sanchez attack attempt.
UTSA 3, Mississippi Valley State 0 (25-5, 25-8, 25-6)
The Roadrunners carried the momentum from its morning sweep into their matchup against Mississippi Valley State and they set a new school record with a .536 hitting percentage en route to the tournament crown.
UTSA dominated the opening frame from the outset by scoring the first nine points and it never looked back. Adams had four of her match-high 12 kills and a pair of blocks, while Kylie Schott pitched in with three winners. Huskey passed out 11 assists to lead the offense.
It was the duo of Kasey Kiefer (seven kills) and Jessica Waldrip (17 assists) that teamed up in the second set to lead the Roadrunners attack. UTSA hit .556 and kept the Delta Devilettes (3-10) in the red at .143.
Adams punctuated the three-set victory with five kills in the third and final stanza.